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Long Term Causes Of The French Revolution Essay

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'The American War of Independence was the most significant long-term cause of the French Revolution.' How far to you agree?

There are many long-term causes which led to the French Revolution in the end - the American War of Independence, the Ancien Regime, the Enlightenment, the three Estates, and the list goes on. There isn’t a definitive answer to the question of what was the most significant, but it is true that the American War of Independence caused, or certainly helped other long-term causes to the French Revolution.

The American War of Independence had many of the French soldiers come back to their homeland carrying new ideas with them. They helped in leading the Age of Enlightenment where they challenged and questioned a whole range of beliefs, which, at that time, were …show more content…

With the French soldiers starting the Age of Enlightenment, the people in the third Estate started to wonder why they had to pay all the tax, why the royal family used up all their money in paying for luxuries such as dresses and fashion. Also, the people in the third Estate were granted no privileges, and this angered the peasants - they paid the largest amount of money, and they also took up 85% of the whole population. Why did they have to be treated so poorly? This problem was important, but it wasn’t the key as it was triggered by the Enlightenment and the American Revolution.

The Enlightenment was mainly introduced to the people by the French soldiers who came back from America. The people started to question everything: why did they have to pay all the tax? Why were they being granted no privileges? Such questions made French society and the Ancien regime seem extremely unfair. The people started to complain, calling our for “liberty, equality, fraternity.” Thanks to the American War of Independence, France reached an Age of Enlightenment where they wanted a change in

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