The French revolution from 1789 to 1799 was
one of the bloodiest in history which resulted to the abolition of the monarchy
and the proclamation of the French Republic. The provisional rulers of the
revolutionary government proved to be more despotic and brutal than the king
they deposed. They executed the reactionaries, the political opposition and
even turned against each other to settle their differences. As a result,
thousands of people were summarily killed or executed with the infamous
guillotine, the beheading machine that was associated with the bloody
revolution. However, despite their radicalism and brutalities, the leaders of
the revolution were highly committed to their cause to bring about social
change, and they had the spirit of nationalism in them. Because of their ideals,
most people supported them. The in-fighting of diverse groups within the
revolutionary government made it unstable. The ineffectiveness of the civilian
rulers to run the government led to a series of coup d’état that later made
Napoleon Bonaparte, a military commander, as the ruler and dictator of France.
Napoleon made wars with other European
countries to export the ideals of the French Revolution. He was at first
victorious. But later the combined forces of Great Britain, Prussia, Russia,
and Austria finally defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. And the
Bourbon monarchy was briefly restored to the throne by those victorious
countries.
In France, the revolution resulted to the
enactment of laws and adoption of systems that paved the way for the
establishment of democratic government. Although France was not the first
country to make those laws that expanded a person’s rights and freedom, its
examples are the most influential in the world.
Following are some democratic principles
that came about because of the French Revolution which are adopted by many
countries of the world:
Constitutional government- is one that operates under a set of fundamental laws which is
called a constitution.
Representative government- is one that is run by officials that are elected by the people.
High government positions are not bestowed by reason of birth.
Merit-based civil service system- non-elective positions or jobs in the government are given to
those who are most qualified and talented. It is not given by virtue of one’s birth
or connections to the authorities.
Separation of church and state and the
abolition of privileges of the clergy and the upper class- the clergy held immense power in pre-revolutionary France. The
church had a strong influence over the king so that it could expect from him
decisions and policies in its favor. This resulted to the church having vast
properties and the clergies along with the nobilities having so many privileges.
The revolutionary government of France cut those influences and privileges and
even confiscated the properties of the church. Separation of church and state
is now the norm of many governments around the world.
Freedom of religion- no religion shall be considered as a state religion. People are
free to believe in any religion of their choice, and they are not compelled to
believe or not to believe in any religion.
Freedom of the press- is the right of those in the communication media to disseminate
information that is of public interest. This freedom is one of the tools for
transparency in government activities.
The Napoleonic Code- is a document that was written in the aftermath of the French
Revolution. It embodies some of the democratic legal principles that are now
adopted in the courts of justice of many countries, especially in the
resolution of criminal cases. These principles include:
·
presumption of innocence until
proven guilty
·
equality before the law
·
right to legal counsel
·
trial by jury in a criminal
case
·
right of habeas corpus
·
provision for a fair trial
The French Revolution’s motto of “Liberte,
Egalite, Fraternite” or “Liberty,
Equality, and Brotherhood” will always be a cherished ideals to our democracy.
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