Causes
of the French Revolution
France was ruled by
despots like Louis XIV. The King was not ready to think of the welfare of his
people. As a result of this indifference of the autocratic monarchs there was
famine and suffering all over the country.
Course
of the French Revolution
The French Revolution
started with the breaking open of the State prison ‘Bastille’ on 14th July
1789. Then, the irate mob marched into the palace and caught hold of the king
and queen and all the nobles. Their heads were cut off by a specially designed
machine called the guillotine. The bloody chapter was closed with Napoleon
becoming Emperor in May 1804.
Napoleon followed the
foot prints of his predecessors. He wanted to conquer England and other nations.
But he was defeated by the English army led by Lord Wellington in the battle of
Waterloo in 1815.
Impact
of the French Revolution on the social life of England
In 1793, England was
forced to declare war against the French Revolution. The war went for twenty
years. This prolonged warfare damaged the English economy. The National Dept
rose to dizzy heights, so the government collected more tax from the people. After
the war the demand for coal and iron fell. As a result, the workers in these industries
lost their jobs. After the war many soldiers were dismissed and sent back home.
During the war corn
could not be imported into England. As a result, the price of corn rose high. Local
corn merchants were benefited. After the war, corn was imported into England,
so the price of corn fell in England. Poor people were benefited but agriculturalists
were affected. In favour of agriculturalists Corn Law was passed in 1816. The affected
poor people formed the Anti-Corn Law League. By the effort of the league, Prime
Minister Rober Peel repealed the law in 1846.
The
Manchester Massacre
People in England were
discontent of various factors. They were called together under the leadership
of a radical leader named Orator Hunt in St.Peter’s Field in 1819. The magistrates of Manchester thoughtlessly
ordered a cavalry charge on the unarmed mob. Eleven persons were killed and six
hundred wounded. This event is called as the Battle of Peterloo. Finally the
parliament passed the Parliamentary Reform Bill 1832.
The
English Army and Navy
The Battle of
Trafalgar, won by Lord Nelson during the Revolutionary War in 1805. It highlighted
the greatness of the English Navy. With the victories of Lord Wellington at
Waterloo in 1815 on land the army became popular.
The French Revolution
influenced many English writers. They are Edmund Burke, Thomas Carlyle,
Wordsworth and Charles Dickens.
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