The French Revolutionary War was caused by several factors that contributed to the downfall of King Louis XVI's regime. France was one of the richest countries in Europe at the time but the common people lacked freedom and faced arbitrary punishment. The rigid ancien regime failed to change with the times. A rising middle class allied with peasants and workers who were influenced by Enlightenment ideas. As the monarchy's power shifted to legislative bodies during the revolution, the conflict escalated into a war.