Political Factor

The political factor had a big influence on the French Revolution. In 1789, the National Assembly made the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The declaration is a document that defines the individual and collective rights of all estates. It became the new French constitution and it made a big influence on all declarations and charters of rights. As the revolution in France started growing, monarchies in other countries were developing state of fear thinking the revolution in France might inspire the people to make the similar action of what the French did. People, who were supporting the king such as the royalist and the first and second estate, were running away from France so that they wouldn’t be executed by the revolutionist for supporting the king. Kings and queens were afraid the revolution might spread all over Europe, so most of the European countries such as Austria and Britain sent troops to France to restore the power of the monarchy. Surprisingly, the French revolutionaries successfully fought the enemy troops coming into France just to defend their country and the revolution. In 1793, the revolutionaries executed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The Reign of Terror was a period of terror and violence after the French Revolution lead by the Committee of Public Safety. There were more than 25,000 people that were executed on the guillotine. Those are the people that weren’t agreeing with the revolution. Some French were horrified by the actions that took place during the Reign of Terror. Olympe de Gouges played a big role during the French Revolution. In 1791, she pointed out that the Declaration of the Rights of Man excluded women in France. The Committee of Public Safety executed Olympe for her freedom of speech and for disagreeing the execution of the King Louis XVI. Napoleon Bonaparte was known for his strong leadership qualities. He was also known for uniting the French and bringing peace to the country. While he was in power, Bonaparte attacked most of Europe and conquered them. He launched many wars in Europe but sadly lost the last war which was the Battle of Waterloo; defeated by the British. For some, he was remembered to be an inspirational leader to France. Moreover, he helped strengthen the French national pride with the wartime victories. However, for others, they remembered him as a leader that cost the lives of a million French people.