LINKSIDE HIGH LOCKDOWN LESSONS (10 HISTORY): Recent Episodes
Mr Jonker
This is a space for students to engage with the content for the grade 10, 11 history curriculum at Linkside High School.
The French colony of Haiti, soon got news of the revolution in France and wanted some of that action. The result for Haiti is a mixture of blood, sweat, tears and finally...independence.
A famous rabbi in the Bible once said "those who live by the sword will die by the sword. It means if you make blood your business, blood will be your end. The revolutionaries of France were going to discover that the hard way unfortunately. Turning their revolution into a murder spree.
What began peacefully on the tennis court would soon turn violent in the King's famous, intimidating prison. This time though the intimidation would not be under the control of the king but directed to his authority within the Bastille.
GAME...SET...MATCH...
When the King refused to let the Third Estate meet for the Estates General meeting in France, he lost the game he was playing with the Third Estate and brought the end to the monarchy in France. This lesson explains how this happened.
We start this term's work with a look at the French Revolution, an event which sent shock waves not only through Europe but also the rest of the world, effectively changing the system of government around much of the world.
Societies in the history of mankind have been built primarily on the system of monarchy, that being the rule of a king and queen. This system most often relied on a hereditary system which means the rule was kept in the family, most often passed from father to son. France made use of this system at the time of the revolution.
Government structure in any society is tricky, since people have different ideas of what is important. It is therefore not likely that even the best government in the world is keeping everyone happy. Unfortunately, when you have a monarchy with a king who does not want to be king and a queen who is selfish and materialist, you have the makings of a revolution.
Everyone wants to "belong" within a societal context. Sometimes we are forced into "classes" within society that we would not choose for ourselves. Other times people embrace the "class" they are in. Either way, where you "fit in" becomes a strong identity marker and when your safety, freedom and identity within that "class" is messed with, things can get ugly in a hurry. This is part of the story of the French Revolution.1
When people gather in a society and start depending on each other for resources and services, you have an economy. This social dynamic can be incredibly beneficial to the members of the society, but when things start going bad in the economy, everything changes. France found this out the hard way during the time of their revolution.