sing This Information & Your Own Knoledge Explain How political and social conditions made the revolution likely in France. The Old Regime The system of government was known as absolutism. Louis XVI was a hereditary monarch, and believed that he was to rule by divine right. Although the king was an absolute monarch that did not mean he could rule cruelly or unreasonably. An obvious example of the king’s great power, were the lettres de cachet, a warrant signed by the king for someone to be arrested and imprisoned. Lettres de cachet were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal. They contained orders directly from the king, often to enforce arbitrary actions and judgments that could not be appealed. No reason needed to be given and the victim could be held at any length of time. French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat defines the separation of powers and the democratic system of government. The term "trias politica" or "separation of powers" was coined by Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, an 18th century French social and political philosopher. His publication, Spirit of the Laws, is considered one of the great works in the history of political theory and jurisprudence (a legal system), and it inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Under his model, the political authority of the state is divided into legislative (arm of government that passes laws), executive and judicial powers. He asserted that, to most effectively promote liberty, these three powers must be separate and acting independently. Separation of powers, therefore, refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances. He also contributed thoughts on reputable (good reputation) systems of government in his political philosophy texts. “When in a republic, the whole people possesses sovereign power, it is a democracy. When this power is in the hands of only a part of the people, it is an aristocracy. In a democracy the people, in certain respects, are the monarch; in others, they are the subject. It cannot reign except by its votes, and the laws which establish the right of voting are therefore fundamental in this form of government. There are two excesses which a democracy must avoid: the spirit of inequality, which leads to an aristocracy or a government by one man; and the spirit of excessive equality, which ends in despotism.” Author Sarel Eimerl explains how the French Revolution was a momentous occasion in post-Renaissance history. The Revolution destroyed the old, unfair system in which a few rich nobles ruled France while the mass of the people lived in poverty. The Revolution proved that ordinary men and women could rise up against oppressive rulers. It proved that every individual could enjoy the right to vote and be treated equally under the law. It enabled peasants to own their own plots of land instead of having to work, like slaves, for the rich land owners. It gave working men and women of the cities a new feeling of self-respect. It turned France into a democracy. From France these principles spread out all over Western Europe and the world.
Using This Information & Your Own Knoledge Explain How political and social conditions made the revolution likely in France.
The Old Regime
The system of government was known as absolutism. Louis XVI was a hereditary monarch, and believed that he was to rule by divine right. Although the king was an absolute monarch that did not mean he could rule cruelly or unreasonably. An obvious example of the king’s great power, were the lettres de cachet, a warrant signed by the king for someone to be arrested and imprisoned. Lettres de cachet were letters signed by the king of France, countersigned by one of his ministers, and closed with the royal seal. They contained orders directly from the king, often to enforce arbitrary actions and judgments that could not be appealed. No reason needed to be given and the victim could be held at any length of time.
French philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat defines the separation of powers and the democratic system of government.
The term "trias politica" or "separation of powers" was coined by Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, an 18th century French social and political philosopher. His publication, Spirit of the Laws, is considered one of the great works in the history of political theory and jurisprudence (a legal system), and it inspired the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Under his model, the political authority of the state is divided into legislative (arm of government that passes laws), executive and judicial powers. He asserted that, to most effectively promote liberty, these three powers must be separate and acting independently.
Separation of powers, therefore, refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.
He also contributed thoughts on reputable (good reputation) systems of government in his political philosophy texts.
“When in a republic, the whole people possesses sovereign power, it is a democracy. When this power is in the hands of only a part of the people, it is an aristocracy. In a democracy the people, in certain respects, are the monarch; in others, they are the subject. It cannot reign except by its votes, and the laws which establish the right of voting are therefore fundamental in this form of government. There are two excesses which a democracy must avoid: the spirit of inequality, which leads to an aristocracy or a government by one man; and the spirit of excessive equality, which ends in despotism.”
Author Sarel Eimerl explains how the French Revolution was a momentous occasion in post-Renaissance history.
The Revolution destroyed the old, unfair system in which a few rich nobles ruled France while the mass of the people lived in poverty. The Revolution proved that ordinary men and women could rise up against oppressive rulers. It proved that every individual could enjoy the right to vote and be treated equally under the law. It enabled peasants to own their own plots of land instead of having to work, like slaves, for the rich land owners. It gave working men and women of the cities a new feeling of self-respect. It turned France into a democracy. From France these principles spread out all over Western Europe and the world.
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