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The french revolution detailed essay
Causes of the French Revolution
Causes of the French Revolution
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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, France further experienced a drastic change in terms of society as well as finance, leading to the mark of a new beginning- The French Revolution. Due to a hierarchical system in France, a vast opposition by the nobility and the commoners grew regarding the old order, which led to take an action against the monarchical regime. As a result of a faster growth in consumer prices over wages, the next scenario was the economic fall of society that included taxes, food shortages and unemployment rates. As the necessity for a rebellion became crucial due to the lack of privilege towards the commoners, with the financial collapse of the French society, coupled with the lasting impact of the philosophes, the main causes of the French Revolution were the unequal hierarchy of the estate system, the growing economic crises, and the ideologies of the Enlightenment. One of the main causes of the Revolution was the issue of the estate system in conflict with the desires of the social groups (i.e. nobility and th... ... middle of paper ... ...gainst the British monarchy in 1776, it encouraged ideas, such as taking arms against a tyrannical action, as well as inalienable liberties for all (i.e. John Locke). These ideas, as well as many others proved to have an everlasting impact on the cause of the French Revolution. Contributing to the final outcome, many diverse factors played significant parts. The highly conflicted estate system combined with the unfortunate financial outcomes of a weak monarch producing an imbalanced society with constant bickering. As the manufacturing depression compiled with the enlightenment, the revolutionary action was ignited. Finally, when a financial reform did take place, due to the nobility’s refusal to corporate led to an even larger financial disaster. As all of these factors came together, the end-result was The French Revolution.
In 1685 there sparked a new age in Europe, the Enlightenment. During this time enlightened thinkers brought forth enhanced ideas of equality. Men, woman, rich, poor, monarchy, or peasant, everyone should have equal rights. In 1789 France was especially influenced by the new ideals. The french realized that they were still following the social ladder of the feudal system. They could not buy bread because of the raised prices, but the Monarchy was eating a feast for every meal. They had no say in what happened to their government, and their inadequate king kept making poor decisions. You might even say they took the enlightenment to the next level and started a revolution based on equality. Although the french were fighting for freedom (like the enlightened thinkers), they were not using reason or tolerance, two key elements of the Enlightenment.
In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy social inequality. This oppression of the Third Estate along with the financial problems that fell on the common people would lead to the French Revolution. Overall, the people of France revolted against the monarchy because of the unsuccessful estate system and the inequality it led to, because of the new enlightenment ideas that inspired them, and because of the failures of the monarchy. First, the French Revolution was a result of the failed estate system and the extreme economic and social inequality it led to.
The dissatisfaction of the nobles and the clergy was another reason why the radical stage occurred. Nobles and clergy were mad because the lost their privileges. Before the revolution, the first two estates enjoyed tax exemptions while the third estate paid for everything. Politically, the first two estates had much more power than they should have had based on their numbers. In the Estates General, each estate was represented equally. This was true even
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 three main contributory factors that I am going to focus on are the aristocracy, rising debt levels and inequality amongst the people of France. The role that King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette had before and during the revolution was a key factor in starting the revolution. His attitude towards his role as king was poor. He was shy, indecisive and disinterested in politics from a very early age and this continued throughout his reign. During the years leading up to the revolution, France was in massive debt after the Seven Years War. Combined with this, there was a famine which increased the price of bread and brought a lot of the country to the brink of starvation (Kinser, 1999). Louis and Marie Antoinette's eating habits did not help reassure the French people of Louis' competency as a ruler. They gorged themselves on fine cuisine as their people starved all around the country (Cavallaro, 2001).
In the late 16th century through the end of the 17th century, France was afflicted by religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. These feuds would originally turn the French monarchy into something irreversible. The power of the nobility in France started to cause a threat to the monarch. The monarchs over the next half-century sided with either the Protestants or the Catholics in order to keep their own political security and the peace in France. Eventually, these wars would come to an end. The Enlightenment grew as an addition of the Scientific Revolution; during the Scientific Revolution, Europeans discarded traditional morals and began using rationale and actuality to explain the world around them. While the Scientific Revolution focused on the physical world, the Enlightenment attempted to explain the purpose of regulation,
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.
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
The French Revolution can be seen as a beginning of new age. It was a disastrous event that changed the history. French Revolution went through a different steps and each event was influential moment. This huge movement started in 1789 and affected on various European countries and North America. The debate about the causes of the French Revolution will never ends. There are numbers of reasons why it has different interpretations. First reason is evidence, historical evidence sometimes has conflicts and it is snippy. Second reason is historian way of exploring the evidence; some do it through writings and others through paintings and sculptures. Last and important reason of debate about the causes of the French Revolution is political, economic
The French Revolution was caused by inherent problems within France like the social inequality, inefficient monarchy and the financial crisis and was fueled by the Enlightenment ideas. Perhaps it could have been entirely avoided if the monarchy worked harder to reform the country before it was too late or perhaps this would have just postponed the revolution. Either way, it is undeniable that the French Revolution had far-reaching effects. It inspired later revolutions and gave birth to a host of new ideas about an individual’s rights and a country’s obligations to its citizens.
The unfair ways of how common people were treated compared to royalty and nobility formed the ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity, leading to the French Revolution. Unfair taxes that were only directed to the commoners, high society positions that were only to be obtained by nobles, food scarcity that only affected the poor and the royals having power over all caused the c...
The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime. The people of France were divided into three estates. The first estate was composed of the highest church officials. They held about ten percent of all the land in France. They paid no direct taxes to the royal government. The second estate was made up of nobles. They were only two percent of France’s population, but owned twenty percent of the land. They paid no taxes (Krieger 483). The third estate accounted for ninety-eight percent of France’s population. The third estate was divided into three groups; the middle class, known as the bourgeoisie, the urban lower classes, and the peasant farmers. The third estate lost about half their income in taxes. They paid feudal dues, royal taxes, and also owed the corvee, a form of tax paid with work (Krieger 484).
The French Revolution was spread over the ten year period between 1789 and 1799. The primary cause of the revolution was the disputes over the peoples' differing ideas of reform. Before the beginning of the Revolution, only moderate reforms were wanted by the people. An example of why they wanted this was because of king Louis XIV's actions. At the end of the seventeenth century, King Louis XIV's wars began decreasing the royal finances dramatically. This worsened during the eighteenth century. The use of the money by Louis XIV angered the people and they wanted a new system of government. The writings of the philosophes such as Voltaire and Diderot, were critical of the government.
The French Revolution had many causes. Before the French Revolution in 1789 the third estate had been taxed heavily, living in poverty, and dealing with starvation while the King and Queen remained ignorant about how they lived. The social issues and poor economy had led to the French Revolution. The ideas spreading, the influence of the American revolution, and the overpopulation of the third estate were main social causes while the main economic causes were the queen over-spending, and the heavy taxes on the people.
The French Revolution, which occurred from 1789 to 1799, was a time where the monarchy was overthrown, a republic was formed, and limits were put on the church. The French Revolution ended with the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. The French Revolution created France’s legislative assembly, which is still in place today. Many would argue that the Enlightment was a cause of the French Revolution, but the Enlightment was not one of the main drivers for the Revolution. The bad living conditions, France’s monarchy, and the involvement in the American Revolution and other wars caused the French Revolution.