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
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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 The middle class made gains that would never be rescinded, but do revolutions always end in tyranny?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
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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
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Causes of French Revolution Essay
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
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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 Get
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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, theFrench Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals, particularly the concepts of popular sovereignty and inalienable rights.
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*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
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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
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Causes of the French Revolution Essay
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)
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DBQ Essay: Causes Of The
French Revolution
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
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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 theFrench 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 Get more content
Causes of the French Revolution Essay
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 Get more content
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 theFrench 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
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