Title: Human Rights in the US & the International Community — Foundation: Unit II. What Are Human Rights and Where Do They Come From? — The French Revolution and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
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Content: royal absolutism,
the system of noble privilege enjoyed by the upper class, and
an unfair and unequal system of taxation. Louis XVI of France
Like the American colonists, the French people felt their rulers were treating them unfairly. Certain rights and freedoms were only enjoyed by the nobility and aristocracy. When King Louis XVI went too far in his unfair treatment of his subjects, citizens of Paris moved into open rebellion and began executing members of the nobility. The National Assembly (the French Legislature) abolished the system of noble privilege and moved toward a constitutional monarchy (a representative form of monarchy). Maximilien Robespierre
Unfortunately, one of the leaders of the French Revolution who rose to power briefly became a despot in his own right. Maximilien Robespierre, a popular lawyer and member of the National Assembly, aligned with radical revolutionaries. He became so powerful he in effect led France from 1793 to 1794. He was strongly influenced by the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. But Robespierre was ruthless in his efforts to bring about an “ideal” society, creating a state religion, revoking rights to property and legal defense, and executing nobles and revolutionaries alike as “enemies of the Revolution”.