French Revolution: People's Dissatisfaction With Leadership - Essay Sample

Introduction

The French revolution describes the activities by the French people, which came as a result of ineffective leadership. The revolution began in 1789 and ended in late 1790. That was after a series of activities by citizens, which were meant to express their dissatisfaction with leadership France. The administration was characterized by little considering of the citizens' welfare. The policies that were made by the leaders were aimed at enriching their selfish interests at the time. That was because the system of leadership was not democratic. The leaders were not elected as in the modern age. Therefore, there was very little accountability in France. Furthermore, public resources were used to enrich themselves, as they spent public resources on a luxurious lifestyle. The effect the ineffective leadership had was a compromise on the people's quality of life. That was the opposite of the goal of the administration, which is the maximum social benefit among the people. It was the opposite, where the leaders and their close associates enjoyed all the convenience. As a result of the continuous dissatisfaction, the citizens engaged in efforts that were meant to address their plight. The series of activities that the people undertook is described as the French revolution. The revolution had a series of effects in the long run, which were both desirable and undesirable.

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One of the reasons for the French revolution was the idea of Enlightenment. The idea, as advanced by the citizens, Enlightenment is a wide range of ideas that are meant to serve as an asset. That is a series of desirable attributes in the society that leads to better welfare of the people. In the case of France, the people needed Enlightenment. That would not be advanced by the leadership that was in place at the time. The leadership was engaged in developing private interests, which was not within the preference of the people. Therefore, there was a need to change leadership to enhance Enlightenment (Kent, 1995). One of the aspects of enlightening the leadership advanced that was accountability. That is the ability of the leaders to explain their policies, as well as progress to their subjects. With more responsibility, there would be developed, and the leaders would consider the interests of the people.

However, in the typical French leadership before 1789, the leaders were not accountable for their subjects. The activities they were involved with were always aimed at fulfilling their selfish interests at the time. That was against the liking of the people, which sparked a revolution. The other idea of Enlightenment that was preferred by the people in France was progress. That was whereby there would be development in the various aspects and sectors of the society. The people preferred a system where the leaders implemented objectives that made the community better. Improving trade relationships, creating convenience for farmers, and improving healthcare are some of the ideas generated by Enlightenment. However, that was absent in France, which contributed to the concept of a revolution. Enlightenment is the description of the freedom of people from any inability and immaturity that is caused by undesirable circumstances. In this case, the adverse condition was in the form of inefficient leadership that did not consider the welfare of the people.

According to the political theory, Enlightenment is identified based on the achievements of leaders. Better policies and development activities translate into the more the degree of Enlightenment. In the case of France, there were very few positive attributes associated with leadership. Therefore, there was very little Enlightenment, which necessitated a change (Carnoy, 2014). The amendment would have been better if the state was democratic. However, there was system of leadership where the people had no say regarding the leaders they had. Therefore, the idea of a revolution served the interests of the people better as they had limited options. As a result of the revolution, Enlightenment was achieved, which translated into better welfare among the people in France.

Absolutism is the other idea that is related to the French revolution and the dissatisfaction of the people. Absolutism describes the governance system in France before the revolution. There was the king, who was the state. All the power and authority in France were under him. The power was unchecked, as no system was created to enable any person or institution holding the king accountable for their use of authority (Lublinskaya et al., 1968). The power of the leader was unlimited, only to the extent of natural law. The leader would only undertake the implemented activities that were allowed under natural law. However, regarding other issues in governance, the powers were unlimited. That made the king very powerful, but not within the interests of the people. That was because the authorities were used to enrich the selfish interests of the people close to him. The rest of the people were subjected to a poor lifestyle because the policies that were made did not have any benefit. As a result of the adverse effect of absolutism among the people, there was resentment from the people. That was because there was a great deal of oppression caused by the unlimited powers of the king. The policies that were implemented were undesirable to the wage earners, peasants, and other people that were not part of the leadership or elite class in France.

