French and industrial revolution

Introduction

The French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution were both times of great change. The Industrial Revolution lasted over 100 years while the French Revolution lasted just over fifteen. Even though the two revolutions are very different in length, they have many similarities: they both allowed social mobility, left behind new social and political ideas and inventions. They also gave more rights to the commoners by the time they ended and both had an impact on Great Britain.

French and industrail revolution

SOCIAL MOBILITY

First similarity

Before the two revolutions, both France and Britain had a very rigid social structure. In France the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Estates made up the classes. The 1st Estate was the clergy, or church (divided into upper clergy an lower clergy), who made up the 1% of France's population. The 2nd Estate was the nobility, the people of title. They made up the 2% of France's population. The 3rd Estate was the lower class who constituted 97% of the population. It was made up of the Burgeois, Proletariat and Peasants. The upper two classes had all the wealth and rights, while the 3rd Estate had no money or rights and they couldn't get them no matter what they did or how hard they tried. After the Revolution French took laws from the Napoleonic Code like the abolishment of an absolute monarchy and the placement of all men as equals before the law. These reforms helped allow social mobility. Also in Britain, before the Industrial Revolution, people couldn't change their social position. As the Industrial Revolution progressed people became able to move up the social ladder through their skills and through opportunities, thanks to a completely new view brought by the middle class.

NEW IDEAS, INVENTIONS AN ORGANIZATIONS

Second similarity

Both revolutions left behind new ideas, inventions, and organizations. The French Revolution gave France the end of all absolute monarchies, a public school system, the Bank of France, the required payment of taxes by all French, and new clear and consistent laws which replaced the old Feudal Laws. In the Industrial Revolution many things were invented like the spinning jenny, the spinning mule, the power loom, the steam engine, the discovery of steel, the first use of division of labor, the car, the telegraph, the airplane. The middle class also developed through this revolution. Due to bad working conditions, workers also united to form unions that would strike if something needed to be changed. Unions are still around today and are used all the time.

NEW RIGHTS FOR COMMONERS

In France, the 3rd Estate had no rights before the revolution, they had to pay many taxes and also lacked a voice in government. By the end of the revolution taxes were lowered and were spread to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Estates, and inflation had gone down. Moreover the 3rd Estate had social mobility, their natural rights like life, liberty, and property, and they were considered equal to nobles and everyone else before the law. Before the Industrial Revolution, conditions in which the workers lived were extremely bad. They had shoddy housing, children and women were paid less, there were long, strenuous hours of work and the machinery was very dangerous. To try to improve conditions the workers formed unions that organized mass strikes: they refused to work in order to get the owners' attention and then began to negotiate. Unions were a huge sucess and working conditions improved immensely.

Third similarity

THE IMPACT ON GREAT BRITAIN

Last similarity

Both of these revolutions had a big impact on Great Britian. During the French revolution Great Britian was cut off from trade with many European countries, but the revolution led to a strenghtened of the Britian's navy. Also when the British won there they removed the threat of one more naval power they had to compete with. The Industrial Revolution started off in Great Britian so they reaped many of its benefits: economy was diversified, especially trought the manifacture of clothes (the textile sector was the leding one). Great Britian also organized the factory system. So thanks to that Britan gain an enormous commercial anf technological advantage compared to the other countries.