interesting facts about the french revolution?

Question

i need several interesting facts about the french revolution...i found 3 so far, but i really can't find anything else. any ideas or interesting facts would be appreciated!

Answer 1

a. 'We Americans helped' - One major cause of the Revolution was expenditures in support of the American Revolution helped bankrupt the king.

b. The Bastille, whose storming on July 14 1789 is regarded as the "official" beginning of the Revolution, was scarcely used. It had only seven occupants at the time. The mob's purpose was NOT to free the prisoners, but to make a "statement" against the monarchy.

c. Louis XVI assisted in perfecting the guillotine (as a painless and more dignified method of execution). An amateiur locksmith, the sharp triangular blade that would finish the job quickly... was hisidea.

d. "Let them eat cake!" ("Qu'ils mangent de la brioche"), the most famous statement associated with Marie Antoinette may have hastened execution. BUT. .. she never said it! The exact speaker is debated, but the statement itself came ten years before Marie Antoinette was BORN!

e. The political terms "left wing"and "right wing" originated in 1789 (the year the French Revolution began), from the seating arrangement in the Estates General (the French National Assembly). Representativs of the second estate, that is the nobility (naturally more conservative, in favor of preserving the status quo), sat to the right of the President's chair; the deputies of the third estate (the common people), who generally favored change... sat on his left.

f. The French at this time adopted a metric system, even to the point of inventing a 10-day-per-week calendar. (Part of the reason for replacing the 7-day one, was the de-emphasize Sundays and religion generally.)

g. The author of the French national anthem Rouget-de-l’Isle in 1792 in Strasbourg the title was “Song of the Army of the Rhine” (called the "Marseillaise" because soldiers from Marseille were heard singing it during the insurrection in the Tuileries in August 1792) narrowly escaped the guillotine BECAUSE of his patriotic song.

Answer 2

Facts About The French Revolution

Answer 3

French Revolution Facts

Answer 4

The Tennis Court Oath
Was there a fourth estate?
Louis XVI actually had a part in the early design of the guillotine
Why were so many of the peasants of Paris executed?
Did the revolution lead to the lessening of the power of the clergy and if so how?
Could it have been prevented and how?
What were some of the excesses that led to the revolution?

Answer 5

How about...Robespierre gave freedom and French citizenship to the former slaves of Saint Domingue.

When the royal family attempted to escape France, they were recognized because the king's face was on coins.

The Republican Revolutionary Women was one of the first groups suppressed; Robespierre gave a speech in which he said they should be at home cooking and taking care of babies.

Nicolas de Condorcet, who had written one of the revolutionary constitutions, went into hiding during the Terror. When those who sheltered "counter-revolutionaries" started going to the guillotine, he left his hiding place and walked into the countryside. Although he was by this time an ordinary "citizen," he gave away his aristocratic roots when he ordered an omelet made of 12 eggs. He was arrested and probably committed suicide in jail so he wouldn't be guillotined.

Answer 6

Do some research on the "Republic of Virtue," which was a policy implemented by the Committee of Public Safety during the most radical years of the revolution. It included:

DEMONARCHIZATION: They wanted to wipe out any last vestiges of monarchy and nobility in France. Some things they did to this end were change the names of things (i.e., places named after a king or queen received new names; kings, queens, and jacks in playing cards were renamed "libertes, fraternites, equalite"; chessboard pieces were renamed. etc.).

DECHRISTIANIZATION: They tried to limit the social, political, and economic power of the Church by taking away Church lands, renaming places named after Biblical figures or saints, and changing laws based on "faith" rather than "reason" (i.e., divorce was legalized).

EXTREME RATIONALISM: The calendar was changed to make it more logical (weeks became ten days long; the months were named after features of the seasons, etc.); the metric system was adopted; and France was redivided into geographic units that made more sense.

These actions were the most radical of the revolution, yet you rarely hear about them. Do a little research and see if you don't find them interesting, too.

Answer 7

The 2 royal children weren't executed and lived for years after the revolution. Both were in prisoned, were never told of the faith of their family. The were tortured and humiliated. The son died in his pre-teens, while the princess lived to an old age in exile.

Answer 8

The French Revolution was to overthrow a monarch, while the American was to gain independence from one.

Answer 9

Maximillien Robspierre orchestrated the Reign of Terror by having innocent people executed (guillotined).

However, if you believe in karma, Robspierre got to take his turn to eat the proverbial razor himself (just like the former King and Queen of France).