Talk:French Counter-Revolution

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What a contradictory, incorrect article! I'm amazed no-one has actually cleaned this up yet. 1. Individuals, groups and nations overtly and covertly opposed the Revolution. 2. Discontent with the Revolution began, externally, when other monarchs feared that the ideas being preached would lead to their own eventual overthrow. Internally, various political and social divisions, as well as the attempts to dechristianise France, led to rebellions such as the Vendee. 3. The Revolution was not mainly staged by the middle and upper classes. If you will note, the Revolution was actually anti-aristocratic in nature. True, in the first few months, nobles such as the Duc d'Orleans played an important role, but eventually many fled abroad as emigres. The Revolution was a sans-culottes/bourgeoisie revolution; initially their goals were the same, but they split later on. 4. "Free rights" were beneficial for the ordinary people too. In the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the August Decrees, the Revolution swept away titles and rank, and all people became equal. For a country that had long been divided into three distinct orders where about 97% were basically nothing, such rights were most important. 5. The Declaration of Pillnitz was a threat to France; if Louis XVI was not restored to the throne, then France would be invaded. It was NOT a declaration of war, merely an ultimatum. In fact, Leopold II saw the Declaration as a way to promise much but do little. 6. It says that Britain joined the war in 1792, but later on it says that the National Convention declared war on Britain in 1793. Make up your mind? Britain joined the First Coalition in 1792. 7. France actually declared war on Austria, and then Prussia declared war on France. 8. Poor reason for the removal of the Girondins; they were increasingly seen as right-wing monarchists, in a country which was increasingly federalist. In the violent journee of August 4, the King was desposed, the Assembly placed at the mercy of a combined Jacobin/sans-culottes Commune. 9. The Battle of Valmy actually more precisely halted the Prussian army. 10. The sans-culottes were already a powerful force in their own right since the start of the Revolution, being a driving factor in the riots in Paris which climaxed with the storming of the Bastille. And, technically, they were not a political party. Indeed, there were no political parties in France at that time; there were only clubs (groupings of members). The sans-culottes were more a movement than a party; they had no strict guidelines or policy, and formed the muscle of the Jacobins. 11. The monarchy was pretty much abolished by August 1792. Public support had already been destroyed by the futile Flight to Varennes, and following a trial, then a close vote in the Convetion, Louis XVI was guillotined. 12. The upper class did NOT benefit from the Revolution. They lost most of their priveliges, were stripped of title and rank, and became, basically, common citizens. The middle class benefited initially, but when the sans-culottes took the lead in conjunction with Robespierre, they too dropped out of the picture. Indeed, if anything, it was the peasants who actually benefited from the Revolution. For the first time, they actually had a role in the direction of their country; they were no longer oppressed; economic reforms were passed in their favour. True, bread prices did skyrocket, but this was due to poor harvests and crop failure, not industrial growth. Widespread inflation actually helped the farmers; the assignat was backed by church land; when the assignat lost its value this church land was resold by the bourgeoisie to the farmers. Also, by controlling what little food was actually available, the farmers could dictate a price that they wanted. Oranges91 (talk) 09:21, 31 May 2008 (UTC)

• yea i had to do this stuff 4 school but im not to 2 flash at all this essay writing and that. u seem 2 kno a bit more about it so add to it or wateva makes u happy. Jezstar (talk) 10:33, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

whoa oranges how bored were you? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.50.165.150 (talk) 12:28, 11 June 2008 (UTC)