While the French Revolution was a great thing that eventually led to democracy in France, it wasn't all jolly and happy once it ended. The French Revolution faded into the Reign of Terror, one of the scariest moments in history. The Reign of Terror lasted many years. After the French Revolution ended, Louis XVI was a limited monarch. He was a ruler with limited powers. This kind of nation is called a limited monarchy.
Because Louis XVI hated his loss of power and the government, he tried to flee the country. He was unsuccessful and was brought back to France. When he returned, there was a power struggle in France. People panicked and wondered who would be the next leader. Street gangs took control and sometimes even had more power than the government. One street gang, Jacobins, even took Louis XVI and killed him in the guillotine.
France soon grew desperate and it turned into mayhem. Many groups tried to fight and take power. However, one individual, Maximillien Robespierre, rose up. He took control and killed anyone who went against him. He did this in order to wipe out any evidence of the old way, or the old monarchy. Robespierre almost had absolute power. Many people had their heads cut off by the government. Eventually, citizens got so aggrivated that they had Robespierre arrested. Soon, his head head was cut off. Napolean rose up and became the next leader. He was a very successful person.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The French Revolution: Social Causes
Explain some of the causes of The French Revolution. What were the three estates and why did the third estate feel used? How did the Enlightenment thinkers influence the French Revolution? What really triggered the revolution, what happened on July 14, 1789?
_____________________________________________________________________
In the 1780's , the French Revolution started. The French Revolution was a major event that eventually led to the democracy of France. At the time, France was probably the most advanced country to date. Louis XIV was as great king and ruled the country well. After Louis XIV (absolute monarch) passed away, Louis XV took the throne and power. He was a poor ruler and was very lazy. Louix XVI was not much better, he tried to be an absolute monarch just like Louis XIV, but he wasn't successful. This is because of the French Revolution.
The American Revolution greatly inspired the French Revolution that took place in the 1780s. They saw how America became independant from the mother country (England) and their ideas of democracy (taken from the Enlightenment thinkers). The third French estate saw this and decided that they wanted democracy just like America had.
At the time, France was a very feudalist society. France was divided into three different estates. The first estate was made up by Catholic clergy. They were less than one percent of the population. They had the most power and control. The second estate, still very powerful, was made up of wealthy nobles. They made up only two percent of the population. The third estate, everyone else (including merchants, common people, peasants) was a whopping ninety eight (98%) of the population! They were the poorest, and they also had to pay the most taxes. The common folks had to pay a little more than 50% of the taxes in France. Average people were considered to be inferior, had very high tax and had no say in the government whatsoever.
France followed the Old Regime. The Old Regime was the old way of thinking. It gave the first and second estates different punishments, special courts and a break on their taxes. The nobles and clergy had special treatment and got away with many things that would be considered a serious crime for the third estate.
No one actual event triggered the revolution. It was a series of multiple events that led to the revolution. The most memorable event was probably the siege of The Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a large, grandeur prison. It was the largest prison in Paris. Citizens stormed it in the pursuit of arms, as well as to release innocent prisoners from the third estate. After the siege of the Bastille, a wave of terror roamed the countryside. This wave of terror was called "The Great Fear." Catholic clergy and nobles had their homes attacked. This sent a strong message to the government. Eventually, the third estate did the same thing, but marched to the Versaille, the home of Louis XVI. They took him back to Paris where he lived. They then had him executed in the guillotine.
_____________________________________________________________________
In the 1780's , the French Revolution started. The French Revolution was a major event that eventually led to the democracy of France. At the time, France was probably the most advanced country to date. Louis XIV was as great king and ruled the country well. After Louis XIV (absolute monarch) passed away, Louis XV took the throne and power. He was a poor ruler and was very lazy. Louix XVI was not much better, he tried to be an absolute monarch just like Louis XIV, but he wasn't successful. This is because of the French Revolution.
The American Revolution greatly inspired the French Revolution that took place in the 1780s. They saw how America became independant from the mother country (England) and their ideas of democracy (taken from the Enlightenment thinkers). The third French estate saw this and decided that they wanted democracy just like America had.
