Essay about Louis Xiv Is Awesome

Submitted By madtees
Words: 1432
Pages: 6

In 1789, growing discontent with France's traditional monarchy along with the feudal government suddenly exploded into what is now known as the french revolution. The events that ensued drew the attention of other European nations. Nobles were forced to flee their homeland to save their lives. Europe began to fear the spread of the revolution the french felt so passionately about. In 1792 the Prussians took action. However before the French Revolutionary army could take on Prussia, that had to eliminate the chance of revolt within France. To accomplish this, the first pre-meditated act of violence occured as a mob attacked prisoners killing over two-thousand counter-revolutionaries and average criminals. This event is know as the September Massacre. The French Revolutionary army then proceeded to the battle at Valmy, which to much suprise, they won. The Prussians, led by the Duke of Brunswick, had a reveered military and is even compared to Sparta. The French Revolutionary army was composed primarily of civilians. Perhaps the French prevailed because they were fighting for something they believed deeply in , perhaps it was because the battle took place on french land and they were therefor defending their home or maybe the victory was sheer luck. The outcome of the battle aside, each political party had different views concerning the battle in the first place. Three out of the four major political groups wanted war in 1792, each with their own respective reasons, but none the less they were all in favor. The radical Jacobins went against the Girondins, Feulliants and the Royalists in their dissaproval. The issue of war in 1792 affected each political group differently. The Girondins were the party in power in 1792, when the issue of war arose.The government was no longer a monarchy; it had recently been declared a republic as the Griondins stole the reigns of the revolution out of the Feuilliants hands. The Girondins were a faction of the Legislative Assembly, and then the National Convention. The bougoisie , who were the class in control at the time, lead by Brisseau lobbied for war. The Grirondins decided their newfound nationalism was so wonderfull and superior that is was their duty to spread it across Europe. They felt the new order should be made universal, not limited to France. Despite France's aspirations in 1792, most of Europe feared the spread of the revolution, some countries even hosting the exiled nobles of France's old regime. Many European nations feared the increasingly radical road the revolution was traveling on. The Girondins hoped the war would increase the focus on nationality; France now had an anthem : 'Le Marsellaise" as well as a tri-colour flag and a moto: "liberty, equality, faternity". The nation believed their motto included the most precious principles of humanity and the rest of Europe needed to embrace them. Brisseau and his followers wanted war, more specifically they wanted a french victory as this would display France's strength and allow them to spread the revolution. When the issue of war emerged in 1792 , the once radical Feulliants had already been pushed out of the picture for being too moderate. The party had recently lost power to the Girondins with the new Legislative Assembly. Marquis de Lafayette is one of the priciple Feuilliants leaders and is well-known for his contribution to the Americans during the Revolution. Returning to France, Lafayette was swept into the whirlwind that was the French Revolution. Layfayette as well as Comte de Maribeau were instigators while the revolution was in its infancy with the National Assembly, however as France's political metamorphisis radicalized they lost their power. The Feuilliants were constitutional monarchists: they wanted a government in which a monarch acted as head of state within the parameters of a written constitution- this was their dream of a government for the people. Although their political views differed greatly, the