Parallels Between the Russian and French Revolution

The Russian revolutionaries did take the mystique of the French Revolution of 1789 as basis for their basic ideals, but the fundamental difference was revolution for economic purposes.

Both revolutions were progressive, their views on a better society was a more modern one. The Russian revolutionaries had no desire for a traditional right-wing government. They wanted change, just like the French did. The Russians got rid of the old aristocracies and gave the lower class of peasants more power. They also placed an emphasis on educated leaders like the Third Estate did, too.

The French Revolution was over one hundred years ago so modern society's complexities were apparent in the Russian Revolution that weren't as prevalent in the French Revolution. The rising up of the Third Estate was mostly political, they wanted a constitution drafted that would give equal rights to all citizens. Besides that though they didn't have too many demands that weren't political. The Russian revolutionaries recognized that besides political inequality that the lower class suffered from, they also suffered from economic inequality. The Russians claimed that their revolution supported these poor urban and rural workers. In the social upheaval that followed the falling of Czar Nicholas II trade unions were established to protect the workers and many factories were taken over.

I also consider the civil war that followed the Bolshevik takeover to be like a second revolution. The civil war that lasted from 1918-21 had similarities to France during the time when Maximilien Robespierre ruled. The Bolsheviks were an authoritarian government during this time, they were extremely violent, suppressed any type of resistance and killed many people. The Bolsheviks knew that during such an unstable time like revolution sometimes the only answer was to silence the opposition. France underwent a bloody period like this during the Reign of Terror. It is rare that a revolution goes peacefully and without blood being shed.

During the French Revolution France's government was starkly different from other European countries' governments. France had a democracy in place with a constitution that promised equal rights for all people. The rest of Europe was still entrenched in traditional monarchies with kings ruling over his subjects. The world had changed and the Russians emerged with different ideals from the other European countries. Now most of the European countries where capitalist and Russia was communist. Just like French's democracy inspired more equality in other European countries, Russia's communism also spread to Eastern European countries (although not necessarily organically).