The French Revolution Essay Example for Free

The French Revolution Essay The French Revolution signaled the end of the monarchy as a form of government in France. From the ousting, trial and execution of Louis XVI, it appalled all of the European nations and got them thinking how to prevent it. This work aims to gain perspective and give fruitful insight on this unfortunate monarch. The revolution was fueled mainly by basic necessity: food. Bread shortages were a normal occurrence and the government appeared to be helpless to solve it. Compounding the issue was the royal treasury was almost depleted and the king and his court were living in opulence. A lot of things could have gone differently. â€Å"Louis also had a strong desire to be loved by his people and considered himself to be their benevolent father. This idea was almost certainly a factor in explaining why Louis did not simply crush the French Revolution in its early years. While the opportunity certainly presented itself, Louis simply did not have the stomach for it. †1 Benevolence might have its uses but remember the age old adage, â€Å"Spare the rod and spoil the child. † A father needs to be both stern and loving in raising children in order to differentiate right from wrong. The king in general appeared to be a simple man. â€Å"This was not for lack of education: he was the first French monarch who spoke fluent English, and nourished philosophers of the Enlightenment. He sought to divorce himself from the royally authoritarian image of Louis XIV. To do this, he tried to develop an image for himself as a simple man, an image more in keeping with that of the enlightened despots of Europe, like Frederick II of Prussia. †2 In keeping with his goal for simplicity then he should not have publicized the lavishness of his parties in Versailles. These are some facets we can consider and debate but the fact of the matter is that it could have been avoided. Although there were so many variables which could have changed the outcome, there were signals like the desire for a new constitution and assemblage or the women’s march on Versailles. Things could have been handled differently like preparing a feast for the women’s march or moving court to Paris instead of appearing to be forced after numerous demands. We need to keep an eye out for the warning signs and focus on prevention. Reference List 1. Andress, David (2006). The Terror: The Merciless War for Freedom in Revolutionary France page 13. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006. ISBN 0-374-27341-3 2. Article on Louis XVI from Wikipedia (2008) retrieved 10 March 2008 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Louis_XVI