This essay will examine the historical accuracy of the film Les Miserables in terms of the social, economic and political conditions in French society post French Revolution. The film Les Miserables depicts an extremely interesting time in French history (from about 1815-1832.) Even though the story line does not depict every detail and event that occurred during the time period as well as the fact that some aspects are dramatized for entertainment purposes, the film effectively spans thirty years of economic, political and social aspects of French Society. However it also manages to bring in references to the past, the French Revolution (1789-1799) and the impact it had on the society portrayed in the film. The French Revolution did not …show more content…
Most of the characters in Les Miserables are victims of society, depicting the poor social conditions that people would have encountered during the 1800s. Their impoverished lives as well as the desperate means they go to, to change their situation are portrayed in the film. The social conditions seen in the film reflect the situation most of France was suffering under at the time. The film begins with the protagonist of the film, Jean Valjean. He is the product of the society he lived in, as the dire social conditions led him to stealing a loaf of bread, due to poverty and the questionable system of justice that put him in prison for his crime. He committed a relatively minor infringement of the law in trying to help his starving family, and paid the same price as one accused of a major crime. (B) This situation makes one question the fairness of the law as well as the very structure of society at the time. His life later unexpectedly ties in with the character Fantine. She is easily one of the most tragic figures of the film and a victim of circumstance. “I dreamed a dream in time gone by... when hope was high, and life worth living...” (B) This is a quote from a song sung in the film by her. It embodies the notion that French society wants the most from those to whom it …show more content…
The economic situation is not a main feature in the film, however it helps us to understand why the social conditions were so poor and what the situation was like in France. The economy was affected by the Industrial Revolution, and is incorporated into a scene in the film. In the scene, it shows the factory in which Fantine worked. This factory was owned by the mayor Madeleine. He devised a newer and cheaper method for producing black beads, the town’s largest industry. Due to this a manufacturing revolution occurred. This helped the town grow and modernize. It shows Hugo’s great enthusiasm for the Industrial Revolution. This Revolution saw a complete change in the way goods were manufactured. Prior to this, manufacturing was often done in people’s homes with very basic machines. Industrialization marked a shift to developed machinery, factories and mass production. It supplied employment to thousands of other workers, like Fantine. This employment allowed her to support herself as well as her child. (G) The Industrial Revolution was sweeping the globe during the 1800s, including France. The economy was changing and thus affecting people’s way of life as well as standard of living. However, France was a different scenario from the rest of the world, as they had just experienced the French Revolution and had not yet recovered from it. This
The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform.
The text reflects New France as a commercial society, in which the main focus is the growth and development of the colony through the strengthening of bonds and agriculture. New France is devoted to the advancement of commercial interest, in the sense that there is a fair trade when it comes to selling of property and that no one is “cheated out of considerable sums
The French Revolution of 1789 marks a watershed in the political development of France and its role in European history. Many events contributed to the adversity that France was already facing before the revolution had even begun. The nation’s intervention in the Seven Years’ War, the American War of Independence, and their already problematic taxation system, ultimately caused it to go into state debt. This, combined with France’s rapidly growing population, is what most of France’s economic crisis revolved around. The French population had actually grown by about 8 million people from 1700 to 1789, making it Europe’s most populous state.
The Industrial Revolution was a period between both the seventeen as well as eighteen hundreds, and was mainly acknowledged as a time of immense change. Throughout the numerous years, various inventions were shortly to be developed such as the refined Newcomen steam engine, the cotton mill machine, and most importantly, the water frame. These modern developments certainly affected the revolution positively, though after several years however, factories for these inventions were eventually to be manufactured. The factories in particular were privately operated by wealthy factory owners who required others to complete the complex tasks. According to the wealthy operators, the less fortunate of mankind were required to complete these hazardous duties.
Everythings was being done faster which, resulted in more products being made, there was more money, and it meet people's demands. Factories started becoming more popular during the Industrial Revolution. The factories caused goods to be produced faster, gave people jobs, and organized production. There were a lot of new technologies. Some of them are the steam engine, the spinning jenny, and the flying shuttle.
