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Was The French Revolution A Success Or Failure Essay

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"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." This renowned statement in the Declaration of Independence was more than just a proclamation; it was the logical result of over a century of philosophical ideas being taken to heart. Inspired by philosophies from Voltaire, Locke, Newton, and others, America acted on those ideals, rebelling against the English king with the assistance of France and had won victory in 1783. Now six years later, France found itself in a similar state of revolution. The country was failing; a fact evident to all social classes. Politically, France …show more content…

France 's economic state would prove to be one of the most prominent causes of the revolution. Due to several wars throughout the 1700 's and little change to spending habits, France sank deeper into poverty. In an endeavor to remedy this economic crisis, Louis appointed Turgot as finance Minister. After trying to decrease the spending of the court and proposing to tax the nobility, he was dismissed. But his sentiments were echoed by a subsequent Finance Minister, Callone. Following his policy of borrowing to fix the crisis, which plunged France 300,000,000 Franks deeper into debt, Callone suggested taxing all classes and was dismissed. In the end, Louis called for an Estates General to decide what must be done financially. Each of the three classes was represented and had one vote. However, because the clergy and the nobility both opposed paying taxes, the Third Estate would continue bearing the brunt of the crisis. With this in mind, the Third Estate resisted the injustice and by deciding to make their own National Assembly that truly did represent the people and gave itself control over taxes. In a short time, some members from the other estates joined them in their act of resistance. This was a prominent tipping point from which France tumbled faster and faster into the

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