Causes Of French Revolution Essay

Causes Of The French Revolution
The French Revolution (French: RГ©volution franГ§aise [КЃevЙ”lysjЙ”Мѓ fКЃЙ‘МѓsЙ›Лђz])
was a period of far–reaching social and political upheaval in France that lasted from 1789 until
1799, and was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French
Empire. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic, experienced violent periods
of political turmoil, and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon that rapidly brought
many of its principles to Western Europe and beyond. Inspired by liberal and radical ideas, the
Revolution profoundly altered the course of modern history, triggering the global decline of absolute
monarchies while replacing them with republics and liberal democracies.[1] Through the
Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a wave of global conflicts that extended from the Caribbean to the
Middle East. Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human
history.[2][3][4]
The causes of the French Revolution are complex and are still debated among historians. Following
the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War,[5] the French government was deeply in
debt and attempted to restore its financial status through unpopular taxation schemes, which were
heavily regressive. Years of bad harvests leading up to the Revolution also inflamed popular
resentment of the privileges enjoyed by the clergy and the aristocracy. Demands for change were
formulated in terms of Enlightenment ideals and
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The Causes Of The French Revolution
Good morning/Good afternoon I am Ella Nagle here to present to you the French Revolution.
Through violent and bloody means, the French revolution influenced modern law making through
the will power of the people. While it was only semi–successful in achieving all of its goals, it
provided drastic change to the society's social structure in France. The Revolution was a major
turning point in modern European history which began in 1789 lasting in to the late 1790's. "During
this period, French citizens razed and redesigned their country's political landscape, uprooting
centuries–old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system." (Staff, history.com,
2009). The movement ended with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. Similar to the American
Revolution it was an era of change and empowerment to the people of France. Towards the end of the
18th century Frances expensive involvement in the American Revolution brought the country to the
edge of bankruptcy. King Louis XVI(1754–1793) and his predecessor depleted the royal Coffers and
with the aid of "Twenty years of drought, poor cereal harvests, cattle diseases and skyrocketing
bread prices ignited unrest among the urban poor and peasants." (Staff, history.com, 2009) One of
the main causes of the Revolution was the rising wealth amongst the middle class known as the
bourgeoisie which consisted of wealthy commoners aspiring to political power. This increase was
due to a surge in peasants owning land which increased

Causes of the French Revolution Essay
Causes of the French Revolution There were many causes and events leading up to the French
Revolution in 1789. Before the Revolution, France had been involved in many expensive wars,
especially the American War of Independence, causing financial difficulties and debts which were
increased through the expensive upkeep of the Royal Family and their courts. At this time the Age
of Enlightenment was occurring and new ideas, challenging the Ancien Regime and the Absolute
right to rule, were emerging. The monarch of the time, King Louis XVI, was a weak monarch
who was incapable of making decisions and sticking to them. King Louis XIV was also incapable of
using his powers in a way to spark fear and gain control of those under his power. As a...show more
content...
This meant that they were heavily taxed like the rest of the Third Estate, but many avaided taxes.
Some of the bourgeois were envious of the nobility and had resentment towards the First and
Second Estates, many against the Ancien Regime and well educated a large proportion of the
bourgeois knew of the discoveries happening during the Age of Enlightenment. The Ancien
Regime prioritised the people of France in order of Estates, with the King being above all, as a
result of the system keeping 97% of the population in one category the system did not satisfy
many of the bourgeois of the time resulting in them supporting the revolution. Before the
revolution France was ruled under the Ancien Regime system, meaning the country and all its
people were under the reign of an absolute monarch. This was a tradition that had been upheld
through the years and the Royal family had enjoyed a life funded by the people of France, the
royal family's lifestyle unaffected by the situation outside their palace. The Palace, Versailles, was
built by king Louis XIV and the expenses for building this "village" was very high, and in later
years the cost for its upkeep would play a significant role in Frances financial difficulties. In order
for these difficulties to be overcome France needed a tax reform. The government had a very high
tax rate on the poorest of their people, the Third Estate, and they were still not getting enough money
to get out of their

