<P> The French Revolution had a major impact on Europe and the New World . Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human history . In the short - term, France lost thousands of her countrymen in the form of émigrés, or emigrants who wished to escape political tensions and save their lives . A number of individuals settled in the neighboring countries (chiefly Great Britain, Germany, Austria, and Prussia), however quite a few also went to the United States . The displacement of these Frenchmen led to a spread of French culture, policies regulating immigration, and a safe haven for Royalists and other counterrevolutionaries to outlast the violence of the French Revolution . The long - term impact on France was profound, shaping politics, society, religion and ideas, and polarizing politics for more than a century . The closer other countries were, the greater and deeper was the French impact, bringing liberalism and the end of many feudal or traditional laws and practices . However, there was also a conservative counter-reaction that defeated Napoleon, reinstalled the Bourbon kings, and in some ways reversed the new reforms . </P> <P> Most of the new nations created by the French were abolished and returned to prewar owners in 1814 . However, Frederick Artz emphasizes the benefits the Italians gained from the French Revolution: </P> <Dl> <Dd> For nearly two decades the Italians had the excellent codes of law, a fair system of taxation, a better economic situation, and more religious and intellectual toleration than they had known for centuries...Everywhere old physical, economic, and intellectual barriers had been thrown down and the Italians had begun to be aware of a common nationality . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> For nearly two decades the Italians had the excellent codes of law, a fair system of taxation, a better economic situation, and more religious and intellectual toleration than they had known for centuries...Everywhere old physical, economic, and intellectual barriers had been thrown down and the Italians had begun to be aware of a common nationality . </Dd>

How did governmental changes in england and america influence the french revolution