The History Of France

The history of France is undoubtedly one one of the richest and most eventful characterized by the French Revolution that took place between 1789 and 1799. The revolution is instrumental in that it triggered the global decline of theocracies and absolute monarchs, while paving way for republics and democracies. The French Revolution is therefore dubbed as one of the most important events in human history not only because it revolutionized leadership globally but also because the effects of the war spilled over to other regions spreading far and wide.



The causes of the French Revolution have remained debatable throughout the course of the evolution of history but it is mostly linked to the abuse of power by the leaders that were in power at the time of the revolution and how much they oppressed the poor peasants in the society.
Before the revolution, French government and the clergy were the people who earned the most money in the society but they did not pay taxes leaving the peasants with their meager salaries to pay taxes that would supplement the growth and development of France as well as for the upkeep of its overseas colonies. This threw France in great debt overtime and the government resorted to save the situation by the introduction of unpopular taxation schemes that only meant that the poor peasants were taxed even more.
Demands for change were therefore spearheaded by the elite society who were aware of the government scheme to continue oppressing the poor at their disposal owing to the poor harvests that the poor depended on hence the poor still needed jobs to sustain their livelihoods.

The first year saw members of the third estate taking over the government, the assault on the Bastille in July plus the passage of the declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August. A central event of the first stage was the abolition of feudalism as well as the old rules and privileges that were bestowed to the clergy and those in government. In September 1972, the French Republic was proclaimed following the French victory at Valmy and the subsequent execution on Louis the 16th. 
The dictatorship imposed by the Committee of Public Safety in during the reign of terror established price regulations on food and other basic amenities, abolishing slavery in French overseas colonies  and the establishment of secure borders in France protecting the country from external attacks.

  
 The French Revolution also saw the execution of popular leaders who wages a series of dictatorship rules in France. The death of Napoleon Bonaparte (pictured below) has been suspected to be foul play in that he was poisoned but initial autopsy results show that he succumbed to stomach cancer, though this condition was unknown to many.

The likes of Marie Antoinette are probably the ones who suffered death at the expense of their own creations. With the introduction of the guillotine as a form of execution for law offenders, Marie Antoinette was decapitated by the guillotines that she advocated for overtime and her head was later mounted on a pole as all others were done after execution.
(picture of a guillotine)


The end of the French Revolution marked the beginning of democracy in the country with the elite entrusted with most of the important leadership positions. 
Overtime, the country was able to regain economic stability owing to the returns they acquired from their overseas colonies as well as the input by the new system of government that ensured equal distribution of resources.
France has definitely seen a period of great turmoil but it is interesting to note that a country with such prestige and highly developed infrastructure also earned all these in an almost similar process with the African countries that were under colonial rule.