At the time, France was a very feudalist society. France was divided into three different estates. The first estate was made up by Catholic clergy. They were less than one percent of the population. They had the most power and control. The second estate, still very powerful, was made up of wealthy nobles. They made up only two percent of the population. The third estate, everyone else (including merchants, common people, peasants) was a whopping ninety eight (98%) of the population! They were the poorest, and they also had to pay the most taxes. The common folks had to pay a little more than 50% of the taxes in France. Average people were considered to be inferior, had very high tax and had no say in the government whatsoever.
France followed the Old Regime. The Old Regime was the old way of thinking. It gave the first and second estates different punishments, special courts and a break on their taxes. The nobles and clergy had special treatment and got away with many things that would be considered a serious crime for the third estate.
No one actual event triggered the revolution. It was a series of multiple events that led to the revolution. The most memorable event was probably the siege of The Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a large, grandeur prison. It was the largest prison in Paris. Citizens stormed it in the pursuit of arms, as well as to release innocent prisoners from the third estate. After the siege of the Bastille, a wave of terror roamed the countryside. This wave of terror was called "The Great Fear." Catholic clergy and nobles had their homes attacked. This sent a strong message to the government. Eventually, the third estate did the same thing, but marched to the Versaille, the home of Louis XVI. They took him back to Paris where he lived. They then had him executed in the guillotine.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Copernicus and the Trial of Galileo
In the 1500's, there were two main theories of the solar system. Heliocentrism, and geocentrism were the two main theories of the solar system. Geocentrism is the belief that the Earth was the center of the universe. Geocentrism goes way back until Ancient Greece around 500-400 BC. Heliocentrism is the belief that the sun is the center of the universe. Heliocentrism began in the late 1500 to 1600's AD. Heliocentrism has been proven by many scientists today. Unfortunately, in the 1600's, Heliocentrism was not very accepted because the Catholic Church taught Geocentrism to its followers.
On 1632, Galileo Galilei was summoned to Rome for a trial because he went against the Catholic Church. In the 17th Century, the Catholic Church was extremely powerful; almost to the point that it ruled people's lives (absolutism). Because Galileo spread his ideas and tried to raise awareness to people, the Church was aggrivated. After many, many long weeks, Galileo was released where he was allowed to stay in his small farmhouse in Arcetri, and in 1641, he died.
On 1632, Galileo Galilei was summoned to Rome for a trial because he went against the Catholic Church. In the 17th Century, the Catholic Church was extremely powerful; almost to the point that it ruled people's lives (absolutism). Because Galileo spread his ideas and tried to raise awareness to people, the Church was aggrivated. After many, many long weeks, Galileo was released where he was allowed to stay in his small farmhouse in Arcetri, and in 1641, he died.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Scientific Revolution: Scientific Method
Before the 1500's, Greeks and Christians were taught many things that were not necessarily true. The Bible taught things that were not proved by science but by logic and belief. People looked to the Bible for answers to things they could not explain. For example, people were taught that the earth was the center of the universe.
Once 1500 came (the Scientific Revolution), many scientists decided to prove the things that the Bible taught wrong. Using the Scientific Method, scientists conducted experiments to prove their thoughts and theories. Before science, Aristotle taught that heavier objects fell faster than lighter objects. In the late 1500's, Galileo, a young Italian scientist, decided to conduct an experiment to see if this was true. Galileo, using the Scientific Method, decided that Aristotle's theory was FALSE and found out that objects of different weight fell at the same speed.
The Scientific Method was a great method that helped people understand things more clearly. Scientists did not just accept things for the way they were; they conducted experiments to find the truth. There are five essential steps in the Scientific Method:
1) Decide what you have to prove or find out
2) Design an experiment
3) Make a hypothesis, or guess on the outcome of the experiment
4) Conduct the experiment
5) Record the results
These five steps greatly aided scientists. People still use the Scientific Method today.
Once 1500 came (the Scientific Revolution), many scientists decided to prove the things that the Bible taught wrong. Using the Scientific Method, scientists conducted experiments to prove their thoughts and theories. Before science, Aristotle taught that heavier objects fell faster than lighter objects. In the late 1500's, Galileo, a young Italian scientist, decided to conduct an experiment to see if this was true. Galileo, using the Scientific Method, decided that Aristotle's theory was FALSE and found out that objects of different weight fell at the same speed.
