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Political economic and social causes of the french revolution
Political economic and social causes of the french revolution
Compare and contrast the causes and effects of the american and french revolution
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orical Analysis of Causality, Changes, and the Effects of the French Revolution
In history, there has been many revolutions. Most revolutions lead to another, they often occur in sequence. An example of a revolution that led to another is the Seven Years war also known as the French and Indian war. This war or revolution as I like to say led to the American Revolution, which later on led the French Revolution. The seven years’ war and American Revolution played a big role in the development of the French revolution. The primary cause of the French Revolution was the growing concern over the absolute power of the monarchy that excluded the middle and lower classes from have a say in the government. Louis XVI was the absolute monarch during the early stages of the revolution, which served as a catalyst for extreme governmental neglect, starvation, and abuse of the lower and middle classes during the 1780s. More so, an increased interest in liberal Enlightenment principles, the American
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In the 1780s, the rise of the French middle classes provided a major counterpoint to the total dominance of the King, which was powered by enlightenment principles, as well as the success of the American Revolution. Representational government was a huge factor in the rise of revolutionary spirit, since many members of the middle classes were not allowed to vote or speak out their views on political, economic, and legal matters. Political activism on part of the middle classes (and some members of the upper classes) led diplomatic and political methods to coerce the King to allow them greater participation in government. Abbes Sieyes was a member of the Third Estate, a political group that sought representational government for the people, instead of merely serving the First Estate (The Clergy” and the Second Estate (The
There were many reasons and events that led to the American Revolution, but it really all boils down to England being selfish. They wanted to make as much money as they possibly could off the new colonies, feeling a sense of entitlement, as they had provided funds and supplies to the settlers to make the trip in the first place. The British Parliament enacted laws and taxes that affected the economies and the lives of those in the new colonies, but for the benefit of England. The new Americans were not given the same rights under the Parliament as the British people, nor did they have a say in what the Parliamentary decisions. At one point the colonist had enough and began to protest and fight back, leading them down the American Road to Revolution. The Americans no longer wanted to be under Britain’s thumb, and looking for solutions, and knowledge to change that. This led them to a series of actions that began the American Revolution.
The American Revolution and French Revolution were two long lasting uprisings that had great value to those battling for their rights and want they wanted to change. Yet there are a few distinctions details set them apart in a small way. The Americans wanted a change in their government, but the French wanted a huge change in everything including their government, religion, social structure (whereas American’s social system stayed the same) and economy. Other than the few differences they had, they two Revolutions were much alike, basically twin revolutions.
Historian Albert Mathiez states that “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.” The middle class were not able to have a class on their own; they were still considered peasants. In the illustration it showed how much people and land each estate held, the Clergy was one percent of the population which owned ten percent of the land. Nobles were two percent of the people that owned thirty-five percent of the land. The middle class, peasants, and city workers were ninety-seven of the people owned fifty-five percent of the land. This means that if the third estate were to riot, this would cause havoc. There was a lot during that time; the website Macrohistory and World Timeline shows that “The population of France had grown to between 24 and 26 million, up from 19 million in 1700 without a concomitant growth in food production. Farmers around Paris consumed over 80 percent of what they grew, so if a harvest fell by around 10 percent, which was common, people went hungry. There was insufficient government planning and storage of grain for emergency shortages”. If there were approximately 26 million people, there would be 25,220,000 people in the third estate, 520,000 people in the second estate, and 260,000
The American and the French revolutions had many similarities and differences. One similarity being is that they both wanted to escape the rule of their King. Second, they both started by an uprising of people against unfair taxation by the monarchy. The French peasants were not represented by the Parliament. It was mainly composed of middle and upper class people. Now, the American colonists were not represented in England because of their lack of presence. Both wanted to set up a Republic, which provided liberty and justice to all classes of citizens. Just like France, the American colonists were composed up mainly middle and lower class citizens. The American Revolution started out by not wanting bloodshed and violence. France started out with violence and bloodshed. (American Revolution)
Some people like Emmanuel Sieyès, middle-class writer who was taken by the Enlightenment ideas, believed that all of French Society lay on the backs of the third estate. On the contrary, Robespierre, the monarch at the time, believed that the third estate did not have the power to do anything important to society. The third estate had to pay taxes like the Gabelle and Taille while the first and seconds estates did not have to pay any taxes to the king. Also, the third estates had less of a representation in voting. The first and second estate could outvote the third estate every time and this was a huge inequality. The condition of the third estate was horrible but a good portion of this third estate was the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie had some wealth and social class, so they influenced the rest of the third estate about their rights, while also inspiring some lower clergies and provincial nobles and thus led to a group of rebellious people to fight the monarchy. This fight for political representation and political rights was only one cause of the French Revolution. Another causes lies in the French Monarchs: Louis XlV, Louis XV, and Louis XVl. When Louis XlV was ruling, the monarchy had unlimited power and was known as a
The American Revolution began due to problems within the British economy. The most prevalent issue of the time was "taxation without representation". Unlike the leaders of America, the leaders of the French did not turn out to be as positive for the country. In fact, some of these leaders have caused much more harm than good.
