Ap Euro Dbq French Revolution

The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform. Taxes, which is still a commonly disagreed topic, were a major reason the people of France revolted. The members of the first estate were paying only a fraction of what the members of the third and event the second were. Arthur Young, a man who travelled through France from 1787 to 1789, made the observation that land owned by nobility and people of the upper class was taxed very little compared to the land owned by common citizens (Doc. 1). This injustice took a great toll on members of the third estate and

The substantial taxation, discrimination, and overall unjust treatment of the less fortunate was too much to just be ignored. The French citizens held riots and even stormed a famous fortress in revolt. It was suggested that the Declaration of American Independence inspired the people of France. When the American citizens broke away from England because of a disagreement with how things were being ran, it served as an example to the third estate of what could be (Doc. 5). No change taking place in society really lit a fire within French citizens.
Overall, the French Revolution occured because of horrendous treatment of the third estate. Unfair taxation, an obvious bias towards the upper classes, and an inadequacy of change for the better was what caused it to happen. Unfortunately, a vast amount of lives were lost to this hopeless