The Glorious Revolution, otherwise known as the Bloodless Revolution, marks the events of 1688 in England. In 1660, when Charles II was restored to the throne, many Englishmen felt uneasy about the Stuarts and suspected them of Papal tendencies and absolutists leanings. Charles II increased this distrust by not adhering to Parliament, by his toleration of Catholic dissent, and by favoring alliances with Catholic powers in Europe. The Whigs, a parliamentary group, tried within their power to ensure a Protestant successor by excluding James, Duke of York, from the throne but were unsuccessful. James II came to the throne in 1685 and like his brother Charles II, determined to rule without the consent of Parliament and to reintroduce Roman Catholicism as the state religion. James overt Catholicism followed by the birth of a son, caused the Tories, who until now felt a strong loyalty to the king, to unite with the Whigs in common opposition to James.
The leader of the parliament then overthrew James troops, invited William of Orange and his wife Mary to rule as a joint sovereign, while allowing James to flee the country. The Bill of Rights, passed during Williamss reign established the revolution. It was a comprehensive piece of literature whose purpose was to make it the kings obligation to govern with the assistance of Parliament. It prohibited the king to levy taxes or maintain a standing army in peacetime without the consent of parliament. The provisions of the Bill of Rights were in effect conditions upon which the crown was offered to William and Mary. These events were a milestone in the gradual process by which practical power shifted from monarch to Parliament. The Old Regime was the French political and social system before 1789. Under the Old Regime the king was the absolute monarch.
The Essay on Glorious Revolution Parliament James Charles
... the throne-that of Parliament and of the king-had been lost. To ensure a Protestant throne, Parliament asked James I to find his son Charles, who ... of a limited monarchy. The king was still head of the government, but power was checked by Parliament in a more effective way. ...
Louis XVI, the Bourbon king, had centralized power in the royal bureaucracy and the government departments which administered his policies. Society under the Old Regime was divided into 3 classes called estates: the first estate was the clergy, the second estate made up the nobility and the third estate, which by far was the largest, made up the peasants, city workers, and the middle class. One reasons the revolution originated was because of the discontent among the lower and middle classes. The third estate resented the privileges of the first two estates. The clergy and nobles did not have to pay most taxes. The third estate, especially the peasants had to provide almost all the countrys tax revenue. Many members of the middle class were also worried about their social status.
They were among the most important people in French society but were not recognized as such since they were part of the third estate. Another cause for the Revolution, was the deep financial crisis that faced France. Both Louis XIV and Louis XV left big debts when they died making France nearly bankrupt. The clergy and nobles had plenty of money but the king couldnt tax the wealthy. In 1789, the country was faced with a financial crisis. All this led Louis XVI to summon the Estates-General and this is when the revolution began with the third estate leading the way.
They declared themselves the National Assembly and invited the other estates to join them. When Louis locked them out of their meeting place, they made a tennis court oath that they would not leave until France gave them a constitution. Louis XVI finally allowed the three estates to join together as the national assembly. Meanwhile, the masses of France also took action and stormed the prison of Bastille and captured it. Massive peasant uprisings were also occurring in the countryside. The National Assembly then got together on August 4 and adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man. In 1971, the Assembly brought forth a new constitution, which made France a limited monarchy and established a system of separation of powers. Under this constitution, the old distinction between clergy, nobles and commoners disappeared. Louis XVI became frightened of the actions of the National Assembly and unsuccessfully tried to flee the country with his family.
The Essay on French Revolution National Assembly 2
... Louis XVI refused their demand, the Third Estate, led by Abbe Emmanuel Sieyes, changed its name to the National Assembly. The National Assembly sought to give France ... Although there were several factors that made the French Revolution possible, such as population growth, the expansion of ... public, there were three immediate causes of the Revolution. One was the diminished authority of the royal ...
He was caught and arrested and was beheaded by the guillotine on January 21, 1793. The kings removal led to a new stage in the revolution. The first stage had been a liberal middle-class reform movement based on a constitutional monarchy. The second stage was organized around the principles of democracy. The National Convention drew up a new constitution and declared France a republic. The revolution gradually became more radical, headed by the Jacobins Club.
One of its leaders, Robespierre, set up a Committee of Public Safety, which campaigned against people who were considered enemies of France. In went all over the country killing everyone suspected as a traitor. On July 29, 1974 Robespierre was announced as a tyrant by the National convention and was executed putting an end to the Reign of Terror. After Robespierre, the moderates took control over the country. They undid some of the radical reform and set up a new constitution on 1795 called the Directory. The directory however proved to be weak and was finally overthrown in a coup de tat by Napoleon and his troops.
Napoleon, a French general, used his military talents to help win him popular support and in 1804 he became dictator of France, thus putting an end to the French Revolution. In conclusion, although political equalities werent really gained by the Revolution, social equalities were. The old regime was abolished and the special privileges of the noble and clergy no longer existed. The bourgeoisies dominated the Govt and bureaucracy and emerged as a leading power.
