this ppt only includes causes and estates general

1. FRENCH REVOLUTION
1789-1799

2. SOCIAL CAUSES OF THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION

3. THE OLD REGIME
The king of france was an absolute
monarch .
The society was organized in a rigid
social structure called the old regime .
The people of France were divided by
law into three estates : Clergy [1rst
estate], Nobility [2nd estate],
Peasants [3rd estate].

5. RELATION BETWEEN THE
THREE ESTATES
The first and the second estates had
quite similar political beliefs and
aspirations , hence they grouped together
keeping the third estate a side.
The third estate was always exploited
and suppressed.

6. Bourbon rule
The bourbon family pushed the people towards the French
revolution.
Louis 14
 He was an very ambitions man. He waged many wars which was very
expensive.
 Which led to the increase in the tax of the 3rd
estate
 Construction of Palace of Versailles, lavish and frivolous expenditure
and
 extravagance of the royalty, clergy and nobility put an enormous
burden on an already shaken economy due to wars waged by Louis.
This sowed the seeds of anger

7. Louis 15
Louis 15 was dominated by his mistress Jeanne pompadour played an
important role in aligning France and Austria.
Their treaty contributed to the 7 year war which shattered the economy.
Louis 16
Louis 16 ascended the throne amidst a financial crisis.
He married Marie Antoinette, he was taken by her.
He entered the American revolution which was disaster.
Cost of running government and its offices, maintaining an army , conducting
the court proceedings, maintenance and upkeep of the Palace of Versailles,
the state was forced to increase taxes

8. THE JACOBINS TAKE
CONTROL
The jacobins were
the radical political
organizaton behind
the 1792
govermental
changes .
After a close vote
louis XVI is found
guilty of treason

9. Role of philosophers
France in the 18th century had many revolutionary thinkers. Among them
were Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Diderot. Their revolutionary
ideas encouraged people to fight for their rights.
Voltaire attacked the Catholic Church. He believed man's destiny was
in his own hands and not in heaven.
john Locke propounded the ideas refuting divinity and absolute rights of
monarchs.
Montesquieu's philosophy outlined constitutional monarchy and division
of powers. He believed all powers should not be concentrated in one
person's hand.
Thus the ideas of the philosophers were a direct attack on privileges and
feudal rights which protected the upper classes.They played a vital role in
focusing the discontent and bringing about the Revolution.

10. Estates General
Opened in
Versailles on
May 5th,
1789.
 the First and Second estates
would combine to outvote
the Third Estate in almost all
cases.