Ideas of Revolutions by Examples of the French And the Scientific

Throughout history, revolutions have followed one after the other in times when the people themselves needed to stand up for what they believed or to fight for what they felt was right. The topic of revolutions is something that has surfaced in nearly every society at some point in time, whether it be in ancient times or more towards where we are now in the present. Often times, revolutions follow a similar pattern with their causes and also their results. Causes for revolutions can be from the result of many things, such as a certain country is struggling financially, or new policies are forced upon different classes of people that are far from pleasant or ideal or are just downright the cause of a newfound resentment towards how the government is handling matters within their respective country. But revolutions may not always be due to a corrupt government, but more for the people who were in search of enlightenment. Two revolutions, while both very different, have stuck out in my mind thus far with everything we have read—The French Revolution and The Scientific Revolution.

The French Revolution has always been an event of massive important in the history of the world. While the French Revolution correlates with the color red in my mind due to the bloodshed that came from it, the people as a whole pursued certain goals and even obtained some of them in hopes to correct the government in which they were living under. The monarchy reigning over France during the eighteenth century was absolute. Power was not evenly distributed, mostly falling into the hands of the First and Second estate, all the while leaving the Third Estate with little to no influence. These events eventually built up, leading to the discontent of the middle, lower and working class which only wanted to be valued and heard. The French Revolution had main goals through 1789 to 1799. They wanted to limit the power of the monarchy and reach justice and equality within society, as well as extend more power to the lower class and create a constitution. Though not all of their goals were achieved, there was great significance on the way to reaching them.

One of the greatest turning points for the people involved in the French Revolution came with the storming of Bastille, a rather large and famous French prison which was often times seen as a symbol of oppression for the lower class. A group of mere commoners took matters into their own hands and stormed the prison on July 14th, 1789 which has now become a national holiday known as Bastille Day throughout France. With this raid, all those involved obtained something they so sought after as King Louis XVI was forced to allow the Third Estate more power and influence. However, unfortunately, freedom and equality were not entirely reached with this act because soon after, the Third Estate developed the Civil Constitution which came across as quite radical as it limited the influence the monarchy held of the lower class. This means the French Revolution succeeded in terms of creating more rights and even relative freedom for the lower class, but as a whole, it was not entirely successful. With this constitution came the abolishment of slavery, leading the freed slaves to not know just what to do with their newfound freedom.

Despite these achievements, the French Revolution began to gradually fail. Distrust surfaced within the Third Estate as the National Assembly sought to protect the ideas of the revolt, punishing anyone who criticized it. These events eventually led to the Radical Revolution, which did more harm than good. But to sum up the French Revolution in such few words is difficult. Those involved had the interests of the people at heart, only wanting to better life for them and took matters into their own hands, reaching for something they knew their government never would. While it initially failed in reaching its initial goals, it was indeed a great stepping stone in terms of creating a democratic society which influenced history for all of humanity.

During the Scientific Revolution, great scientists such a Galileo, Copernicus, Descartes and Bacon began to search for enlightenment within the world, ultimately asking questions about God, humanity, as well as searching for an understanding of the world where many people were afraid to question such things. However, the various findings of these scientists began to affect the public, changing the way they thought and behaved throughout Europe. The people began to question their traditional knowledge of the world around them based off the new knowledge which was being presented to them. For the first time in history, the Earth was no longer the center of the universe.

This revolution brought forth many radical ideas and changed which helped to only strengthen it. The findings of these revelations of the universe formed a community that gave a foundation for open thinking throughout the sixteenth century as well as the time in which we live today. This revolution wasn’t about achieving scientific knowledge, but more so expanding it. Just before the Scientific Revolution, many ideas and throughs revolved strictly around religion and faith, never looking to scientific reasoning. The founders of this revolution dedicated the entirety of their lives through scientific pamphlets and inventions such as the telescope, as well as observations of the whole universe. Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, and Bacon, to name a few, took what was discovered before them and expounded on it.

A world which was based solemnly on faith and understanding of a higher power creating the universe was challenged within this revolution. These scientists opened a door for anyone who may be questioning not only how the universe worked, but also how it was initially created. The Scientific Revolution is not marked by any particular change or instance, but many new ideas which painted a whole new world for Europe which had been living in a nearly dark and idealess for so long. These ideas brought forth a hunger for the common people to extend their knowledge and allow them to know that it was alright to question everything they had ever been told and that knowledge is power. With this newfound wonder and astonishment of the universe, the development of free speech and thought ultimately came forth.

Revolutions, while there are far more than these two, can be gone about in different ways. While the cause may be different, they all have one intended goal and that is for change. They seek to better society and create a world that is worth living in, no matter where one may come from or what ideas they were brought up to believe and cling to. They are a reminder that things can change. Things can become better and goals may be achieved with an open mind and dedication to create a better life for humanity as a whole.