The Major Causes Of The French Revolution Of 1789
The French Revolution of 1789 was one of the biggest upheavals in history. You may be wondering
what exactly led this to happen, but there was multiple long range causes. Political, social, and
economic conditions ultimately led to the discontent of many French people especially those of the
third estate. The ideals of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society.
Before the revolution, the majority of France was living in poverty. Peasants were entirely at mercy
of their class, because they had nothing else. As Jean JaurГЁs stated in 1901, there was not one
action in rural life that did not require the peasants to pay a ransom. He recognizes that because the
king is forcing them to pay higher taxes, it's leading to...show more content...
The Estates–General held their meeting at Versailles on May 5, 1789 ("The Beginning of the French
Revolution, 1789"). Calling a meeting of the Estates–General was the king's last resort to fix the
major money crisis.
The other two social classes had no idea what the third estate was going to do. The third estate (the
lower class) met alone and was named the National Assembly; they kept meeting and starting gaining
a lot of new people ("French Revolution"). This led to people getting paranoid about what they were
meeting about, which ultimately led to people storming the Bastille. They stormed the Bastille on
July 14, in order to get gunpowder and weapons ("French Revolution"). According to Vikram Rana,
the economic instability formed one of the most important causes to the French Revolution.
The last main cause of the French Revolution was the social condition. The social classes were
divided into three groups– the Clergy, Nobles, and Common People (Rana). The big Clergy
category had two different groups; the higher clergy, and the lower clergy (Rana). The higher
clergy managed the top buildings, and never had to pay taxes. They had it a lot better than the
lower clergy, the higher clergy only lived in mansions and anywhere luxurious. The lower clergy
didn't get any of that, which means their life wasn't so great. The nobility was a lot like the higher

The Three Causes Of The French Revolution
Imagine a period of time of gruesome bloody executions and a lack of equality. The French
Revolution started in 1789 and lasted until 1799. The Revolution led to the end of the monarchy in
France. In 1793, during the Revolution, king Louis XVI was executed by extremist Jacobins who
represented the Third Estate. The execution led to war with several neighboring countries and started
the most violent portion of the French Revolution called the "Reign of Terror." The three major
causes for the French Revolution were; the king and queen were spending all of the country's
money (deficit spending), the upper classes were not paying their share of taxes, and the peasants
were treated poorly while also not being given the recognition they deserved for all the work that
they do. These three examples led to the French Revolution occurring and affected the short and
long term of France, as well as all of Europe's history. In current times, people wonder what caused
the execution of the king and queen, or in other words, how the 3 causes contributed to their
downfall.
The first reason the French Revolution occurred, was because the king and queen were spending too
much money on unnecessary items that the country could not afford. The king was gambling with
money that the country did not have. Also, he was staging plays while the country was 40 billion
dollars in debt. This made the people despise not only the king, but the queen too because they both
were spending money on clothes and

Essay about Causes of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was caused by many factors; some were significant and played a large role
while others were of minor consequence. France was one of the richest and most powerful nations
even though they were facing some economic difficulties. The French Revolution was a pivotal
period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. During this period of time there
was the formation of republicanism which replaced the absolute monarchy in France. Before the
French Revolution Louis XVI was in power, but in due time his old regime of absolute monarchy
was brought down. Some people were in favor of this revolution wanting equality and some were
not. One person who was in favor of this desire for equality and change was...show more content...
When prices got so high that peasants and other third estate citizens couldn't afford food there was
an inevitable uprising. The peasantry became a class with the ambition to counteract social inequity
and put a stop to escalating food prices. This unrest caused a riot, known as the bread riot, which
became a central cause to the French Revolution.
Economics also played an important role in the French Revolution. In France there was an
abundance of debt and taxation. The French monarchy managed their fiscal affairs by using an
unequal system of taxation, borrowing money, or selling noble titles and other privileges. This led to
a long running fiscal debt. France could not solely rely on tariffs to generate income. Although other
countries had higher taxation rates, the burden on the common people was greater in France.
Peasants and other third estates were taxed harshly which in good times was burdensome and in bad
times it was devastating. Nobility and clergy were exempted from paying taxes. This left the
peasants, wage earners, and the professional and business classes with the burden of taxes. This
burden caused the unrest, which eventually led to the French Revolution.
Many things caused the French Revolution. I believe that absolutism and privilege, famine, and
economics were three of the most significant factors causing the French Revolution. These three
elements led people to be unhappy with the current government and want to overthrow it.

