Saturday, 10 December 2016

Effects Of The Revolutionary Wars


Negative effects
1. There was heavy loss of lives and destruction of properties. A number of allied and French troops plus civilians lost their lives. Besides, there was massive looting, confiscation of property that hitherto belonged to the nobles and clergy.
2. The war led to the spread of revolutionary ideas of equality, liberty and nationalism to other European states. These ideas were responsible for the outbreak of thel830 revolutions in Europe, 1848 revolutions plus the German and Italian unification struggles. Note that these ideas were strengthened by French troops and rule in the conquered states.
3. The outbreak of the reign of terror in France was also due to the war. The initial defeat that France experienced made the revolutionaries to resort to violence in order to eliminate internal collaborators and spies. This led to heavy shedding of blood that included innocent citizens.
4. The revolutionary wars led to economic decline in France as well as in Europe. It created a lot of instabilities in France and undermined diplomatic cooperation in Europe. It also halted industrial revolution and paralyzed international trade. This slowed economic progress in Europe and thus led to economic decline.
5. It contributed to the expansion of France and the fall of empires. The Italians and Germans were conquered, and this led to the collapse of the Austrian empire that hitherto included the Germans and the Italians. France therefore became a dominant power, which destroyed the balance of power in Europe. This created tension and led to poor diplomatic relations in Europe.
6. The French success in the war made her to be plunged in a protracted war with the rest of Europe for over 20 years. This made France more stubborn and Europe more determined to crush her. This why the 3rd, 4th and 5th coalitions were formed against France. Although France was finally defeated in 1815, her ideas and influence were already deeply rooted over Europe.

7. Internally, the war strengthened the ideas of patriotism and republicanism and hastened the collapse of the Bourbon monarchy. Louis xvi was accused of collaborating with foreign powers, which led to his execution in 1793. The execution of the king marked the end of the monarchy. This created apolitical vacuum that led to the establishment of are public in France in 1792.
8. The war became a stepping-stone for the rise of Napoleon to power .It led to the death and exile of senior Army officers and politicians, which left a military and political vacuum that Napoleon occupied. Besides, it gave Napoleon the, opportunity to display his skills and gain popularity, for instance in the Italian campaign of1796, which popularized him in Italy and France.
9. The war brought the idea of unity and co-operation in settling world disputes. The coalitions that were formed against France (1793, 1798) were gradually transformed and concretized in the congress system. The war therefore brought the idea of alliance and co-operation in handling crucial issues of common concern.
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