1. Politically: France before the Revolution was a monarchy, that is,
hereditary rule, as was most of Europe except, significantly, Great
Bittain. The Revolution literally threw off the monarchy and embraced
the notion of a Republic. In doing so, they beheaded their king, Louis
XVI, precipitating the French Revolutionary Wars. The revolutions
proclaimations, embodied in the document "Declaration of the Rights of
Man" threatened every other monarchy in Europe. Republican governments
are representative, wherein they are always ruling by the consent of the
governed, whereas the kings and nobles of 18th century Europe were
faced with overthrow and murder.
2. Socially: Of Frances 26 million inhabitants in 1789, about 90% were
poor peasants and farmers. The rest were either the nobility or the
clergy. In fact, the very imbalance of the country socially begged for
revolt. Each stratum of the society was called by one of three estates.
The Nobility, including royalty, was the First Estate, the clergy and
the Church was the Second Estate, and the peasants were the Third
Estate. After the Revolution all offices were open to tjhose with the
most talent. This was never more true than during the First Empire, when
Napoleon's many Codes were written and enforced in France. In fact, the
Code Napoleon still exists as part of the legal structure of several
European nations today. But privilege was looked down upon, and merit
was gained by talent.
3. Economically: In this respect there was change on several levels. For
one thing, the new government had to command revenues in a sensible
fashion and keep the nation solvent, otherwise chaos would result. It
almost did, edspecially after 1792 when the wars began. But Frances
conquests themselves paid dividends in hard currency, as well as many of
Europes greatest art treasures. Under Napoleon the Bank of France was
established and eventuallt the economy took form. It can be said that
the French Revolution helped to intensify the Industrial Revolution in
that country, and this could only have been accomplished in the absence
of monarchy, and certainly not because of it. France grew stronger and
faster under it's succesive republics because the freedoms evident in a
republic encourage investment in new technology and excite compeition,
and therefore innovation.