What Was The Root Cause Of The French Revolution
There are some major causes of the French Revolution. First was the economic cause and it also was
the root cause. The contradiction between the development of capitalism and the feudal autocracy
rule. Second half of the 18th century, French capitalist economy has grown considerably. The textile
industry, the metallurgical industry and the mining industry have developed most rapidly. Foreign
trade has also developed rapidly. But the authoritarian rule of the Bourbon Dynasty seriously
hindered the development of capitalism. The feudal government continued to raise taxes and feudal
land ownership still exists. In this regard, the bourgeoisie is very dissatisfied. They demanded the
abolition of feudal land ownership, the abolition of privileges

What Was The Main Cause Of The French Revolution
1789, The French Revolution has started. This was a time when people began to speak up against
the government to fight for their rights and their freedom. Although what sparked this sudden event?
There many different reasons for the French Revolution but they have been boiled down to these 3
main reasons.
The main and probably most important reason is the Estates General Meeting. This was the "spark"
of the French Revolution. The Estates General Meeting was a meeting held by King Louis XVI to
help the Financial Crisis that had been happening at the time. "The king, in sending letters of
convocation to the Estates General to the different provinces within his obedience, desires that his
subjects should all be called to take part in the election of the deputies who are to form this great and
solemn assembly." (Alpha History.com) The King decided to increases taxes for everyone although
he increased the taxes incredibly high for the peasants. This resulted in the peasants revolting against
the government. This event started the French Revolution....show more content...
The peasants decided to not pay taxes. "The crisis came about primarily because of an inefficient
and unfair tax structure." (Historywiz.com) This caused France to go even into more debt. This
was also accompanied by the many "mini ice ages" that happened during this time. "Not only
were the royal coffers depleted, but two decades of poor cereal harvests, drought, cattle disease
and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and the urban poor."
(History.com Staff) These "ice ages" killed all the wheat crops, so the King decided to increase
the taxes on bread. The tax was so high that it would take a peasant's whole week's pay to buy one
loaf. This just added to the fire of the French

The Main Causes Of The French Revolution
Blood spewing. Heads rolling. Those are just a few of the violent and graphic images that represent
the time of the French Revolution. The French Revolution lasted 10 years and took place from 1789
to 1799. Before the French Revolution, France had an Absolute Monarchy. The leaders were King
Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette, who were not the ideal leaders. According to the book, King
Louis XVI was indecisive and Marie Antoinette was irresponsible, especially with money. Louis
XVI could not make decisions and just agreed with people when they stated an idea. According to
the movie, Marie spent money carelessly on expensive, fancy outfits and gained the nickname
"Madame Deficit". There were three estates at the time and the lowest one created its own
government and revolted against the King and Queen. They wanted to be treated fairly, so they
decided to revolt. The French Revolution was just beginning, and the time period that followed
was very bad for France and caused a lot of deaths. I believe that the main cause of the French
Revolution was the social inequalities that existed in France during this time. The tax system that
existed in France was very unjust to the Third Estate. The land that was divided up and given to the
3 estates was very unfair to the Third Estate. The First and Second Estate had many privileges while
the Third Estate did not.
The tax system that existed in France was very unjust to the Third Estate. According to a website,
the tax system was very unfair