The Industrial Revolution, which took place from the 18th-19th centuries rural societies in Europe and America became industrial and urban. Before the Industrial Revolution manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools or simple machines. Industrialization created a shift to powered machines, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the steam engine, played certain roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved ways of transportation, communication and banking.
France was very poor before the revolution. The monarchy paid no taxes, there were three classes, Nobles, Clergy and the common man. Nobles were given large parcels of lands by the king and lived in big houses. The Church owned the most land in France, put taxes on crops. Commoners were the poorest, made to pay taxes and had nothing to eat.
“As the Industrial Revolution spread to the United States, plants such as this textile factory appeared.” (Document 3) Textile factories were a big part in the rapid growth in product production. Textile factories produced clothing and other items that required cloth or cotton. If textile mills weren’t around then the U.S. would have to import all of these items making the economy go down. “In the graphic showing different methods of manufacturing, the cars were being made faster than anywhere else allowing the U.S. to export more than import.”
Like the rest of Europe, France suffered from inflation and the fall of wages due to the instability of gold in the New World. We see the commoners in the very beginning of the play,”commoners made up 90% of the population”(Boise State University), as Maquis is coming into the show he makes a remark of coming in too late and how they lights are too dim; no one can see their grand entrance. ”What’s this? We’ve arrived like tradesmen, without disturbing people, without stepping on their feet? What a shameful way to make an entrance”(Rostland,11).
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution bringing new forms of production, “America emerged as the world’s largest industrial power,” (Document 3). In becoming industrialized, America pulled ahead of the rest of the world in production exports. advancement led to America’s economy booming, which ultimately led to even more inventions and prosperity. The Industrial Revolution also introduced new production methods, such as the assembly line in Document 4. (Document 4).
The main difference between the American and French Revoultion was that one successfully converted to a democratic government and one did not. The French Revolution was not successful in forming a democratic government due to France’s history of a monarchy, economic issues and divison among its’ people. Unlike America, France had a long history of sole rulers and dictatorship which made the change to a democratic government much more difficult and ultimately impossible. America’s motto of “all men are created equal” (Doc A) was the complete opposite of France’s dividing estate class system. The third estate consisted of peasents, common people and the bourgeoisie, the second estate belonged to the Nobles, and the first was the home to the Clergy.
The Industrial Revolution brought many changes to the lifestyle and way work was completed for citizens of Britain between 1750 and 1900. Machines that provided effective, cheap and fast production of goods began to replace the jobs once held by people. This development effected many groups of workers, but especially those in the textile industry. The introduction of machinery had a significant impact on the lives of these industrial workers due to the low and high demand for goods, unfair wages and unhealthy and dangerous working conditions it inaugurated. The lives of industrial textile workers were significantly impacted by the Industrial Revolution.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in the late 1700s, manufacturing was often done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines. Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industries, along with the development of the steam engine, played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw improved systems of
The Industrial Revolution was a remarkable yet an destructible event that originated throughout the second half of the nineteenth century in Britain, before finding its way across the globe. This was an era in which technological innovation, mechanised inventions and rapid growth resulted in great changes to sectors like agriculture, manufacture, transportation, science, fossil fuels and demographic change. The revolution therefore had massive impacts on the world we live in today, and this essay will prove to do so. The Industrial Revolution was also important because it transformed previous status of social class, and led to the widespread happening of urbanisation. This was a stepping stone for the demographic change, as this impacted
Corruption and absolutism are ruling France. The movie well describes how France is just a big corrupted state where the poverty is on such a bad level that the people of France are starting to realize that the king, Louis XVI, should be taken down. The idea of to getting France to change to better is visualized through the main characters which are not trying to help just France but also the French people. However, the nobles are making it impossible for anybody, who is not on their side, to even get a chance to see the king. The noble women had the power of corruption which is shown in many ways throughout the movie.