First of all, under the old regime the executive, legislative and judicial powers were all upon the
monarch to use, however now under enlightenment ideas under the new revolutionary
system/government the assembly introduced a system for criminal cases to be heard and
punishments were less sever and torture was abolished in 1792. France had replaced the guillotine
with the sword as being viewed as the most humane way to execute someone. Furthermore,
Robespierre attempted to have the death sentence removed under this new government which he
was unsuccessful in doing so. Capital punishment was to be inflicted only by decapitation which only
had been reserved for the nobility however, under the new government all citizens were “equal”
under the law so they were all tried under the same system and overall condemned to the same fate
and punishment for breaking the law. The legal change in France had overall met the original
intentions of the revolution, that every man and citizen had the right to be treated equally within
the law, and every individual no matter the title or birth had their criminal trial heard and
determined by a jury in order to develop a verdict.
Secondly, under the new government France had scrapped an act which prevented those not of
noble birth on the father’s side over four generations from becoming officers. Now the army had
been opened to men of talents who could show off their abilities equally. The same conditions
applied to those in public service as well, Professions and trades. The tricolour cockade had now
become the national flag and the white lilies of the bourbon monarchy giving way to red white and
blue of the revolutions.