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THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE FIRST REPUBLIC |
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LINK TO... FRENCH REVOLUTON |
 The French Revolution of 1789 was a pivotal event in French history. The tradition of the absolute monarchy was shaken to the core when France declared itself a republic, and the king was guillotined. Almost overnight, France transformed itself into a political system largely modeled on the American Constitution and Bill of Rights. The leaders of the French Revolution first envisioned a representative government. Philosophically, the American Declaration of Independence heavily influenced the French Declaration of the Rights of Man. However, one striking difference between the American and French Revolutions foreshadows the very different outcomes. The main goal of the American Revolution was liberty, whereas the French wanted much more: "liberte, egalite, fraternity!" During the ten years following the Revolution, the French experienced an extreme reaction to the old form of government. The country was ruled by a Committee for Public Safety that claimed to stand for the revolutionary values of equality, freedom, and brotherhood. In the name of the Revolution, the Committee guillotined hundreds of thousands of French citizens with contacts to the old aristocracy or were otherwise perceived to be enemies of the new regime. Supporters of the king reacted by attempting to seize power again, and the "swing effect" began: an extreme action was met by an extreme reaction, and change took place in the form of massive upheavals and discord. Out of the chaos emerged another French "strong man" - Napoleon Bonaparte. Read all kinds of info gathered by an enthusiastist for the French Revolution.... 
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