Sunday 2 January 2022

A Brief Summary of the French Revolution

 

By Brian Maregedze and Vincent Chenzi

The French Revolution took place in France between 1789 and 1799 and as largely characterised by political instability, violent demonstrations, social anarchy and widespread killings. It officially began on the 14th of July 1789 when the Bastille or symbol of the French ancient regime, was ransacked by violent mobs. Throughout the French Revolution, the King, Louis XVI and the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were brutally murdered. However, there was also a positive side about the revolution. That is to say, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted in August 1789 and it abolished feudalism.

 

The French Revolution could largely be traced with a government financial crisis, which quickly became a movement of reform and violent change throughout the country. In one of the historic events, a crowd in Paris captured the Bastille, a royal fortress and hated symbol of oppression. A series of elected legislatures then took control of the government. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were executed. Thousands of others met the same fate in a period known as the Reign of Terror. The revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general, took over the government.

At the beginning of the revolution, unfolding events seemed minor and proceeded in a logical fashion. One of the reasons the revolution originated was the discontent of France’s lower and middle classes. By law, society was broadly divided into three groups called estates. The first estate was made of up the clergy, whilst the nobles comprised the second and the rest of the citizens consisted of the third estate. The third estate greatly resented certain advantages of the first two estates. The clergy and nobles did not have to pay the bulk of the taxes. On the other hand, the third estate, especially the peasants, had to provide almost all the country’s tax revenue. Many members of the middle class were also worried by their social status.

They were among the most important people in the French society but were not recognized as such because they belonged to the third estate. Durant claimed that the, “Financial crisis developed because the nation had gone deeply into debt to finance the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).” The Parliament of Paris insisted that the King Louis XVI could only borrow more money or raise more taxes only by calling a meeting of the estates-general. However, the estates-general meeting was made up of representatives of the three estates and had last met in 1614. Unwillingly, the king called the meeting. The estates-general opened on May 5 1789 at Versailles. The first two estates wanted each estate to take up matters and vote on them separately by estate. The third estate had has many representatives as the other two combined. It insisted that all the estates had to be merged into one national assembly and that each representative had one vote.

Furthermore, the third estate wanted the estates-General to draft a constitution. Unfortunately, the king and the first two estates refused the demands of the third estate. In June 1789, the representatives of the third estate declared themselves the National Assembly of France. Louis the XVI then allowed the three estates to join together as the National Assembly. Soon after, he began to gather troops around Paris to break up the Assembly. Meanwhile, the masses of France also took action. On the 14th of July 1789, a huge crowd of Parisians rushed to the Bastille. They believed they would find arms and ammunition there for use in defending themselves against the king’s army.

The people captured the Bastille and began to tear it down. At the same time, spontaneous peasant uprisings were also taking place throughout the countryside. The king’s removal led to a new stage in the revolution. The first stage had been a liberal middle-class reform movement based on a constitutional monarchy. The second stage was organized around principles of democracy. The National Convention opened on the 21st of September 1792, and it declared France a republic. Louis XVI was placed on trial for betraying the country. The National Convention found him guilty of treason and a slim majority voted for the death-penalty. The king was beheaded on the guillotine on the 21st of January 1793. Afterwards, the revolution gradually grew more radical-that is, more open to extreme and violent change. Radical leaders came into prominence. In the Convention, they were known as the mountain because they sat on the high benches at the rear of the hall during meetings. Leaders of the Mountain were Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Jacques Danton, and Jean Paul Marat. The Mountain dominated a powerful political club called the Jacobin Club. Woloch further stated that, “Growing disputes between the Mountain and the Gironde led to a struggle for power, and the Mountain won. In June of 1793, the Convention arrested the leading Girondists. In turn, the Girondists’ supporters rebelled against the Convention. One of these supporters assassinated Marat in July 1793.”

This was the most horrific period of the revolution. The Convention’s leaders included Robespierre, Lazare Carnot, and Bertrand Barere. The Convention declared a policy of terror against rebels, supporters of the king, and anyone else who vehemently disagreed with official policy. According to Woloch, “In time, hundreds of thousands of suspects filled the nation’s jails. Courts handed down about 18,000 death sentences in what was called the Reign of Terror. Paris became accustomed to the rattle of two-wheeled carts called tumbrels as they carried people to the guillotine.” In time, the radicals began to struggle for power among themselves. Robespierre succeeded in having Danton and other former leaders executed. Many people in France wanted to end the Reign of Terror, the Jacobin dictatorship, and the democratic revolution. Robespierre’s enemies in the Convention finally conspired against him for being a tyrant on 29th of July 1794. They executed him the following day. With Robespierre’s death, the Reign of Terror ended.

