French revolution what was it

When the first rumors of political change in France reached American shores in , the U. Americans hoped for democratic reforms that would solidify the existing Franco-American alliance and transform France into a republican ally against aristocratic and monarchical Britain. However, with revolutionary change also came political instability, violence, and calls for radical social change in France that frightened many Americans. American political debate over the nature of the French Revolution exacerbated pre-existing political divisions and resulted in the alignment of the political elite along pro-French and pro-British lines.

Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton led the Federalist Party, which viewed the Revolution with skepticism and sought to preserve existing commercial ties with Great Britain. With the two most powerful members of his cabinet locked in opposition, President George Washington tried to strike a balance between the two.

From to , the French Revolution became increasingly radical. These two powers joined Austria and other European nations in the war against Revolutionary France that had already started in The United States remained neutral, as both Federalists and Democratic-Republicans saw that war would lead to economic disaster and the possibility of invasion. This policy was made difficult by heavy-handed British and French actions.

Its leaders were influenced by the American Revolution of the s and had much popular support in the s and s. Social and economic unrest combined with urgent financial problems persuaded Louis XVI to summon the States-General in , an act which helped to set the Revolution in motion. Fear of royal retaliation led to popular unrest, the storming of the Bastille, and the capturing of the king by the National Guard.

The National Assembly tried to create a monarchical system in which the king would share power with an elected assembly, but after the king's unsuccessful flight to Varennes and the mobilization of exiled royalists, the Revolutionaries faced increasing military threats from Austria and Prussia which led to war abroad and more radical policies at home.

In the monarchy was abolished, a republic established, and the execution of the king was followed by a Reign of Terror September —July The Revolution failed to produce a stable form of republican government as several different factions Girondins, Jacobins, Cordeliers, Robespierre fought for power. After several different forms of administration had been tried, the last, the Directory, was overthrown by Napoleon in View all reference entries ».

View all related items in Oxford Reference ». Search for: 'French Revolution' in Oxford Reference ». The Louisiana city of New Orleans still retains much of its French-infused heritage, and The young couple soon came to symbolize all of the excesses of the reviled French monarchy, and Marie Antoinette herself became the target of a great deal When American colonists won independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, the French, who participated in the war themselves, were both close allies and key participants.

Several years after the revolt in America, French reformers faced political, social and The Russian Revolution of was one of the most explosive political events of the twentieth century. The violent revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist In that time, he transformed the monarchy, ushered in a golden age of art and literature, presided over a dazzling royal court at Live TV.

This Day In History. History Vault. Tennis Court Oath By the time the Estates-General convened at Versailles , the highly public debate over its voting process had erupted into hostility between the three orders, eclipsing the original purpose of the meeting and the authority of the man who had convened it.

The Bastille and the Great Fear On June 12, as the National Assembly known as the National Constituent Assembly during its work on a constitution continued to meet at Versailles, fear and violence consumed the capital.

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