The Scientific Method was a great method that helped people understand things more clearly. Scientists did not just accept things for the way they were; they conducted experiments to find the truth. There are five essential steps in the Scientific Method:
1) Decide what you have to prove or find out
2) Design an experiment
3) Make a hypothesis, or guess on the outcome of the experiment
4) Conduct the experiment
5) Record the results
These five steps greatly aided scientists. People still use the Scientific Method today.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Evolution vs Creation
Theory of Evolution
Around 1830, Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, composed the Theory of Evolution. Darwin's Theory of Evolution stated that all of life (the natural Earth we see today) was evolved from a single organism. If monkies evolved from chimpanzees, and chimpanzees evolved from bears, this fact would help prove Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around one important term that we know today: natural selection. Natural selection is when the weak ones die and the strong ones live. The strong ones will then pass on its traits to the offspring, producing offspring that are better adapted to their environment.
As an example, let us take the woodpecker. The woodpecker drills holes in trees in order to eat insects. In the woods, there are three types of birds, Bird A, Bird B, and Bird C. Bird A has a long beak and can drill through trees, much like a woodpecker. He has short wings however, and is not able to fly well. Bird A will drill holes near the base of trees to eat insects. Bird B has webbed feet and is designed to eat fish in the water. Bird C has long wings and can fly well. Bird C is able to eat high in the trees. Because Bird B is not used to the environment, he dies. Birds A and C therefore mate and gain different qualities to make Bird D. Bird D has a long beak and long wings, allowing it to eat insects high in the trees and near the base as well.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around natural selection. Like described in the previous paragraph, this process would take many, many years to make what we have today. Constant mating and survival of the fittest allowed mutations and the ability to adapt to different environments. Darwin's Theory of Evolution is being proven more and more as we progress into the future. Molecular biologists even believe that life may have started from a single cell. The cell would duplicate at an exponential rate, and throughout millions of years, we have life today.
Creationism
Put simply, Creationism is the idea that all life was created by a single higher power/deity, such as Islam's Allah or Christianity's God. Creation is commonly debated and criticized. Because it revolves around religion, it is unable to be taught in science classes in public schools. There are many Creationists in the world.
What I Believe:
Of both theories, I personally believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. I honestly believe that both theories are brilliant and understand why so many people believe in either one. I just prefer solid facts and science over a belief that has never been proved.
Around 1830, Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, composed the Theory of Evolution. Darwin's Theory of Evolution stated that all of life (the natural Earth we see today) was evolved from a single organism. If monkies evolved from chimpanzees, and chimpanzees evolved from bears, this fact would help prove Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around one important term that we know today: natural selection. Natural selection is when the weak ones die and the strong ones live. The strong ones will then pass on its traits to the offspring, producing offspring that are better adapted to their environment.
As an example, let us take the woodpecker. The woodpecker drills holes in trees in order to eat insects. In the woods, there are three types of birds, Bird A, Bird B, and Bird C. Bird A has a long beak and can drill through trees, much like a woodpecker. He has short wings however, and is not able to fly well. Bird A will drill holes near the base of trees to eat insects. Bird B has webbed feet and is designed to eat fish in the water. Bird C has long wings and can fly well. Bird C is able to eat high in the trees. Because Bird B is not used to the environment, he dies. Birds A and C therefore mate and gain different qualities to make Bird D. Bird D has a long beak and long wings, allowing it to eat insects high in the trees and near the base as well.
Darwin's Theory of Evolution revolved around natural selection. Like described in the previous paragraph, this process would take many, many years to make what we have today. Constant mating and survival of the fittest allowed mutations and the ability to adapt to different environments. Darwin's Theory of Evolution is being proven more and more as we progress into the future. Molecular biologists even believe that life may have started from a single cell. The cell would duplicate at an exponential rate, and throughout millions of years, we have life today.
Creationism
Put simply, Creationism is the idea that all life was created by a single higher power/deity, such as Islam's Allah or Christianity's God. Creation is commonly debated and criticized. Because it revolves around religion, it is unable to be taught in science classes in public schools. There are many Creationists in the world.
What I Believe:
Of both theories, I personally believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. I honestly believe that both theories are brilliant and understand why so many people believe in either one. I just prefer solid facts and science over a belief that has never been proved.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Test Post
This is a test post. I created this site about 5 minutes ago. My Global History work will be uploaded onto this site in the near future :D
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