What Caused The French Revolution Dbq

817 Words4 Pages

The French Revolution was one of the most significant wars that changed France’s history. The Revolution started in 1789 and ended in 1799 and was mainly initiated by the conditions affecting the Third Estate. Louis XVI was predominately the king during this time period but little did he know that an uprising among the peasants was happening. The French Revolution was caused by the Enlightenment ideas because of the American Revolution, the knowledge of rights, and the questioning of France’s government. The American Revolution was basically the “fire” that ignited the change the Third Estate wanted to see in their country. The French people’s knowledge of their rights led them to believe that it is possible to achieve fairness and be respected in their own province. And lastly, the idea of questioning France’s government had peasants discover that their king barely even cared about their well-being and restricted them of representation. …show more content…

With the help of France, the Americans finally won their independence from Great Britain. In a picture, it shows the American Revolution when “France sent an estimated 12,000 soldiers and 32,000 sailors to the American war effort” (Document 4). By participating in the American Revolution, France was impacted by Enlightenment ideas because it illustrated how the men in America had much better rights and were treated fairly. In addition, the Revolution was possibly started by just 1 signed piece of paper. While discussing what caused the Revolution, Sir John Dalberg-Acton believed that “the spark that changed the thought into action was supplied by the Declaration of American Independence…” (Document 5). The fact that another country could have all this freedom and representation drove the peasants thinking that they can deserve this as

Open Document