French Revolution Middle Class

Learning about history is critical because it allows individuals to understand why certain events happened and how they can learn from these events. When one studies the French Revolution, he or she is able to learn what happens when a portion of society remains oppressed and neglected by their government over an extensive period of time. In France, the middle class grew tremendously between the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XVI, but both kings seemed to want nothing to do with the middle class. In addition, Louis XVI continued to exclude the middle class from political power and chose to “defend privileges of the clergy and nobility” (Neal 129). While the middle and lower classes received little attention from the government, the nobility

On July 14, 1789, the build up of these events lead the middle class to storm the Bastille and release the seven prisoners; this marked the beginning of the French Revolution and “the symbolic end of the ancient regime” (Neal 131). The revolution continued until 1799, and approximately 40,000 people were executed during the “Reign of Terror” (The Reign of Terror). In today’s society, several groups of society are still marginalized and feel oppressed by the government. In the case of the French government, oppressed individuals ended up overthrowing the government since the monarchy would not improve their living situation. While it is idealistic to think a government can solve all of a society’s problems, individuals feel encouraged and hopeful when governing bodies make decisions to better their quality of life. In other words, we have history to prove that oppressed individuals will revolt over time if their living situations do not improve and continue to decrease in