French people Essay Example

French people Essay Example French people Essay French people Essay The representatives of the French people, constituted into a National Assembly, considering that ignorance, forgetting or contempt of the rights of man are the sole causes of public misfortunes and of the corruption of governments, are resolved to expose [i.e., expound], in a solemn declaration, the natural, inalienable and sacred rights of man, so that that declaration, constantly present to all members of the social body, points out to them without cease their rights and their duties; so that the acts of the legislative power and those of the executive power, being at every instant able to be compared with the goal of any political institution, are very respectful of it; so that the complaints of the citizens, founded from now on in simple and incontestable principles, turn always to the maintenance of the Constitution and to the happiness of all. The opening line of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen enunciates the primary motivation for its creation.   A fundamental document that was the product of the French Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen espouses what the National Assembly considered as the natural and inalienable rights of man.   Arguing that the individual and collective rights of all of the individuals in all the estates of the realm are universal, this declaration is the answer of the National Assembly against the abuse of power that occurred during the French Revolution.   It was a crucial declaration that paved the way for the institution of a Constitutional Monarchy. : It must be remembered that the French Revolution was major turning point in European History as it signaled the end of aristocracy and marked the age of western Democracy.   The citizens of a nation were no longer to be regarded as servants but as a dominant political force in determining policies of a nation (Doyle, 2002).   There are many interrelated causes for the French Revolution.   Perhaps the single most obvious cause was the rising ambition of bourgeoisie class who were allied with the lower class folk in their attempt to overthrow what was then perceived as an oppressive monarchy in France during that period (McPhee, 2002).   With the hardships that the peasant class experienced during those times, the bourgeoisie was easily able to manipulate them and gain their support.   The fiscal crises that ensued due to the insolvency of the French monarchy led to massive poverty and hunger in France and further attempts to remedy the situation by imposing higher taxes fina lly caused the lower classes to overthrow the rulers of France (Doyle, 2002). The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was important for the National Assembly to issue because it was the first step in creating the constitution of France.   Prepared by Marquis de Lafayette, this Declaration spearheaded the efforts for reform and was later replaced by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1793.   It also defined the individual and collective rights that all Estates of the Realm were to be granted.   Since it was influenced heavily by the Doctrine of Natural Rights, the rights that were granted through the Declaration were argued to be universal in its application, being granted to everyone, even to those who were not from the nobility or the clergy. This removal of any distinctions as to class was critical at this juncture in the French Revolution because this was one of the main causes for the revolution in the first place.   The abuses that the nobility and certain members of the clergy committed against those of lower stature had become too much that the citizens decided to revolt.   â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.†Ã‚   It is clear that the declaration manifested several of the sentiments that the citizenry had for the nobility and accordingly addressed them by making the declarations contained therein. As the first step in paving the way for a constitutional monarchy, the National Assembly saw it as imperative that such a declaration be issued; â€Å"All the citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally admissible to all public dignities, places, and employments, according to their capacity and without distinction other than that of their virtues and of their talents†.   The principles that are contained in the declaration clearly show this was an essential preparatory step to the establishment of a new type of government.   As such, it was also essential that certain important provisions be included so that the public would be more accepting of such. Drawing on several political philosophies, the Declaration of the rights of man and citizen, was influenced by the philosophical and political principles that were prevalent during the Age of Enlightenment, more particularly individualism and the social contract of John Locke.   This radical re-ordering of society was necessary according to the National Assembly.   The Doctrine of Popular Sovereignty and Equal Opportunity had struck a pleasing chord among the masses and the National Assembly realized that for any change to take place it had to have overwhelming public support. Another reason why it was important to issue the declaration of the rights of man and citizen was because of the fact that it was to be used as the framework for the new government that the National Assembly sought to establish.   In the French Model, the nobility existed for the sole purpose of governance so that there would be a common factor that united the people and helped them progress in a singular direction.   These governments exhibited a certain structure wherein there was a single ruler or head that gave the decrees and orders and determined what laws were to be established.   There was no separation of powers as is characterized by the more modern forms of government that exist around the world at the present.   All powers, executive, legislative and judicial, were more often embodied in a single person or head.   As the events leading up to the French Revolution have shown, this was a bad precedent and has been corrected by the separation of powers to prevent t he abuse by the solitary head or ruler. As such, the declaration clearly set out to define the principle of sovereignty.   It was crucial that the principle of sovereignty was defined as being inherent in the Nation.   To prevent further abuses of power, the declaration made provisions to ensure that nobody was deprived of their sovereign rights.   Being inherent, it recognized that everyone was equal.   This was in stark contrast to the previous assertions concerning the divine right of kings.   The French Monarchy claimed that the authority that the ruler or head exercised was said to have been derived from a much higher being or one form of deity or another.   The power to rule over the people was never claimed, until later years, to be from the common will of the masses but rather was authority that was handed down from God and therefore unquestionable.   This practice was common in most governments until after the Middle Ages when the European societies gave rise to new religions and the birth of the Ame rican civilization.   As such, this provision was included in order to prevent further abuses.   By arguing that power lay with the people and was not bestowed upon a certain class, it protected the masses from future abuses by those in power. Historically, the lower class of French society had few rights, if any.   They did not have the same privileges as the upper classes and were frequently the victims of abuse.   In order to institute the reform that was needed, the National Assembly had to provide this class of society with a sense of identity.   As such, the declaration made sure that these individuals could no longer be trampled on or taken advantage of by those of the First and Second Estates.   The abolition of any distinction and the establishment of sovereignty as being inherent in the members of the States provided the former members of the Third Estate with the identity to participate in the determination of the their nation’s political identity. Rights such as Fair Hearing and Due Process were no longer reserved for the privileged few but were inalienable rights inherent in every citizen.   In cases wherein they would not be properly represented, the National Assembly provided the declaration to ensure that they would be able to freely exercise their right to be heard.   Regarding the issue of taxation, the Third Estate were also protected so that everyone was subject to such tax equally.   As laborers, the Third Estate were also granted protections under law to prevent them from being abused. The declaration of the rights of man and citizen was a crucial piece of legislation that the National Assembly needed to issue in order to facilitate the transition into a Constitutional Monarchy.   By granting the members of the Third Estate with a new identity and with more rights under the law, the National Assembly radically changed the political landscape and thus made it possible for the French Revolution to finally end. References: Doyle, W. (2002) Oxford history of the French Revolution, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press Furet, Francois (1996) The French Revolution 1770-1814 2nd Edition Oxford Blackwell, pp 3-101 944.04 Fur. McPhee, P. (2002) The French Revolution, 1789-1799, Oxford: Oxford University Press Owen, Connelly (1999) The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era 3rd Edition; London, Thompson Learning, Chapters 1-3 Palmer, R. (1959) The Age of the Democratic Revolution: A Political History of Europe and America, 1760-1800. vol 1 nbsp;