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Symbols of the French Revolution

Vivian Uzomba

The French Revolution

TOPIC 1

Prior to 1789, France was based off of an absolute monarchy, in which king Louis XVI, had all the power amongst the people. The system favored the nobles and the catholic clergy, making them have all the privileges. A shift began when the middle class began to question their loyalty to the king., due to the unfair treatment they got in the society. This shift marked the spark of the revolution and a sense of shared collective consciousness, and common good, among the citizens of France. The political, economic, social and geographic actors helped the development of nationalism in France. During the revolution, there were certain symbols that emerged during the French Revolution. These included The Tricolore Flag, The cockerell, The Marsellaise, and The motto: Liberté, Erualité, Fraternité.

The Tricolore Flag

TOPIC 2

The French Tricolor flag was a very significant symbol that came to view during the nationalism effect on France after the revolution. During the French revolution, the Tricolor flag was not seen much, but rather a plain red flag, by the Jacobin club and a white flag by the royals. The Tricolor was specifically inspired from the red and blue cockades that the Paris militia, who played a significant role on the storming of Bastille, wore. At the end of 1789, the French Generals Marquis de Lafayette, Gilbert du Montier added white to the cockade, in which was represented as French’s Ancient color. The cockade eventually became a part of the uniform of the National guard which was a progress to the militia and was commanded by Lafayette. This was one of the first times the Tricolore was used to represent France. The tricolor flag was originally red, white, and blue. However, it was reversed to blue-white-red, the current design, by 1790. The flag featuring three vertical bands colored blue, white, and red, has deep symbolism based on French history. The blue and red at each side, are the traditional colors of Paris. Blue and red also relate to the memory of the virgin Mary. The white, like i said earlier was from Lafayette added it to the cockades, and naming it Frances ancient color. The tricolor also relates to the French Three Estates in the revolution. The red presented the nobility, the white represented the clergy, and lastly the blue represents the third class which included the bourgeoisie, peasants, and others. The coming up of the tricolor flag showed the growth of nationalism amongst French people in a great extent. It gave French people a feeling of a shared collective conciseness. For instance, due to the flag representing the three estates, it reminds the people of their history and how their citizens came together as one and fought for the unfairness of the system, to create democracy.

The Tricolore Flag

TOPIC 1

The Cockerel

TOPIC 3

The cockerel, also known as the Gallic rooster, was a significant symbol of the French revolution. The Gallic rooster was first encountered through the roman times by a roman historian named Seutinous, who discovered that Gallus, Gauls, and rooster were homonyms in Latin. This was then further reinforced by Julius Caesar, were he noted that the most important Gallic god was Lugus, which he also called Mercury, and the animal associated with Mercury was Roosters. It was during the Renaissance that the rooster began to be associated with the emerging French nation. During this time, the rooster had a strong symbolism on Christianity in France. It was said to symbolize the resurrection of Christ, and light over darkness. The rooster became a popular christian image all over France. However, the symbolism of the cockerel died down, until the French revolution (1789). The rooster was identified to symbolize Frances national identity, and was represented everywhere. For instance, it was seen on the "écu" coin, sporting the Phrygian bonnet, and on the seal of the Premier Consul, and many other different materials that represented France. Ultimately, the cockerel of France had a big impact on the nationalism state of the people in France, during the revolution. For instance, the Gallic rooster during the revolution represented France as a nation, which gave people a sense of loyalty, and belonging to fight for the country. It brought people together and created affinity among France and its citizens.

The Gallic Rooster

TOPIC 2

The Marseillaise

TOPIC 4

The Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. The song was created following the French declaration of war on Austria in 1792. A French officer, who was named Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, stationed in Strasbourg, composed the song "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin", Which meant War song for the Rhine Army. The song was later taken up by the "fédérés, who were volunteers from the Marseilles, and took part in the Tuileries insurrection on August 10, 1792. This was how the song acquired its nickname "the Marseillaise", based on these volunteers singing the song. The song had so much success that it eventually the national convention accepted it as he French national anthem in a decree passed on July 14th, 1795. The Marseillaise had a big impact on the growth of nationalism in France. For instance, the song was used during the revolutionary wars and was made to show streanght. It gave the soldiers and citizens a feeling of patriotism and strength will they were fighting for their country. This contributed with the many successes the French made during the war.

La Marseillaise

TOPIC 1

The Motto: Liberté, Equalité,Fraternité

TOPIC 4

The Motto Liberté, Equalité, and Fraternité was first established to France, during the French Revolution. The first person to express this motto was Maximilian Robespierre who suggested that the French people and liberty, equality, Fraternity, should be worn on uniforms and flags. However, there were many other motto's that were used during the revolution, and this was only one of them. This motto and the meaning it represented contributed to the growth of nationalism in France. For instance, the Liberté represented others to be free to make their own choices and free from operation. Equality represented the equality between the estates, and fair treatment, and lastly fraternity which meant unity and common ground. Ultimately, all these symbolism's contributed to nationalism by giving making the French people come together to fight in hope for a better life and fair judgement.

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