Sarah Morra (12) | STAFF REPORTER
The people of France have been long known for their strong-willed spirits and political involvement. Dating back to the French Revolution in the late 1700s, the French have always fought for their rights and their liberty. This fiery passion to fight for their freedoms lives on to this day. This can be observed in modern French politics where they riot, protest, and are actively involved in the political scene. For example, in January 2024 French farmers were protesting due to subpar wages and lack of environmental protection — this is merely a show of how the French spirit has yet to burn out.
The spirit and relentless protesting of the French is to be admired in a place like North America, a place that has little will to fight for their autonomy, rights or freedom. A place where individuals remain ignorant and uneducated due to a system that has been failing them for centuries. On the other hand, the French are avid participants in their political scenes, refusing to allow life to pass them by.
In 1789, the fire of the French Revolutionary spirit was lit. For years prior to this revolution, the French radicals and even moderates were adamant on change and were able to successfully act upon it by putting ideological differences aside. In July of 1789, the people of France stormed the Bastille in an attempt to seize weapons from the political prison. This attempt was carried through bloodshed and sheer anger. They seized gun powder for the weapons which they’d previously acquired and with which freed the political prisoners of the Bastille.
This show of anger and political defiance marked the day that the people of France stopped allowing for their rights to be ignored. However, in North American countries such as Canada or the United States, there is a lack of history with raw nationalistic passion, as we as nations do not have the moxy to fight for our rights and freedoms.
Leading up to the 21st century, the people of France are still consistently keeping up this raw passion and ability to fight for their rights and freedoms. This can be seen as their political landscape is continuously ever changing, having different political protests and riots every other month. Most recently, the people of rural France who are fueling the agricultural industry for a lot of Europe, are in protest due to their belief in the fact that they deserve higher pay and better environmental protection.
Overall, the history behind a country such as France shows why their political protests and push backs are fruitful today, unlike many countries such as Canada or the United States. Their spirit is to be noted and modeled after, as we may see very soon that those who do not stand up for their autonomy will have it stripped from them.
