Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Causes of the french revolution doc
Causes of the french revolution doc
European age of enlightenment
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Causes of the french revolution doc
ood, death, guillotine, reign of terror, loss of lives, and economic decline - this was the French revolution, which is summarized in this quote that states, “Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!” - A Tale of Two Cities Quotes by Charles Dickens. The ideas of enlightenment changed France in an outrageous way, which the people didn’t know back then that it was the enlightenment, they knew that they were being used and that they should think for themselves and not care about anyone. The enlightenment reoriented the European politics, philosophy, and ideas into this new movement known as the age of reasoning or the enlightenment. The enlightenment precursors were the Englishmen Francis Bacon …show more content…
I believe this first aim was successfully achieved. This aim was successful because it ended the social structure and monarchy of king Louis XVI. Also, the middle class now have the right of education and many of them have different talents and abilities. Source (F) states that, “The French revolution destroyed the social discriminative class system in France and declared equality for all.” According to EFFECTS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION ON FRANCE. (n.d.). This shows that the french revolution ended the social structure and the class system, which also led to the rise of the middle class and gave them a bigger opportunity to attend more jobs with promotions based on their ability and have more responsibilities and rights. France today has wiped out mostly all of the social inequality and everyone follows the law equally. There was a decline in feudalism, which is a system based on where you were born in the society. Also source (E) states, “Although it did not solve class inequalities, the French Revolution led to the emergence of the middle class.” According to Effects of the French Revolution. (n.d.). If we’re comparing the two source, source shows that the emergence of the middle class in extent decreased social inequality and that the poor people now are better than before. The social inequality now increased and all men are treated equally. Another source (G) states that, “They paid the taxes like Taille, Tithe and Gable.” According to Causes of French Revolution: Political, Social and Economic Causes. (2015, August 08). This proves that the third estate (lower class) payed all the taxes, the first and second estate (clergies and nobles) did not pay any taxes and kept their hands off. The poor paid one tenth of their money and were played by the other two classes. Now, in modern day France, all men are treated equally and everyone pays from the highest to the lowest
The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble, the common people were heavily taxed, leaving many of them in poverty.
The French wanted to bring equality to all classes. The French revolution brought much more social change than the American revolution. Inspired by Lafayette’s declaration that, “no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” (de Lafayette 783), the class system was destroyed. The revolutionaries were open to ending slavery, however women remained marginalized within the social structure of France. Similarly to the American revolution, the enlightenment ideas that drove the French revolution were not applied to society as a whole.
The social condition in France before the French Revolution was very poor. The society was divided into three estates: first estate, second estate, and third Estate. The first and the second estates were made up of the Clergy
Throughout the course of the French Revolution the citizens of France have influenced political change often through violent means, as well as many rulers showed the strongest and weakest points that have provoked the changes. The ideas from the French Revolution had an effect on the political situation of the country as the monarchy was abolished. This then led to a shift of focus from social classes to social equality. Finally with the fall of the old government, the people of the nation were given more rights, as well as power. The French Revolution stirred the politics of France in the right direction through positive change.
The treatment of the "majority", which was the lower class, had a significant role in each of these revolutions. The French revolution was considered, "the great revolution of the eighteenth century" (McKay, 705) and is a perfect example of how the "majority" was treated. Out of twenty-five million people, 100,000 were the clergy, 400,000 were noblemen (McKay, 705) and the "majority" of the population was known as the third estate. These people were forced to starve while Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived in the lap of luxury. For an example, the price of a loaf of bread was so high, that only the rich could afford it.
One cause of both Revolutions was that people from all social classes were discontented. Each social class in France had its own reasons for wanting a change in government. The aristocracy was upset by the king’s power while the Bourgeoisie was upset by the privileges of the aristocracy. The peasants and urban workers were upset by their burdensome existence. The rigid, unjust social structure meant that citizens were looking for change because “all social classes…had become uncomfortable and unhappy with the status quo.” (Nardo, 13) Many believed that a more just system was long overdue in France.
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 evokes many different emotions and controversial issues in that some believe it was worth the cost and some don't. There is no doubt that the French Revolution did have major significance in history. Not only did the French gain their independence, but an industrial revolution also took place. One of the main issues of the Revolution was it's human costs. Two writers, the first, Peter Kropotkin who was a Russian prince, and the other Simon Schama, a history professor, both had very opposing views on whether the wars fought by France during the Revolution were worth it's human costs. Krapotkin believed that the French Revolution was the main turning point for not only France but for most other countries as well. On the other hand, Schama viewed the French Revolution as unproductive and excessively violent.
The French Revolution brought about philosophical and political changes that promoted the growth of a new society.
Prior to the revolution, King Louis XVI was at the top of the ancien régime, the social, economic, and political structure in France, which means he had absolute power. When he received the throne in 1774, it came along with insoluble problems. The people were split into three estates which divided social class. The first estate consisted of 100,000 tax exempt nobles who owned 20% of the land. The second estate consisted of the 300,000 tax exempt clergy who owned 10% of the land. The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6).
When the French Revolution began, the citizens of France knew they wanted to be treated as human beings just as the upper class was treated. However, they didn't know how to get there. First thinking it was primarily economical, the National Assembly abolished both manorialism and feudalism and allowed their citizens to recklessly tear down the feudalistic estates. France also took measures to establish new political and economical systems to replace manorialism and feudalism– capitalism and a constitutional monarchy. However, after realizing they solved almost nothing, the French government realized it wasn't having manorialism and feudalism themselves, but actually the relationship between the serfs and the lords that created the abuse they wanted to abolish.
The social differences in France were very unreasonable. People openly argued that “social differences should not be defined by law, as they were in the old regimes order” (2). In France, much of the inequality came from the social class system. It led to angry peasants and tons of revolting. This could have been avoided if France maintained equality for all estates, as it would have been rational. In addition, the clergy and nobles were given many rights which “included top jobs in government, the army, the courts, and the Church” (109). This was very biased as they were able to get the highest jobs, not because they earned it, but because of their social stature. Meanwhile, commoners or bourgeoisie, were not granted those jobs even if they had the ability to do them. This caused much of the third estate to become mad which led to uncivilized manner in France. If the government had just given equal rights and granted jobs by merit opposed to social class rankings, there would have been less drama between the estates and everything would have been
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 abolished absolute monarchy, feudal privileges, and serfdom, removed the estates, and established equal liability to taxation. The revolution also began reforms in the fields of education and law. How can anyone say that the revolution proved detrimental to France? The other intangible results of the revolution were embodied in its ideals, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," which became the platform of liberal, democratic reforms in France and Europe in the 19th century.
...s on who should have power. Rebellions broke out across France and turned the nation against itself. The major revolutionary revolt was The Storming of Bastille. The third estate demanded for a republic. King Louis was killed, along with his wife Marie Antoinette to pursue the ideas of changing society. Maximilien Robespierre ordered their deaths by the violent and horrific machine, the guillotine. He was also killed shortly after, but provided the Jacobins a leader in his efforts to overthrow the monarchy. Napoleon was the last to save the revolution as it came to a close. The French Revolution has changed history and the lives of everyone in France up to today. Many people sacrificed themselves to change the country for others today. This revolution was life changing and inspired many others around the world to stand up for their beliefs and fight for a democracy.