Legacy of the French Revolution

Innledning
Suppose you were to check the definition of "legacy" in a dictionary, you would find that it describes the aftermath of an event or a particular period in history that has a lasting impact even after it has ended.

In the case of the French Revolution, its legacy is the way in which it transformed the world and how its effects are still present today.

Utdrag
The newly formed state aimed to eradicate religious practices across its entire territory. As a result, secularism emerged, and religion became the archenemy of the revolution.

In the past, all states had official religions, but in modern times, most countries do not. In France, the non-religious tradition still thrives, and Muslim girls are not permitted to wear their hijabs in school.

Recently, there were violent riots in the streets of France, with thousands of immigrants protesting against the difficulties they face in integrating, such as high unemployment rates.

The impact of non-religious ideology during revolutions varies; while many countries declared themselves religiously neutral, accepting all beliefs without discrimination, communist states were openly hostile towards all religions.

Many people initially believed that the French Revolution would weaken the power of the Catholic Church, but the events that followed proved otherwise.

During the 1780s, many had thought that the Pope's power was a thing of the past, but the revolution sparked a quarrel that showed it was still very much a reality.

In fact, when Napoleon sought to resolve the issue, he recognized the papacy as the only authority that could do so and went straight to Rome.

As a result, the French Revolution ended up strengthening the power of the Catholic Church instead of weakening it.

The revolutionaries aimed to overthrow despotism, or absolute monarchy, and establish the legitimacy of representative government, according to the ideology of the French Revolution.

The concept of sovereignty, which is the ultimate power in any system, is always held by the people or the nation, and not by individuals.

This idea was embraced by the revolutionaries who saw themselves as overthrowing the absolute monarchy.

The heirs of the Revolution always had to act in the best interests of the people and speak on their behalf.