Was the French Revolution Successful? Essay

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Many historians credit the French Revolution as being the beginning of modern politics. The revolution single-handedly crushed the monarchical way of politics, the aristocratic domination up to that point in France, and the dominance of the church in French politics. The revolution abolished the feudal system and was one of the biggest steps towards modernity throughout history. The French Revolution was a successful endeavour on the part of the French people because it reformed social tradition and the hierarchy of French aristocracy by making all men equal, the Enlightenment ideals which the revolution was based on came through to a great extent.
Before the French Revolution, France was a feudal kingdom. Louis XVI ruled the land, and …show more content…
Napoleon instituted the Napoleonic Code, this set of laws showed two things: first, that one nation was able to live under one set of laws, applicable to every citizen who occupied the country and, second, that the government should be willing to rule those citizens by this code of laws and no other laws added without the consent and notification of the citizens. Both of these principles are now stalwarts in modern-day democracy, and Napoleon was the first to really implement them. Did Napoleon rule with an iron fist, and was he a militaristic emperor? Yes .But he also formed the French judicial system, which is still in practice today, and which was the first uncorrupted government organization in French history.
As well, Napoleon made public schools (Baccalaureate) and reformed the way that the government operated. Napoleon believed in the Enlightenment which both the revolution and he benefited from. The former “third estate,” now was treated just as equally as the former French aristocracy. In this way, the French government was reformed and, though the revolution had created a dictatorship of sorts, Napoleon formed the basis of what would become modern French government. In this way, the French Revolution was mostly successful.

The French Revolution is credited with being the beginning of modernity. Indeed, the revolution reformed social tradition
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