The French Revolution was a time of great social, political and economic tumult in the closing
years of the Eighteenth Century. The motivators pushing French citizenry toward revolution are
varied in scope and origin. They range from immediate economic woes to an antiquarian class
structure. Modern historians still debate the value of the changes that the revolution brought to
modern society. The middle class made gains that would never be rescinded, but do revolutions
always end in tyranny? In the years before the revolution citizens were rigidly constrained by the
estates of the realm. These social strata had been in place since the medieval ages. The people were
divided into three groups; clergy, nobility and everyone else. The clergy...show more content...
The high costs of maintaining the army and navy exacerbated the situation, along with the lavish
lifestyle of King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie–Antoinette. Louis appointed Charles de Calonne as
comptroller–general to solve France's financial crisis. Calonne knew that the only way to get
France out of debt was to fairly distribute the tax burden among the three estates. Of course, this
did sit well with the nobility and Calonne was dismissed after giving his presentation at the
Assembly of Notables. In a desperate act, Louis called the Estates General. The Estates General
was an ancient practice that had not been called since 1614. Events there would prove to be the
beginning of the revolution proper. France suffered under years of inept and self–serving monarchs.
Louis XVI was preceded by his grandfather, Louis XV. It was his loss of public opinion and war
spending that put his grandson in such a precarious position in the years after his reign. The rule
of Louis XVI would prove to be a doomed one. He was ousted after a comparatively short 17
years. The outdated political system gave way to a constitutional monarchy, and when that failed,
the French Republic. This Republic however would not prove to last. Feudalism was the whole of
existence for rural commoners in the time before the revolution. Farmers had no right to the land
they worked and lived on. Serfs were beholden to their manor lord

Causes of French Revolution Essay
Introduction
There are plenty of speculations concerning why there was a French Revolution and plenty of
articles and books written on the subject of why did France revolutionize? Was it because France
was following in the footsteps of the Americans and rebelling against a negligent monarch or was it
because it was time for a reformation in France? Perhaps it was none of those reasons but because of
a language sweeping that nation of France that calls the bourgeoisie, the foundation of the nation that
was France, into action. Maybe the French Revolution began simply because the city–dwelling
bourgeoisie overthrew the empowered nobility and monarchy, which is what most speculations,
ultimately leads to. However, all of these assumptions...show more content...
King Louis XVI had gotten into and involved in wars that he could not financially back, one of
which was the American War for Independence fought against Britain. France, who was already in
the thick of a financial deficit, getting involved only caused the country to go deeper into debt.
Frances' financial situation in the late 1700s was inevitable, what with the bad decisions made by
the old regime, especially the parlement. Frances' economic situation was the foundation and the
beginning of a series of events that had led France to the brink of revolution and the end of the Old
Regime.
The Old Regime in France is a major reason behind the start of the French Revolution, because it
caused stirrings in the lower classes and rebellions as they were burdened with the brunt of the debt
as well and starvation across Frances' borders while the upper classes were cushioned. In this
portion of the essay, the old regime, the economic crisis France found itself in, and the effects of
both on the bourgeoisie, and the failed attempts at reformation will be examined in reference to the
cause of the French Revolution.
King Louis XVI and Debt
The monarch, King Louis XVI, came into power in 1774 in the midst of an already substantial
financial debt. He made promises to the people concerning the financial crisis and until he called the
estates general in 1789, had appointed several men in charge of finding solutions to the financial
crisis

Revolution? The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types
of social classes in French society. The French Revolution of 1789–1799 was one of the most
important events in the history of the world. The Revolution led to many changes in France, which
at the time of the Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe. The Revolution led to the
development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism. It questioned the authority
of kings, priests, and nobles. The Revolution also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political
ideas of the people.<br><br>The French Revolution was spread over the ten year period between
1789 and 1799. The primary cause of the revolution was the disputes over...show more content...
However, there was another important factor during these times. France suffered from harsh
economic problems. Poor farm harvests by farmers hurt the economy, and trade rules from the
Middle Ages still survived, making trade difficult. However, the most serious problem was the
problem facing the government during this time. The French government borrowed much money
to pay for the wars of Louis XIV. Louis still borrowed money to fight wars and to keep French
power alive in Europe. These costs greatly increased the national debt, which was, at the time,
already too high.<br><br>When King Louis XVI came into power, he realized that these
problems existed. At first he did not know what to do, until he found a man by the name of
Robert Turgot. He eased the financial crisis of France, but he had difficulties when he tried to
introduce a major reform, that of taxing the nobles. He had such difficulties because the king
could not tax the nobles unless the Parliament approved of the new tax laws. The people in the
courts that voted on these laws were the nobles, called nobles of the robe, and therefore rejected
Turgot's reform. After Turgot was rejected, the king fired him from his office. This led Louis XVI
to summon the Estates General in 1789. The Estates General was the place where representatives
from each social class could be represented. Here, many issues would be discussed, and at this time
in

