The French revolution was the result of decades of social inequality, national financial troubles and radical ideas developing in Europe. For years, the lower 99% of French society was tormented by the inability to rise up from their status to become nobility or become wealthy. While the people seethed under the aristocracy, the French national debt soared from their financial support to the American Revolution. France needed to raise more taxes to sustain the economy and maintain order, but this required major changes. Three things needed to be done to prevent a revolution: all three estates had to be taxed and not just the commoners of the third estate; voting had to be done by population rather than by estate; the horrific leadership of King Louis XIV had to come to end. However, King Louis’ XIV avoidance of these issues and selfishness spurred the people of France to the point of no return, thus igniting the French Revolution.
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.
How revolutionary was the French Revolution? Did the Revolution simply replace the old ruling elite with a new bourgeois one? What were the major effects on different groups of people, including nobles, priests, peasants, urban workers, slaves, and women?
Within the period of 1750 to 1914, changes were taking place around the world. New empires and nations began growing and expanding their territory, and as a result of these actions, wars, bankruptcy, and rebellions became more common. An example is the American Revolution, in which the American colonists, who were influenced by new philosophies and the sense of nationalism, fought and gained their independence from Britain. This revolution eventually inspired others throughout the world as it was successful in gaining the colonies independence from a powerful European empire. Those revolutions include the Haitian and French Revolution. The Haitian Revolution can be compared to the French revolution in that they were both influenced by the Enlightenment
The first major cause of the French Revolution was financial crisis. Financial crisis was such a major cause due building up debts from the ‘Seven year War’. France was due to many debts which caused them to be in such a financial crisis. Even before the French Revolution France was already going through crisis.
French society was divided into three estates. The higher and lower clergy were opposites as the higher clergy lived expensive lives whilst the lower clergy did not gain any wealth however they served every other estate. The second estate is divided into nobles, who are divided into court and provincial nobles. Court nobles were similar to the higher clergy as they obtained wealth and had a lack of interest in the needs of the people however the provincial nobles were similar to the peasants as they cared for the people and did not share the same values as the other nobles. The third estate was sub-divided into the poor and the bourgeoisie. As the revolution started, peasants became rebellious as they wanted change. The Bourgeoisie obtained wealth however it was taken away which led them to collaborate with the lower class. This source demonstrates how unequal each class was and how the failures of the country fell on the peasants as they bared most responsibility and contributed the
The french revolution happened to start because of the American Revolution and other wars and military spending. The two main causes of the lack of wealth in France was the kings Louis XV and Louis XVI along with the militaries profuse amount of spending. Since France didn 't have enough money to feed their people, their people decided
During the 17th century in Europe, there was major social and political disgruntlement among the people, because of this many European experienced revolutions. Two countries who gained the most traction in their revolutions and saw major change was France and what is now known as Germany. France experienced revolutions in both 1830 and 1848, while Germany experienced a revolution in 1848.
The storming of the Bastille erupted the beginning of the French Revolution which was a decade of political turmoil and terror in which King Louis XVI was overthrown. The capture of the Bastille symbolized the end of the Monarchy and provided the French revolutionaries an irresistible urge to continue their momentum and fight. Joined by four-fifths of the French army, the revolutionaries seized control of Paris and then the French countryside. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and King Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette were sentenced to death by guillotine for treason in 1793.
To begin with, feudalism and the class system helped contribute to the French Revolution. Feudalism was a social system based on land ownership. Feudalism existed in medieval Europe, but was declining at the time of the French Revolution. One reason for decline, was that the general population, the third estate, believed they were being treated unfairly. For one thing, the third estate were forced to pay all taxes. Whereas the first and second estate were tax exempt. The third estate had no privileges or exemptions. However, the first estate, made up of high ranking church officials,were not subject to civil law. They were
their respective countries and had a large impact on the world as a whole. They have also
Prior to 1789, France was a country that was an absolute monarchy, and the population was divided up into three parts: the clergymen (also known as the First Estate), the nobility (also known as the second estate), and the Third estate (most of the population). In an absolute monarchy, although he did have advisors, King Louis XVI had absolute say in the law, and he did not have to explain himself to anyone. The problem was, he did not listen to his advisors, which played a part in the royal treasury being depleted. Meanwhile, the peasants were being worked and taxed into exhaustion and poverty, to the point where most of the population was starving. Nevertheless, the nobility continued to spend lavishly while
The French Revolution, lasting from 1789-1799 this decade long event took place in 4 different stages. It 's first being famously titled the “National Assembly”, followed by the Legislative Assembly, the Directory, and finally the Napoleonic Era. Each stage holds key events that are notably turning points in this 10 year long fight, but to fully understand the Revolution, mainly its causes and consequences, and the reason why the “common” people started the fight in the first place we need to evaluate the 1st and last stages of the revolution. The National Assembly & The Napoleonic Era.
Opello and Rosow identified the beginning of the French Revolution when Louis XVI convoked the estates General (1995, p.330). The clergy and the nobility were exempted of the taxes imposed by the king during a long time. However, in 1789, during the convocation of the Estates, the king wanted to install taxes and that these part of the society paid taxes. The refusal of the population added to the practices of these new taxes created many conflicts. This struggle led to the proclamation of the Third estate as “Assemblée Nationale” (National Assembly) and the octroiement to vote the tax in the 17th of June 1789. Secondly, the 14th of July 1789 marked a turning point in the history of France: “la prise de la Bastille”. The storming of the Bastille symbolized the end of the "absolute" monarchy and intervention of the population in French political life. This led to the end of royalty and the proclamation of France as a republic in 1792 and to the beheading of Louis
Beginning in 1789 and ending in the 1790s with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Revolution was a popular uprising against the aristocracy and elite privileges. This period marked a major turning point for Europe and remains one of the most influential events in history. Although historians cite several potential explanations for this great ideological, political, and social upheaval, the main causes of the revolution include the financial collapse in France, Enlightenment influences, and environmental changes. In turn, the revolution led to the Reign of Terror, a decline in religious following, and the creation of a constitutional monarchy. Ultimately, the revolution and its effects allowed Napoleon Bonaparte to take control of France, beginning the Napoleonic era.