What Caused The French Revolution Dbq Analysis

566 Words3 Pages

There were many causes of the French Revolution. People were unhappy with the current political, social, and economic condition and sought after change. Enlightenment philosophers brought new ideas and views of government. The Revolution affected mostly the middle class and higher estates. There was a great social aspect that caused the French Revolution.The three estates were unequally balanced. As shown in Document 2, the Third Estate was 97 percent of the people. The third estate dealt with the most hardships because they were not wealthy and had little say in government. The other two estates were happy with the government because they had everything good for them. The first and second estates payed little to no taxes, collected dues, and held the highest position in the army and government. Also, they owned a lot of land. The third estate included the middle class which was made up of wealthy and educated people. The rest of the third estate was mainly made up of peasants. According to Document 3, the third estate demanded, “That the taille be borne equally by all classes”. The third estate paid heavy taxes and rent. In contrast, the first two estates …show more content…

The rulers had absolute power over the people, declaring themselves the representatives of God. The king wouldn’t call meetings of the Estates General. Therefore, the people ordered that “The meetings of the Estates General shall be scheduled for definite times”(Doc 3). The rulers were commonly corrupt. Louis XVI was a king who was slow-witted, sleepy, and not in the best interest of the people. Most political decisions were taken by the king that the French population had no say in. Also, the Enlightenment philosophers spread ideas for change. These critics of society shared ideas against the church, government, taxes, etc. People all over began to learn about these ideas and became educated about the possible changes that could be