As a result of the poor leadership as a result of absolutism, the welfare of the people deteriorated. For example, shortly before the revolution, there was an acute food shortage; and the leadership had no policies to make sure there was food security. That was despite the availability of unlimited resources that were at their disposal. That sparked resentment to the leadership that was based on the idea of absolutism. The other thought that formed a basis of the resistance against absolutism was the fact that the powers of the king had no justification. The power would have been justified if it led to the implementation of policies that were consistent with the interests of the people-for example, better food security and better wages, lower taxes, and maximum social benefit. However, the powers were always being exercised on activities that were of no interest to the people. For example, the king would accumulate a lot of wealth for his better welfare. That was at a time when most of the people had no essential resources that they would use for their livelihood. Absolutism was practiced at the expense of the people as the resources that were being used belonged to them. Therefore, that sparked the revolution, to make sure the people had their interests advanced. The preference of the people was a system of governance where the leaders were accountable, and their powers were controlled. That contributed to the revolution because it showed the people would benefit more from a better system of leadership.

Equality was the other idea upon which the French revolution was based. That was because society was much divided based on the material possessions that the people had. The primary reason for inequality was the power of the king. There was the unequal distribution of wealth, whereby the people did not benefit from any resources that were under the control of the leaders (Mason, 2004). For example, there was higher taxation, which had the effect of reducing disposable income among the wage earners. That was even though they were sacrificing a lot to make sure they created utility. However, their efforts were not appreciated, as they continued to have fewer resources, although they were committed to having a better quality of life. That was against the basics of Enlightenment, which was the pillar of the French revolution. With Enlightenment, the people would benefit from better resource distribution, and the division based on the social class would reduce. Moreover, with Enlightenment, the leadership would serve to empower the citizens through the better use of resources, as well as making sure the poor benefited from the available opportunities. However, the leadership was not focused on the welfare of the people. That was the reason why there was an increase in the degree of inequality and social injustices.

Inequality was the other major issue that the French revolution aimed at solving. That was because the poor people were subjected to adverse conditions as a result of their position in society. On the contrary, the leaders were using the poor for their own selfish interests. The poor people and less fortunate formed the majority of the population, but their interest was not being championed. That led to suffering among a majority of the community, although they had leaders who were meant to take care of them. The leaders did not guarantee liberty, to their subjects, s moral order dictated. Therefore, the people were committed to making sure their welfare was better, which would only be achieved through a revolution. After the revolution, there was more equality because of a balance of power created by enhanced accountability.

The French revolution is an example of the role of the people in creating a beer society. The better community is created by having a better leadership structure, which is accountable and has its powers checked. In this case, the revolution led to a leadership system that was preferred by most people. That was because it championed the rights and freedoms of the people. Enhanced quality was built in France, and the people benefited from a better quality of life. The primary benefit of the revolution was the leadership structure. The success of society, in most cases, is shaped by the leadership that is being practiced. That is because the administration is capable of implementing policies that can either cause the success or failure of social systems. Taking the example of the French revolution, the social system was improved; through a series of preferred improvements. That led to a fairer and just society, which is supported by sound governance systems.

References

Carnoy, M. (2014). The state and political theory. Princeton university press. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=kKn_AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=political+theory+&ots=HTmg1XUm-p&sig=Qltr9IhodacS7Z_GMSA5olW39ms&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=political%20theory&f=false

Kent, J. (1995). the Enlightenment. Companion encyclopedia of theology, 251. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8pBt10wlXv0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA251&dq=enlightenment+french+revolution&ots=JL-YVm9K4w&sig=2hTu_zH5vyshBtynneXHVOIvFsQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=enlightenment%20french%20revolution&f=false

Mason, D. (2004). Revolutionary Europe 1789-1989: Liberty, Equality, Solidarity. https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/facsch_papers/903/

Lublinskaya, A. D., Liublinskaia, A. D., & Li, A. D. (1968). French Absolutism: the crucial phase, 1620-1629. CUP Archive. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4iA9AAAAIAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=french+absolutism+&ots=2hKRMsFf7A&sig=1_9eosAMESwWs1ibu6lCNndAH-o&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=french%20absolutism&f=false