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Using Primary And Secondary Sources To Analyze The Cause Of The French Revolution

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the father or The French Revolution said, “I think it impossible that the great monarchies of Europe can last much longer.” The French Revolution was a powerful period of social and political turmoil in france that lasted ten years, from 1789 to 1799. The Revolution was encouraged by liberal and radical ideas, which greatly transformed the course of modern history. It provoked decline of absolute monarchy and converted to republic and democracies. To analyze the cause of the French Revolution, this essay will use primary and secondary sources to evaluate the political atmosphere, the state of the economy, and the key events that occurred during the Revolution. During the eighteenth century France called themselves the “Representatives of God”. They were under absolute monarchy. The French Monarchs enjoyed unlimited power. They arrested and imprisoned anyone at any time. Unfortunately, after Louis XVI ascended the throne the economic condition of France became frail. Louis XVI was greatly influenced by his wife, the …show more content…

They decided to establish limits to the King’s authority. The King could have Veto power, but the National Assembly could override his veto. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were astounded by this; They decided to leave France and go to Austria. Their attempt to flee came to an end when they were recognized a few miles from the border; They were forced to go back. On September 30th 1791, the long anticipated constitution finally came into effect. France was announced a constitutional monarchy and the National Assembly was rendered and replaced by a new political body called the Legislative Assembly. It was agreed earlier that members of the the National Assembly would be elected to the new legislative body. When election time came, no members from the National Assembly were elected, therefore the Legislative Assembly was composed of various political

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The government was known to be corrupt and there was a major gap in wealth. While the monarchy and nobility were very well off, lower classes were taxed highly and starving, and the country was close to bankruptcy. The king, Louis XVI, was becoming extremely unpopular, due to his extravagant spending and lack of contact with the public. People were becoming more and more discontent with the way the country was being run – people wanted change.

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The country was in an economic depression as I mentioned before, mostly from the American War which skyrocketed France’s debt by more than half (Doc E). Prices and taxes rose on the third estate. The income was 471.6 million livers while Louis spent 633.1 million livers. He put 261.1 livers into interest on debt but because he was spending so much on war and court luxuries the country only went into more debt (Doc K). The French budget was on the verge of collapse, unemployment was rising, and there were food shortages.

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France was already in a financial debt crisis and he attempted to solve this by recklessly forcing increased tax rates on the Third Estate. Meanwhile, he and his wife Marie Antoinette continued spending money on themselves. A famous scholar named Montesquieu said, “To be great, one has to stand with people, not above them” (Doc 5). This quote expresses that, a remarkable ruler, must consider the input of others which closely resembles a democracy. It aligns with the ideas of the Enlightenment

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The French Revolution was a major event in history that impacted and changed the course of the world today, and most famous for the executions of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. It helped introduce modern civilization to multiple ideologies such as socialism, liberalism, and even patriotism, as well as reforming the government. With all these great advancements, there’s a pondering question left by many asking what happened to cause this revolution. There were many factors that led up the French Revolution, but one of the many significant causes was the king of France himself. According to the Sixth Document, Causes of the French Revolution, It was said that Louis XVI’s lack of leadership skills made him an ineffective ruler.

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The Causes and Effects of The French Revolution “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in shackles.” -Jean Jacques Rousseau Imagine being a peasant of the third estate in the French Revolution era. How would you feel being taxed a lot more than the others estates, just because of some “title”? Or being treated unfair because you couldn’t read well, or you weren’t wealthy enough? Well, that’s what life was like for the peasants.

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Louis XIV, the Sun King, ruled as “God’s representative in the political affairs” of France and as a result, he “made France the strongest country in Europe” (Palmer 145). Politically, Louis improved the unity and discipline of the army and sought to expand the borders of France. Taxation was always a problem, however, he depended on his minister, Colbert, to advance France economically through his Commercial Code and Five Great Farms. Religious toleration of the Huguenots in France decreased because Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes, which gave civil rights and the ability to worship in the southern towns to French Calvinists. Socially, France was made of three estates, which included the clergy, nobility, and the rest of France, as well as the Versailles nobles.

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The French Revolution was caused by the French government’s inability to unite their people as one nation and address the people’s demand for reformation of unjust taxation and citizen equality causing uprisings and revolts among middle and lower class people. The French government was already unstable after their assistance in the United States with their fight for independence, which put France in tremendous debt. Since the nobles and the clergymen were favored by the government, taxes were forced upon the Third Estate resulting in even more unrest. All citizens were not equal under the law, and the government was too occupied by their financial situation to focus on fixing the inequality and lack of representation among their own citizens.

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Many different things caused the French Revolution of 1789-1799, ranging from social injustices to an economic crisis. In France during this time, the middle class and peasantry were combined into a single estate, causing many people in the middle class to become angry about their lack of rights. The French state was deeply in debt because of King Louis XVI’s extravagant spending, and it relied on the peasants to pay all of the taxes. This led to the frustration of peasants at the unjust taxes, many of whom could not afford to pay their dues. Finally, the Enlightenment, a time where many new ideas about human rights surfaced, had a great impact on the French people and their idea of government.

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At one point, the throne was held by Louis XVI. During his reign, the people of France where in great despair. The people were hungry and poor. Louis XVI was not taking care of them and their society. It got to the point where the people could not stand it anymore and reta;oated.

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After overthrowing the out-of-touch monarchy, the French Revolution brought a representative government with the ideas of liberty and the general will at its core. Ignored, mistreated, and exploited, the French people finally reached their breaking point. Following the monarchy’s abolition, they sought to establish a new political system. Their new government would value liberty, equality, and the general will. In September 1792, France was declared a Republic, and the new French Republic was founded upon the ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the

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They also seized lands of nobles and abolished titles of nobility. In September of 1792 the king was put on trial for being a traitor to France and later killed in Paris in January of 1793. The queen was also killed in October of the same

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During the reign of Louis (1643-1715), France was under the rule of an absolutist monarchy, the power of king and nobility was the basis of this regime, but in reality the state was in a Very precarious economic situation, Which was aggravated

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King Louis XVI, who was the ruler at the time, was a main contributor to these problems that led France to its downfall. The country had a massive lack of resources and food, which led King Louis XVI to borrow more money than he could afford, thus putting the country in immense debt. Despite the very visible crisis overthrowing the country, the king was incapable of accepting his mistakes and refused to change his ways. He maintained the unjust voting system, known as the Estates-General, and worsened the taxing system in order to pay off his debts. The people, especially those of the Third Estate, were clearly angry and dissatisfied with the state of the country, which led them seek out a movement for what was right.

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The French revolution and human nature A review of the literature Name School  Abstract The French revolution was a time of great change in France. It was sparked by rebellion and necessity for change.

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Even some historians argue that, in the absence of the economic failure, the French Revolution would not happen. Although France was one of the strongest states in Europe, it had an immense economic crisis. After the death of French king- Louis XIV in 1715, the state was in the trap of massive debts. Additionally, next kings- Louis XV and Louis XVI not only had to try to fix economic problems, but also fight to keep the control of the massive lands that France owned. So, each war was making French economy weaker in the 18th century and economic crisis was getting deeper.

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