The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Cause of the French Revolution The essential cause of the French revolution was the collision between a powerful, rising bourgeoisie and an entrenched aristocracy defending its privileges”. This statement is very accurate, to some extent. Although the collision between the two groups was probably the main cause of the revolution, there were two other things that also contributed to the insanity during the French revolution – the debt that France was in as well as the famine. Therefore, it was the juxtaposing of the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy as well as the debt and famine France was in that influenced the French Revolution. Many people were making a case for a new concept of society, in which commoners, especially the educated middle classes (bourgeoisie), had.
Causes of the French Revolution On July 14, 1789, several starving working people of Paris and sixty soldiers seized control of the Bastille, forever changing the course of French history. The seizing of the Bastille wasn’t caused by one event, but several underlying causes such as the Old Regime, the raising of taxes, the American revolution, and the idea and beliefs of the philosophers. The immediate causes of the revolution were the rising price of bread and the locking of the third estate out of its meeting hall. Finally, the spark was the ordering of the Swiss guards to Paris by Louis the XVI. The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime.
The French Revolution has many successes and many failures. Failures such as The Reign of Terror which was run by Maximilian Robespierre. Also, successes such as giving citizens a taste of liberty, equality, and power. This topic is important because it shows how if one place can accomplish one thing [America], it can influence and motivate other places [France] to want a revolution and want to be equal. They failed in a matter that they could not get rid of a monarch because they got an emperor right after. They succeeded in which they created a revolution and got what they wanted and became a republic.
Causes and Effects of the French Revolution The 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.
The meeting of these three estates was known as the Estates General. The estate with the most complaints for the King happened to be the Third Estate. Their grievances spanned across three main subcategories being justice, finances, and agriculture. However, at the beginning of the document there were a few grievances focused on gaining rights that should have been naturally in place. The first complaints focused on the delegates of the Third Estate, which are “equal by such status to all other citizens, [to] present themselves before the common father without other distinction which might degrade them” . Meaning the delegates for the Third Estate would be seen and treated just like the members of the First and Second Estates, not of lower class. This grievance was significant to Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès who was a delegate for and “identified with the third estate - that represented the common people of France” . Sieyès is one of the most important clergymen within the French Revolution as he fought intensively for the Third Estate to be finally recognized and treated fairly. In his pamphlet What is the Third Estate the most important quote states “the Third Estate embraces then all that which belongs to the nation; and all
The French Revolution started with the attack of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and ended in 1799. It is believed that the French Revolution occurred in response to political conflicts in the country between the Aristocrats and the Monarchy. One of the primary reasons for this conflict had to do with the reform of the state’s tax system, which inevitably led to the bankruptcy and paralysis of the government. Another cause of the French Revolution can be attributed to the West’s social structure. Various scholars have argued that the social antagonism that existed between the two rising social groups, the bourgeoisie, and the aristocrats, played an essential role in causing the French Revolution.
One of the most remarkable events of Modern History that has impacted the way we still live today in the twenty-first century is, without a doubt, the French Revolution. The causes that led to its explosion in 1789 are divided into two main categories: long-term causes and short-term causes. The long-term causes were the language and the new way of thinking that the Enlightenment generated throughout the eighteenth century. The French phrase liberté, égalité et fraternité, which remains the official motto of France to this day, stressed the concepts of liberty, equality before the law and fraternity which changed the way people looked at the world and cast the monarchy in a bad light in the citizenry's perspective.
Food was very scarce at this time. In correlation with the war a hailstorm had happened and this furthermore slowed down food production. Unlike the poor the rich we're still being feed and still had extra. The poor saw this and started a revolt fighting for equality and reform.