French Revolution

The French Revolution was affected in many ways by the revolution in America. Religion was used by both countries as a way of control and it upset the people of the nation. It played a major role in the reasons for both revolutions to occur. The way the government taxed and treated the people was also a reason behind it. The Revolution was a religious battle, caused by Presbyterians and Congregationalists whose "principles of religion and polity were equally averse to those of the established Church and Government." Religion played a major role in the American Revolution by offering a moral sanction for opposition to the British. The French Revolution of 1789 saw the separation of Church and state in France. The majority of people had had enough of the Ancien Regime (monarchy and church) and the heavy taxes they demanded. These are two examples of how close the reasons for revolution truly are. What happened in America influenced the French. The following essay will discuss and compare both revolutions and how closely they were related.

By the middle of the 18th cent., differences in life, ideas, and interests had developed between England and the growing colonies. Local political institutions and practice diverged significantly from English ways, while social customs, religious beliefs, and economic interests added to the potential sources of conflict. The British government, like other imperial powers in the 18th cent., favored a policy of mercantilism; the Navigation Acts were intended to regulate commerce in the British interest. These were only loosely enforced, however, and the colonies were by and large allowed to develop freely with little interference from England. The religious life of America could not help be affected by the Revolutionary War. The political, social, and cultural forces that gave shape to a new nation were also shaping the life of the churches, giving rise to new patterns of thought and action. It was during this period that some of the basic patterns of American church life were laid down, patterns that continue to shape religion in the United States today. Church and state were viewed as mutual institutions which reinforced each other. For this reason, the only church permitted in many European countries was the established one, and it was maintained by the power of the state. This agreement began to break down in the 17th century. The Catholic Church was the main church in England and in America. Anglicans and Puritans were different from Catholics and they disagreed on which religion should be the most dominant one in the new country. As a result, the majority of colonies had established churches supported by the taxing authority. In the North, these establishments tended to be Puritan or congregational, while in the South they were Anglican.

Culturally, the French Revolution provided the world with its first meaningful experience with political ideology. The word was revolutionary in origin. The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799. During the course of the Revolution, France was temporarily transformed from an absolute monarchy, where the king monopolized power, to a republic of theoretically free and equal citizens. The effects of the French Revolution were widespread, both inside and outside of France, and the Revolution ranks as one of the most important events in the history of Europe. From the beginning of the 20th century until the 1970s, the French Revolution was most commonly described as the result of the growing economic and social importance of the bourgeoisie, or middle class. The bourgeoisie, it was believed, overthrew the Old Regime because that regime had given power and privilege to other classes who prevented the bourgeoisie from rising socially and politically. By 1789 many French people had become annoyed with the monarchy, even though it had been largely successful in militarily defending France and in quelling domestic religious and political violence. They despised the rising and unequal taxes, the persecution of religious minorities, and government interference in their private lives. These hatreds, coupled with an inefficient government and an antiquated legal system, made the government seem increasingly illegitimate to the French people.

It is apparent that both American citizens and French citizens were fed up with their government. The French dealt directly with their king in their own land, but the Americans had to deal with a completely different country. Although they are different in these two aspects, they are still very closely related. The American Revolution is sometimes considered a war for independence, but it was still a revolution.

The Roman Catholic Church's control over individuals was successfully enhanced through its successful teaching that only through the Church could someone receive permission to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Causing the clergy to believe this, the church brought everyone from peasants to kings to their knees, begging for the church's forgiveness on their deathbeds. The Church was seen as a body less interested in the spiritual well-being of its followers than in preserving its own privileges and wealth. The Church's difficulties were greatly added to by a deep dissatisfaction within its own religion. A wide gap in living standards existed between members of the clergy. Senior positions in the Church were occupied by members of noble families, giving them the benefit of the Church's wealth base and enormous annual revenues. In stark contrast, the majority of priests in small communities lived in perpetual poverty. The Church only looked to care about the people who provided them with money to keep them living their luxurious lifestyles while the rest of the nation was starving. This enraged the community and a revolution began brewing up. In order to calm the people down, the French senate took away the power that the church had to tax people. The issue of church property became central to the policies of the new revolutionary government. Declaring that all church property in France belonged to the nation, things were taken from the church and sold at public auctions. In July of 1790, the National Constituent Assembly published the Civil Constitution of the Clergy that stripped clerics of their special rights Ð'--and required all priests and bishops to swear an oath of fidelity to the new order or face dismissal. French priests had to receive Papal approval to sign such an oath, and Pius VI spent almost eight months deliberating on the issue. On April 13, 1791, the Pope didn't follow the new Constitution resulting in a split in the French Catholic church. Those who accepted were known as the constitutional clergy, and those who obeyed the Pope, were known as the refractory priests.

The hatred of the Catholic Church in the French Revolution quickly grew, leaving the Church wounded.