The French Revolution (1789–1799) happened due to a series of events from feudal oppression,
political conflict, the enlightenment, and economic hardship. This revolution "destroyed the
hierarchical and corporate society (Perry 282)" in return for a more favorable modern society
where the citizens have more power and voice, giving a sense of nationalism instead of loyalism.
The French Revolution could be boiled down simply as the poor, working class wanting similar
rights to the upper bourgeoisie. France tried to function as a feudal society like many other
European countries who relied upon the relationship between Kings and feudal lords for their
economy and society. However, the bourgeoisie was deemed as "too hostile to the system of feudal
rights (Soboul 59)." Therefore, this would go on to stand in the way of any "capitalist
transformation" that the feudal system would want to alter (Soboul 59).
In our class lecture, we discussed the differences between each Estates. During the Old Regime,
there was 3 different classes or estates a person can be born into, which were the First Estate, Second
Estate and the Third Estate. The Third Estate is broken up into three categories, the bourgeoisie,
peasants, and the urban workers. Out of those three groups of people within the Third Estate, the
bourgeoisie felt the most frustrated, because they wanted positions that they were unable to attain
due to their birth status. Perry summed up the best way on how the bourgeoisie

French Revolution
By: Tyreik Douse
The French Revolution
*The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon
Bonaparte.
*During this period, French citizens razed and redesigned their country's political landscape,
uprooting centuries–old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system.
*Like the American Revolution before it, the French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment
ideals, particularly the concepts of popular sovereignty and inalienable rights.
...More info
*The French Revolution had general causes common to all the revolutions of the West at the end of
the 18th century and particular causes that explain why it was by far the most violent and the most
universally...show more content...
*In October, a large crowd of protesters, mostly women, marched from Paris to the Palace of
Versailles, convinced that the royal family and nobility there lived in luxury, oblivious to the
hardships of the French people.
War
*The issue of war dominated the debate in the new Legislative Assembly.
*In France, the support for war was growing a lot as well.
*Louis XVI and hard line monarchists wanted war because they believed that foreign armies would
easily overthrow the new government.
*The revolutionaries, on the other hand, pushed for war because they thought it would unify the
nation and spread the ideas of the Revolution to the rest of Europe.
The Revolution of 1789
*The national guard was organized under the marquis de Lafayette.
*This first outbreak of violence marked the entry of the popular classes into the Revolution.
The Republic
*On Sept. 21, 1792, the Convention held its first meeting.
*It immediately abolished the monarchy, set up the republic, and proceeded to try the king for
treason.
* A democratic constitution was approved by 1.8 million voters in a plebiscite, but it never came into

Analyze the various causes of the French Revolution. Include social, economic and ideological
factors Just as any story has a climax; one can deduce that the 17th and 18th centuries were the
turning point for most of European history; however, different places experienced this change in
different ways. As the previous discoveries and inventions were made by remarkable scientists like
Galileo, the Enlightenment was the next logical step in the era. As incredible philosophers like
Jean– Jacques Rousseau along with John Locke stepped in, people all over Europe began to realize
the importance and even the mere concept of reason and natural rights granted to all persons. Apart
from the common impact of the Enlightenment on all of Europe,...show more content...
the rest hierarchy. As a result of the estate system, the First Estate, composed of the clergy, who
constituted only 10% of land ownership, received the most privileges. Under Louis XV and
Louis XVI, the nobility (Second Estate) held many prestigious positions in the government and
industry, and were exempt (along with the First Estate) from many taxes, such as France's main
tax, the taille). Despite being given these privileges, the nobles still felt the basic need for an
expansion of exemptions at the expense of the monarchy. The Third Estate was the least
privileged, yet the most populous, which caused an even larger barrier between them and the
First and Second Estate. Furthermore, they felt isolated and degraded from the rest of the society
due to the lack of consideration that they were given. Most of the commoners faced the issue of a
lacking part in society which transcended wealth, as the Bourgeoisie (middle class) was even
neglected from tax exemptions such as those provided for the First and Second Estate. Regardless
of being skilled artisans, industrialists and bankers they were still considered a part of the "low"
class, making it quite evident to rebel against. Adding fuel to the French national crisis, the dearth of
national unity and the incapability for King Louis XVI to make effective and strong decisions,
caused the problem to become an extreme. Due to the Third Estate's hunger

