The Pros And Cons Of The French Revolution

France was one of the great powers in Europe during the eighteenth century, and to hold their power and wealth, the country fought many wars. While this action asserted France’s power, the wars had high expenditures. The most detrimental to France’s economy was the Seven Years War, which is exemplified by The Choices for the 21st Century Program’s “The French Revolution text” with the statement, “Not only did this car cost France many of its overseas colonies, it had cost nearly twice as much per year as the previous war” (13). In effect, France became financially troubled and wrote off their debt instead of paying it in full. During the reign of Louis XVI, the finance minister stopped setting grain prices and had no price control, which

starved the lower class physically and financially, leading to revolt towards the system known as the Flour War. Due to France fighting many wars, the repercussion of financial trouble followed shortly thereafter, and an additional negligence to set a price for grain put the country further under.
What negative and positive effects did France’s international policies have on the economic situation in France?
France supported the American Revolution to restore their national pride and wound Britain’s power. This became the country’s sole international affair in 1778 when they formed an alliance with the thirteen colonies. As a repercussion of this act, France had no funds to carry out further foreign policies, and the ideas of liberty and a representative government were spread across France, opposing Louis XVI’s reign. However, by sending the colonies weaponry from their arsenal as well as over five million livres (French currency), and sugar with custom duties, the French were able to create a positive image of their nation in America’s eyes, strengthening their alliance. Although the former was a positive effect of France’s involvement in the American Revolution, The Choices for the 21st Century Program demonstrates France’s dire need for money by stating, “The high cost of its foreign policy put the government of France under severe strain. It desperately needed more money” (“The French Revolution” 14); Thus exemplifying France’s impending bankrupt state purely for its national pride and bitterness towards Britain. The French’s exclusive focus on the American Revolution as an international affair gained a powerful alliance with the thirteen colonies, but ultimately left the country in further debt and in deeper financial crisis.
The Estates General had difficulty making progress towards resolving France's financial problems. Is this surprising?
The Estates General was a medieval French assembly which gave advice to the king, but since it had not met since 1614, was of hardly any use to improve France’s detrimental situation.

Furthermore, the segregation of the assembly’s members into their classes did not allow the largest and most oppressed class to have much say, and only further enforced the clergy and nobility’s power. However, Louis XVI, hearing the public opinion for more representation in the Third Estate, granted them double to the number of representatives as the First and Second Estate and a “list of grievances.” These lists, states The Choices for the 21st Century Program, “... Did not call for revolution. The most repeated themes were calls for fairness in taxation, a limit to the privileges of the nobility, and an end of tithes to the church” (“The French Revolution” 17). At the Estates General’s first meeting, it was apparent the groups would not improve France’s financial problems, as they all met separately and disagreed on matters of voting. Moreover, the first two estates refused to comply with the third, and when they finally did, all powers were so aggravated by the lack of progress and blinded by the interest of their party, no progress was made. The long-held and deep-rooted beliefs of the French proved to restrain the advancement of any policies, even when meeting as the National

Assembly.
Describe the contrasting moods in France in the weeks after the fall of the Bastille
A revolt from French citizens for more armament and weaponry as an effect of tense conditions lead to the fall of the Bastille, France’s most extensive arsenal and prison. From this came patriotism and a mood of hope for the revolution as well as for the king, who withdrew the foreign troops from Paris. On the other hand, peasants in the countryside began to have grain shortages and famine due to what they believed to be bandit’s, nobility's, or the British government’s plot. Regardless of the cause, they grew angry and fearful, destroying machinery and revolting. Thus, within the city the National Constituent Assembly, as stated by The Choices for the 21st Century Program, “Many shared a sense of optimism and hope for the future. But the task of constructing a new France would prove formidable” (“The French Revolution” 22), all while peasants in the countryside were distressed in their state of starvation and still worsening financial trouble. Following the fall of Bastille came the National Constituent Assembly’s movement towards a fair and all-inclusive government which instilled hope, yet France’s economic crisis still loomed overhead as a primary and worrisome problem to many.