The French revolution introduced the revolutionary doctrines of liberty, fraternity and equality which went beyond France to other countries like Italy and Germany, thus promoting France’s glory in Europe.
The French revolution led to international co-operation among European countries. This was because the French revolution increased warfare in France. This led to the formation of the first coalition in the history of Europe where all countries allied to fight revolutionary France in 1792. Members of this coalition included Britain, Prussia and Austria among others. This therefore led to the birth of diplomacy in Europe.
It led to the creation of the French Empire in Europe through the Napoleonic Wars of conquest as Napoleon Bonaparte was a product of the French revolution of 1789. Many European states like the Italian and German states, Belgium, Poland, Spain and Portugal were bought under the control of France by Napoleon, thus creating the French Empire in Europe which further promoted the French glory in Europe.
The French revolution led to abolition of feudalism not only in France but in the whole of Europe. For instance in Prussia people were influenced by the French revolution to decampaign and fight feudalism in which the peasants were exploited by the land lords and this ended in 1848.
The French revolution affected the social life of Europeans states as the French culture and language were widely spread elsewhere in Europe for example in Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium. The French language and literature were adopted by people in these countries, thus influencing their social life.
It led to the disintegration of the once great Austrian empire. This was as a result of the several revolutionary wars that she fought with revolutionary France. For example, she lost to France enormous territory, after the Italian campaign of 1796 including the Italian Peninsular and Germany.
The French revolution led to the outbreak of other revolutions in Europe like the 1820s, 1830s and 1848 revolutions as well as the Russian revolutions of 1917. The revolution provided the inspiration to the later revolutionaries by instilling in them the desires of liberty, equality and fraternity especially in those parts of Europe that were still under dictatorial rulers. As these despotic rules tried to suppress these ideas, it caused many rebellions in states like Spain, Belgium, Naples and the Italian and German states in 1820, 1830 as well as 1848 in the whole of central Europe.
It laid a foundation for the National unification of Italy and Germany in 1870 and 1871 respectively. Nationalist sentiments were sowed after Napoleon’s conquest of the Italian Peninsula and the German states in the early 19th century when he (Napoleon) preached the revolutionary ideas of equality, liberty and fraternity.
The French revolution destroyed of economic set up of many European countries. For example, during the revolutionary wars, most states in Europe had their property destroyed. With the rise of Napoleon I were very many wars were fought by France against countries like Spain, Russia, Belgium, Portugal and Britain which destroyed their property, thus leading to the decline of their economies.
It ushered in France an age of anarchy and chaos leading to the Reign of Terror between 1792 and 1794. This was characterized by the massive killing of several French men including the King and his wife. This created enemity or hostility between France and other European countries.
It led to emergency of dictators like Robespierre, Danton, Marat and Roland, his Madam whose conflicting ideas intensified hostilities, anarchy and bloodshed in France and deteriorated France’s relations with her neighbors like Austria and Prussia among others.
The French revolution of 1789 later led to the development of extreme conservatism in Europe as a reaction towards the revolutionary ideas. For example, Prince Metternich who was the governed Austria between 1815 and 1848 introduced oppressive and conservative policies so as to stop the spread of revolutionary ideas in Central Europe. However, this caused a lot of suffering, thus leading to the outbreak of the 1830 and 1848 revolutions in Europe.
The French revolution threatened other European monarchies which forced European states like Austria, Prussia, Russia and Britain to declare war against France so as to stop of revolutionary ideas in these countries. This led to many revolutionary wars where many people lost lives.
It led to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to power in 1799, a man who dominated the whole of Europe between 1799 and 1815. Napoleon Bonaparte conquered many European states like Italian and German states, Belgium, Spain and Portugal among others. He later introduced the Continental System which affected the economies of European countries. Besides, Napoleonic Wars led to massive loss of lives and destruction of property, thus further leading to economic decline in Europe.
It led to the increase in population of the countries neighboring France. This was caused by the rampant run away of the émigrés for the safety of their lives during the course of the revolution.
The revolution led to the act of undermining the Catholic Church in Europe. It started in France with the Civil Constitution of the clergy which undermined church’s role and later spread to other European states. For example, within France the church’s influence was eliminated from the state affairs. Italy witnessed the worst of it when Napoleon Bonaparte imprisoned the Pope in 1807. The revolutionaries of the 1820s 30s and 1848 also partly fought the clerical rigidities and unfairness. All these traced origin from the 1789 French revolution.
It led to abolition of social privileges and replaced them with new social order based on equality of all irrespective of the status or birth.
The French revolution led to the emergence of the parliamentary democracy in Europe. Before the revolution, nearly all European states had no parliament separate from the rulers of state. But the French revolution brought in the idea which started in France and later spread to other states.
The revolution led to the growth of constitutionalism in Europe beginning with the First constitution of September 1791 in France which defined the basic man’s rights and the idea spread to other European states.
The French Revolution led to the emergence of different political groups in Europe which took over the governance of Europe’s political destiny. Parties were formed on the basis of different ideologies and political inclinations. For example, those who believed in the power of the church and the Pope, formed the Clerical Party across Europe, those that believed in old leadership were to be the Legitimists while those who demanded for democratic systems of governance were the Republicans and Liberals and many others
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