Volumes and volumes have been written about this and it
would be impossible for us to give you an answer in the small space that we are allowed
here. You must do some research on it, but I will try to give you some
direction.
The world-wide revolutions that took place in
the 1700s and into the 1800s and 1900s (1917 - Russian Revolution) were sparked by the
ideas of the Enlightenment (liberty, equality, brotherhood, rights of man, etc.) So,
too, with the French Revolution. The French were encouraged by the success of the
American Revolution in 1776, but the French situation was much different and therefore,
the French Revolution turned to terror. There was very little moderation, except at the
beginning, and it was such a mess that a strong leader was required to come in and clean
up the mess (Napoleon = empire).
The French monarchs
(Bourbon kings - the Louis kings) had been prone to excesses for years and years and
years and the French people suffered on all levels, not just on a political level. The
French Revolution was all encompassing - it was a social revolution as well as a
political one. The people were miserable and starving, on top of being politically
oppressed. There were several groups that had control that were made up of radicals, and
this led to the Reign of Terror. The outcome of this revolution was quite different than
in the United States.
This is a very over-simplified
answer, but if you do some research, you will find the specifics you
need.
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