DBQ Essay: Causes Of The French Revolution
The French Revolution of 1789 had many long–range causes. Political, social, and economic
conditions in France mad many French people discontented. Most disaffected were merchants,
artisans, workers, and peasants. The ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers brought new views of
government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the coming of TheFrench
Revolution. Therefore, The French Revolution of 1789 had several causes not only due to political,
but also due to social and economic issues and problems as well that made France ripe for
revolution. The most important long–range causes of this revolution, however, were the ideas of the
Enlightenment, the unfair taxes, the gap between the rich and poor, and the American Revolution
...show more content...
There are very few members in the first and second estates, yet they owned the most land, while the
third estate made up most of the population, yet owned very little land. "First: Clergy – 1% of the
people owned 10% of the land. Second Estate: Nobles – 2% of the people owned 35% of the land.
Third Estate – Middle class, peasants, city workers 97% of the people owned 55% of the land."
(Document 2) There were high prices, high taxes, and people were listening to enlightenment ideas.
Louis XVI decided to tax the Second Estate. They called a meeting of the Estates–General – an
assembly of representatives from all three estates. (ROI) In addition, as a political cause, the third
estate had no privileges or say in the government,while both the clergy and nobles did. As mentioned
before, the inequality of taxes proved another gap in the social classes. "The Revolution had been
accomplished in the minds of men long before it was translated into fact.... The middle class...was
sensitive to their inferior legal position. The Revolution came from them–the middle class. The
working classes were incapable of starting or controlling the Revolution. They were just beginning to
learn to read." (Document 4) Estates– General was the first such meeting in 175 years. Met on May
5th,1789 in Versailles. In the Estate– General each estate had one vote. (ROI)
Finally, the influence of the American Revolution and

The French Revolution (1789–1814), which included Napoleon's reign, is considered a major
turning point in world history. This revolution led to major changes in France and other nations and
regions of the world. A number of political, social, and economic factors combined to form the
causes of the French Revolution. Most of the political causes dealt with the Monarch having too
much power. Many people in France, right before the Revolution, were denied basic rights and were
living in poor condition.according to document one by Friedman and Foner, "He lived in his
magnificent palace at Versailles, completely oblivious to the rising tide of popular discontent..."
meaning that the King was too occupied with appointing civil offices and military officers, and the
rest of his controls, to notice what the living conditions his people have. This is a cause because it
leads to the formation of the National Assembly, Third Estate comes together and they believe that
they were the true representatives of the people, they vowed to meet every day until they came up
with a new constitution, "Tennis Court Oath". The National Assembly, established the constitutional
monarchy, abolished feudalism, and adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man (doc 4). France's
government had also long been under attack from Enlightenment Philosophers for the government's
absolutist actions. More and more people questioning the traditional way of ordering society. Since
the Middle Ages, people in

