Question

SAQ For AP Euro

“You might, if you pleased, have profited of our [Great Britain’s] example and have given to your recovered freedom a correspondent dignity. You possessed in some parts the walls and in all the foundations of a noble and venerable castle. You might have repaired those walls; you might have built on those old foundations. Your constitution was suspended before it was perfected, but you had the elements of a constitution very nearly as good as could be wished... You had all these advantages in your ancient states, but you chose to act as if you had never been molded into civil society and had everything to begin anew. You began ill, because you began by despising everything that belonged to you.... They have made no sacrifices to their projects of greater consequence than their shoebuckles, whilst they were imprisoning their king, murdering their fellow citizens, and bathing in tears and plunging in poverty and distress thousands of worthy men and worthy families.”

-Edmund Burke, Reflections on the French Revolution, 1790


Be able to briefly explain the context in which this series of letters was written.

Be able to briefly explain the overall message intended by the author.

Be able to provide one specific development that occurred or arose from the situation described in the excerpt above and worsened the situation for France.

Answer 1

The context in which this series of letters was written is the early stages of the French Revolution, when the National Assembly was drafting a new constitution for France.

The overall message intended by the author is that the French people made a mistake in turning their backs on their existing political and social structures and trying to start over from scratch. The author argues that the French had the potential to improve their society by building on the foundations that already existed, but instead they chose to destroy everything and start over, causing chaos and suffering.

One specific development that arose from the situation described in the excerpt above and worsened the situation for France was the rise of radical factions, such as the Jacobins, who advocated for more extreme measures such as the Reign of Terror and the execution of King Louis XVI. These developments led to further instability and violence in France, ultimately contributing to the downfall of the revolutionary government and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Step-by-step explanation: