French Revolution Dbq Essay

The French Revolution was a transformative period inspired by the American Revolution that prompted a chaotic era in pursuit of equality and freedom. Although these beliefs greatly motivated the Third Estate, this uprising could not have occurred immediately. As the Third Estate grew increasingly discontent, they demanded liberation from their inferior social statuses because of the suffering it subjected them to (Doc 1, Doc 3, Doc 8). However, the powerful First and Second Estates refused to relinquish control and the luxurious lives that came with it (Doc 2, Doc 7). Unsatisfaction aroused as result of oppressive taxes, financially depressing and starved lives people lead, and the lack governmental representation the Third Estate endured

In a diagram from 1789, it shows that the First and Second Estates made up only a small percentage of the population, yet they owned ten times that amount in land, and paid no taxes. Meanwhile, the majority of the population, made up by the Third Estate, were taxed profusely and owned little land in comparison (Doc 2). The inequality between the estates and the extent to which the Third Estate was abused because of their social status was clear . This is portrayed in an illustration where the Third Estate was trampled by the taxes forced upon them by their social superiors (Doc 7). They were in no state to pay taxes or tithes to the church, and this mandatory tariff left little money for their own needs. They had no opportunities to get decent jobs because this right was reserved for nobles, leaving an even smaller income for the Third Estate. Hatred against the unfair social structure and the taxes that resulted from it caused people to rebel similar to the American Revolution. The colonists of America were taxed unfairly, and their anger turned into a revolution. The American Revolution occurred prior to the French Revolution, and their act of bravery in seeking justice inspired the Third Estate’s own actions against

As the nation’s economic condition worsened, the First and Second Estates continued to live lavishly, oblivious to the hardships of the world, while the Third Estate received the brunt of it all. King Louis XVI was incompetent, and he did nothing to alleviate their difficulties. Wars, the king’s court life, and Marie Antoinette’s deficit spending all contributed to the increasing debt of the nation; furthermore, half of the royal budget went to interest, so both the commoners and king’s budget exceeded what they could afford. To make matters worse, peasants had fees and services owed back all the way from feudal times. So as the Third Estate fell into destitution and royal spending increased, the price of goods rose. In an excerpt by Arthur Young, he described the severity of the peasant’s poverty. The harvest that year had been especially tragic, and the lack of grain meant increasing the price of the French’s main source of food-- bread. Prices rose above what they could pay, which led to constant riots that caused great misery (Doc 1). As the lives of the Third Estate grew poorer, they saw that the king gave substantial monetary aid for the Patriots in their revolution. Instead of relieving the Third Estate, his own people, of their suffering, he provided money for foreign, unstable nations to revolt. The Third Estate acts against their