Afterwards, the Convention, which had adopted a democratic constitution in 1793, replaced that document with a new one in 1795. The government formed under this new constitution was called the Directory. France was still a republic, but once again, only citizens who paid a certain amount of taxes could vote. The Directory began meeting in October 1795. In October 1799, several political leaders plotted to overthrow the Directory. They needed military support and turned to Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general who had become a hero during a military campaign in Italy in 1796 and 1797. Bonaparte seized control of the government on November 9, 1799, ending the revolution. Napoleon would restore order to the French people with such significant achievements as his Code Napoleon.

10 lessons in Pursuit Of Purpose (P.O.P)


By Brian Maregedze

It is undisputed that 2020 and 2021 have not been easy years, at least to most people globally. Although the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) has been a serious challenge, the question on our purpose as humanity on earth equally demands important moments of reflection. There are at least 10 lessons l found intriguing and worth sharing after reading Ralph Kadurira’s 2018 publication, 109 Pursuit Of Purpose (P.O.P) Aphorisms published under Mind Blowers Publishers.  Drawing lessons from philosophical and biblical teachings, it is vital to note the following lessons;

1.       Everyone is uniquely designed for a purpose

It is under uncertain times that hope is lost. Why are you on earth? Why are you alive? From a functionalist entry point, Ralph is noticeably clear that everyone is uniquely designed for a purpose.” This is so because purpose goes beyond financial gain but guarantees a life full of meaning.

2.      Discover your purpose

Everyone must discover her/his purpose. It is that which you already have.  What you only need is to DISCOVER your purpose. It is not going to be easy for you to sacrifice and do what ever it takes to succeed be it academically or in extra-curricular activities if you don’t know purpose. Reading Ralph Kadurira’s books is vital in the quest for a #purposedriven life.

3.      Be passionate about what you do

Citing other writers on passion, it is noted that, “You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.”-Steve Jobs

With passion, one can courageously move mountains. The struggle may be there, but it is all confronted with zeal and burning energy. Candidates writing the public examinations under the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) undoubtedly are uncertain about the prospects of excellent results. Writing examinations under Covid-19 compounded by a long year without having proper learning environment isn’t an easy task.  

4.      Constancy of purpose

Under the principle of constancy of purpose, long-term thinking and improvement is vital in the life of every learner. Gesturing towards the greater good and results must be upheld. 2020/21 may have been a challenging year, but remaining in touch with constancy of purpose is crucial. By being consistent in continuous study and sharing knowledge, it is possible to excel resoundingly.

 


5.      Focus

Efforts have been made before to stall the public examinations in Zimbabwe but with no success. Instead of listening to gossip and rumours on whether the public examinations in Zimbabwe are still to be written or not, FOCUS in reading, revising, and making sure you know all your material is vital. Ralph Kadurira is very apt when he notes that, “purpose will not allow you to engage in unnecessary talk.” As you pursue your purpose, don’t allow yourself to be drawn into social media fake news but rather FOCUS on your GOALS. More notable is that those the purpose driven don’t have time to fall for distractions. Beyond public examinations, those who pursue purpose remain FOCUSED.

6.      Be responsible!

It is easy for some learners in 2020/21 to say that they are likely to fail due to the pandemic, lack of resources to learn, lack of access to resource persons as classroom instructors among other reasons. However, it must be acknowledged that it is your RESPONSIBILITY by all means to fight and win. The Zimbabwe crises have manifested variously over the past two decades, but they must make important decisions in life, to exit your excuses and BE RESPONSIBLE.

 

7.      Eat that frog!

Instead of ONLY being a planner and a schemer, ACT on your plans. Many at times learners write and read the timetable daily but without being faithful to the timetable. Whenever one is studying, it is easier to read, revise on familiar topics rather than to take up challenging topics.  Brian Tracy wrote, Eat that Frog! to promote an action driven plan in everyday life. In P.O.P, it is a recurring theme to take up challenges and be ACTION oriented.

8.      Law of attraction

If you ACT on that which you love, it is possible to find volunteers who support your cause or your purpose in life. The story of Mind Blowers Children’s Fund started by Ralph Kadurira is a typical example. This initiative had other supporting hands because Ralph was equally able to take ACTION in offering a giving hand to those in need.  You are responsible for changing the course of your LIFE if you take the right steps.

 

9.      Associate with the RIGHT people

Reading P.O.P closely, the power of association is related to the biblical story of Mary and Elizabeth who shared similar purpose. Reading the biblical book of Luke is instructive on the story of Mary and Elizabeth. Away from the bible, the power of association is made clear. Who do you play around with? Association comes with influence for the better while to some, it may result in catastrophic life decisions. In 109 P.O.P, Bishop David Abioye is cited saying, “Association is vital to every man in pursuit and fulfilment of destiny. Who you follow determines what follows you. Where you stand determines how and what you view.”

 

10.   Don’t settle for less

Aiming higher and chasing excellence is key to pursue and unlock your purpose.