Why did a republican movement emerge in France in the years 1789-1792?
marilynn07 Teacher High School – 9th Grade Associate Editor Debater Expert $(document).ready(function() { $(‘a.toggle_expert_titles’).click(function() { $(‘#show_expert_titles’).toggle(); return false; }); }); The short answer, of course, is that the French population felt oppressed by their government and had generally felt so since the Middle Ages, combined with inspiration provided by the successful American Revolution and the writings of Thomas Paine. The general concepts of the Enlightenment also contributed, since in the preceeding century King Louis XIV had revoked the rights of Protestants, instituting a period in which many began more serious criticism of the “rights” and competence of the nobility. These criticisms came not only from dissidents and the poor, but from the middle class and philosophers, most notably Rousseau and Voltaire. Much of this philosophy was used as a cover for the self-interests of the middle class, but the example of these men and the admiration by th
