Liberty is not given or granted.  Liberty is earned and fought for.  As France suffered various crises, economic and bad harvests, the people obtained political power.  The French Revolution was fought for liberty, equality, and fraternity.  To dismantlement the perceived causes of the crises which were the social hierarchy’s privileges, repressive methods, and bad decisions.  In the process the people went from being subjects, to citizens with political rights expressed through voting. 

 

Various ideas were expressed and factions formed to resolve the crises.  There was competition for political power.  Ideas involved what rights the commoners should have, the privileges of the nobles, and the monarchy’s power.  There were those who had a lot to gain from the social transition, and those who had a lot to lose. 

 

As the French Revolution was ongoing, the crisis escalated tensions, which led to various violent events.  The monarchy was forced into accepting the authority of the people, of an elected assembly.  Even commoners were becoming leaders of political movements rather than just nobles.  Deference to social hierarchy gradually declined.  By 1789, the political system and related institutions that came before were considered part of the old regime.  That the prior institutions were unjust, irrational, and needed to be replaced.  Religion was tied to the old regime, and were deemed in opposition to the people’s need of equality.  To pay for the liberation movements, the people expropriated church and noble property. 

 

Through the French Revolution, the people earned the right to vote, and many voted in the elections.  But as the Revolution progressed, violence was turned against the people.  Different political factions considered the others an enemy.  After votes were cast, those who did not vote in the same manner as those in power, were persecuted.  Reducing the people’s will to vote in forthcoming elections.  Violence that became seen as justified by those in power, to defend the public.  The Revolution ended gradually, as Napoleon, a general supported by the people, concentrated power and began changing the policies used during the Revolution.

 

This can be a difficult book to read, as the reader can get lost in the details.  The book contains a lot of details on events, and on the different competing ideas.  The explanation of the situation could have been improved through an account of the general trends, such as with chapter summaries.