The Derailment of Democracy Overthrowing a government has never been easy. Civil wars and revolutions almost always end up in bloody warfare. Planning to install democracy after ousting the original government is not a simple task either. The only other flourishing country that has successfully managed this is America, which is the only exception in all of history. It is no wonder that France had such a hard time with their revolution. Although the French Revolution showed that building a democracy poses challenges, such as the suppression of groups in the tyranny of the majority and minority and an uneducated population which cannot hold office, Burke and Mill offer their philosophies as solutions to these problems. Tyranny of the majority
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Tyranny of the minority included the rule of absolute monarchs and dictators, which was the opposite of the Revolution goals. Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Philippe, and Louis Napoleon were all examples of this. Bonaparte, even though he had the Napoleonic Code which gave every citizen equal rights, was still an absolute monarch (biography). He controlled the army and could rid of the code at any time. He did not allow free speech or offer democracy and silenced anyone who spoke against him. Louis- Philippe only allowed the wealthy upper class to vote, which did not provide equality for everyone. He also became increasingly repressive as the lower middle class staged rebellions (biography). After he was exiled, French entered its second republic which only lasted a short period. Louis Napoleon declared himself dictator, and then emperor, which ended the republic and prevented democracy from developing any further after Philippe. The prevent a dictator from taking power, the government must be stronger. Louis-Philippe took power from the king, but both Napoleons overthrew the republic established before them and then took power (biographies). In addition, there should be checks of power and a rule of law in the government, so the case when Louis Napoleon became president and then took power would not happen again. Although all three made beneficial changes that led to the Third …show more content…
In 1789, only 40% of people were able to sign their names on marriage registers (Start of the Revolution #2). It is likely that many of these people could not do more than that. Many of the uneducated saw violence as the only way to settle political disputes since they believed that they could not get their point across in any other way. This led to many violent revolts, including the Reign of Terror. The Great Fear, when peasants attacked churches and nobles and parts of France fell into anarchy, was also caused by this. After the attack on Bastille, the poor did not know what the king would do next since they were uneducated in how government works. John Mill offered the simple solution of educating the common people (Mill video). Even the poor can run a government if taught how. Napoleon Bonaparte understood this and built lycees - public schools open to any child (notes 6). Anyone could work hard and be appointed into a government position. Although he did this to make himself more powerful by filling his government with only the smartest, this education resulted in the Third
Tyranny of the minority included the rule of absolute monarchs and dictators, which was the opposite of the Revolution goals. Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis-Philippe, and Louis Napoleon were all examples of this. Bonaparte, even though he had the Napoleonic Code which gave every citizen equal rights, was still an absolute monarch (biography). He controlled the army and could rid of the code at any time. He did not allow free speech or offer democracy and silenced anyone who spoke against him. Louis- Philippe only allowed the wealthy upper class to vote, which did not provide equality for everyone. He also became increasingly repressive as the lower middle class staged rebellions (biography). After he was exiled, French entered its second republic which only lasted a short period. Louis Napoleon declared himself dictator, and then emperor, which ended the republic and prevented democracy from developing any further after Philippe. The prevent a dictator from taking power, the government must be stronger. Louis-Philippe took power from the king, but both Napoleons overthrew the republic established before them and then took power (biographies). In addition, there should be checks of power and a rule of law in the government, so the case when Louis Napoleon became president and then took power would not happen again. Although all three made beneficial changes that led to the Third …show more content…
In 1789, only 40% of people were able to sign their names on marriage registers (Start of the Revolution #2). It is likely that many of these people could not do more than that. Many of the uneducated saw violence as the only way to settle political disputes since they believed that they could not get their point across in any other way. This led to many violent revolts, including the Reign of Terror. The Great Fear, when peasants attacked churches and nobles and parts of France fell into anarchy, was also caused by this. After the attack on Bastille, the poor did not know what the king would do next since they were uneducated in how government works. John Mill offered the simple solution of educating the common people (Mill video). Even the poor can run a government if taught how. Napoleon Bonaparte understood this and built lycees - public schools open to any child (notes 6). Anyone could work hard and be appointed into a government position. Although he did this to make himself more powerful by filling his government with only the smartest, this education resulted in the Third