I suppose the most marked example of "liberty, fraternity,
equality" would be in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen which was drafted on
August 26, 1789. The Declaration was fashioned after the United States Declaration of
Independence and Constitution. It set out the basic freedoms and equal rights as well as equality
in lawmaking demanded by French citizens. This was in response to the system of government by
Estates whereby the First and Second Estate which was smaller in members could always outvote the
Third Estate, which had the largest membership due to it being the class of the middle class and
peasants. The Declaration allowed for any man to have right to take part in the legislative
process. There was nothing allowed specifically for women even though women were a major force in
bringing about the revolution. The women had some success but found themselves at odds with the
Jacobins which was established by Robespierre who later brought about the infamous "Reign of
Terror".
Even though many of the rights gained originally were lost
later, under Napoleon a new form of equality was established in the Napoleon's Civil Code. The
Code guaranteed equality under the law but heavily favored the wealthy. The workers and poor
found themselves without the previous rights to unionize but were given price regulation on bread
and flour.
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