The French Revolution The French Revolution of 1789 was one of the biggest upheavals in history.
You may be wondering what exactly led this to happen, but there were multiple long range causes.
Political, social, and economic conditions ultimately led to the discontent of many French people
especially those of the third estate. The ideals of the Enlightenment brought new views to
government and society.
Before the revolution, the majority of France were living in poverty. Peasants were entirely at the
mercy of their class, because they had nothing else. As Jean JaurГЁs stated in 1901, there was not
one action in rural life that did not require the peasants to pay a ransom. He recognizes that because
the king is forcing them to pay higher...show more content...
The Estates–General held their meeting at Versailles on May 5, 1789 ("The Beginning of the French
Revolution, 1789"). Calling a meeting of the Estates–General was the king's last resort to fix the
major money crisis.
The other two social classes had no idea what the third estate was going to do. The third estate (the
lower class) met alone and was named the National Assembly; they kept meeting and starting gaining
a lot of new people ("French Revolution"). This led to people getting paranoid about what they were
meeting about, which ultimately led to people storming the Bastille. They stormed the Bastille on
July 14, in order to get gunpowder and weapons ("French Revolution"). According to Vikram Rana,
the economic instability formed one of the most important causes of the French Revolution.
The last main cause of the French Revolution was the social condition. The social classes were
divided into three groups– the Clergy, Nobles, and Common People (Rana). The big Clergy
category had two different groups; the higher clergy, and the lower clergy (Rana). The higher
clergy managed the top buildings, and never had to pay taxes. They had it a lot better than the
lower clergy, the higher clergy only lived in mansions and anywhere luxurious. The lower clergy
didn't get any of that, which means their life wasn't so great. The nobility was a lot like the higher
clergy, because they also

The French Revolution was incited by a variety of reasons. At the time, the government was in a
serious deficit resulting in great taxations. They had spent huge sums of money on the French and
Indian War, and the king and nobility consumed much money to keep up with their lavish lifestyles.
In addition, there was a severe economic depression at the time. In areas of agriculture,
manufacturing, and trade, there were great downturns. Also, revolutionary ideas were instilled
within the people during the Enlightenment. Together, the financial condition of the government, the
economic depression, and the Enlightenment ideas played a pivotal role in causing the French
Revolution. In the late 1800s, the condition of the French government was...show more content...
They were against taxation without representation. In the government, the third estate was only
given one vote and was always overruled by the first two estates despite the fact they made up
ninety–seven percent of the population. The third estate wrote complaints regarding taxing, the
king, and voting in the estates general in a list called the Cahiers (Document 3). When King Louis
XVI failed to take action after receiving the list, the third estate called itself the National Assembly
and tried to work for the welfare of France. They made a pledge called the Tennis Court Oath and
started challenging the absolute monarchy in France; the French Revolution would soon follow.
Also, during that time there was a huge economic depression. Manufacturing and trade were at their
all–time low leaving many people jobless. Likewise, in agriculture, years of poor harvests caused
increases in food prices. There was an increased demand for food, but there was a smaller supply
resulting in increased prices. With higher food prices and lower incomes, the people of France
were facing many hardships. Bread, the staple food of France, was nearly unaffordable to the
majority of the people at the time, peasants (Document 1). Basic necessities, such as food and
clothing, became difficult to obtain. By 1789, many people in France were hungry and jobless. As a
result, there was growing discontent among the French people against the king and the government
for allowing

French Revolution
Let's go back to 1789, the year that citizens decided to take matters by their own hands and wrote a
new history, the year that was considered a huge leap towards democracy of humanity, and the year
that was the beginning of the "French revolution". This event is indeed a significant milestone of the
modern world. It was an emergence of French people who dare to fight for their freedom and
equality even though the oppositions were the sacred monarchy, holy religion and the centuries–old
social system. The period of the event was from 1789 to 1799. Up to now, what was the origin of the
French revolution remains ambiguous. Nevertheless, many historians tried to wrap up the causes of
the incident into four aspects; the absolute monarchy, the enlightenment, the social inequality, and
economic problems.
During the eighteenth century, France was ruled by the monarchy, which had absolute power and
was believed to be the representative of God. In the reign of King Louis the XVI, the royal family
was resented by the citizens because of their extravagant and luxurious lifestyle in the midst of
economic crisis. Moreover, the widespread of enlightenment ideal, which its principle goals were
reasons, justices, rights, and freedom,...show more content...
People in France were divided into three classes, which were also known as "the three estates".
The first estate was the clergy, which are the priests in churches. The second estate was the nobility,
consisted of wealthy people and the royal family. And the third estate was the commoner, from
farmers to middle class business people. This estate was the majority of French people and made up
98 percent of the whole country's population. The clergy and the nobility had tax exemption, but the
commoner was the only estate that had to pay for taxes. The inequality between classes sparked the
anger of the third estate, who later became the leading group in French

Causes Of French Revolution Essay

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Causes Of French Revolution Essay