3 causes french revolution essay

This statement is very accurate, to some extent. Although the collision between the two groups was probably the main cause of the revolution, there were two other things that also contributed to the insanity during the French revolution — the debt that France was in as well as the famine. In fact, these variations are seen within our modern relationships, social structures, and political structures—a few of which are outlined above. In regards to the French Revolution, the misrepresentation felt among the Third Estate at the end of the 18th century was a factor of the outbreak of the Revolution.

Causes of French Revolution–Essay

There is significant disagreement among historians of the French Revolution as to its causes. Usually, they acknowledge the presence of several interlinked factors, but vary in the weight they attribute to each one. These factors include: cultural change, normally associated with the Enlightenment ; social change, often emphasised by Marxist historians; financial and economic difficulties; and the political actions of the involved parties.

Throughout the early modern period a class of wealthy middlemen who connected producers emerged; the bourgeois. These bourgeois played a fundamental role in the French economy, accounting for Given their powerful economic position, and their aspirations on a class-wide level, the bourgeois wanted to ascend through the social hierarchy which was formalised, as aforementioned, into the Estate system. This is reflected by cahiers submitted by members of the Third Estate in March to April those of Carcassonne demanded that Louis " assure to the third estate the influence to which it is entitled in view of This entryism was enabled by several factors, for example the poverty of many noble families meant that they married bourgeois families; the nobles gained bourgeois wealth, the bourgeois gained noble status.

Moreover, corruption was rife, with many bourgeois simply attaching the noble particle 'de' to their name, or assuming nonexistent titles. Investigations into this behaviour were stopped in Furthermore, many governmental offices and positions were sold to raise cash - the bourgeois bought these positions and hence were ennobled; by , 6, families had gained nobility through this method.

As such, there was significant social tension between the dominant classes at the time of the French Revolution. Furthermore, significant resentment was felt by the poorer members of the Third Estate industrial and rural labourers , largely due to vast increases in the cost of living.

This resulted in anger at the establishment, that is the aristocracy and the King, who were perceived as being to blame for the economic crisis. Beyond these relatively established facts regarding the social conditions surrounding the French Revolution, there is significant dissent among historians.

Marxist historians, such as Lefebvre and Soboul , see the social tensions described here as the main cause of the Revolution, as the Estates-General allowed them to manifest into tangible political action; the bourgeois and the lower classes were grouped into the Third Estate, allowing them to jointly oppose the establishment. There are two main points of view with regard to cultural change as a cause of the French Revolution; the direct influence of Enlightenment ideas on French citizens, meaning that they valued the ideas of liberty and equality discussed by Rousseau and Voltaire et al , or the indirect influence of the Enlightenment insofar as it created a " philosophical society ".

The Enlightenment ideas were particularly popularised by the influence of the American War of Independence on the soldiers who returned, and of Benjamin Franklin himself, who was a highly dynamic and engaging figure in the French court when he visited. Proponents of the Enlightenment being a major cause, or indeed the major cause, of the French Revolution usually assert that the Estates-General was an opportunity for these ideas to be expressed.

When the First and Second Estates, as well as the King, failed to respond to the Third Estates demands, they eschewed the authority of the King, resulting in the Tennis Court Oath and the subsequent development of the Revolution.

Furet, the foremost proponent of the 'philosophical society' nuance to this view, says that the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed in clubs and meetings " where rank and birth were second to As such, when the Estates-General was called, its rigid organisation into Third Estate and Second Estate conflicted with the new, informal organisation, and caused dissent; the Third Estate had attained equal status to the nobility, in their view, and when they demanded that the Estates meet as equals, the King's refusal triggered their secession from royal authority.

Furet and others argue that the direct influence of Enlightenment ideas only played a part after the Revolution had begun, insofar as it was used to justify revolutionary action and fill the lack of central, guiding ideology that disillusionment with the monarchy had created. The financial crisis of the French crown played a role in both creating the social background to the Revolution, generating widespread anger at the Court, and arguably most importantly forcing Louis to call the Estates-General.

The Court was deeply in debt, which in conjunction with a poor financial system, created a crisis. However, the nobility refused to help - their power and influence had been steadily reduced since the reign of Louis XIV - and hence Louis was forced to rely upon the Estates-General. This meant that the discontented Third Estate damaged by poor policy and low standards of living were given the opportunity to air their grievances, and when they did not receive the desired response, the Revolution proper began; they denied the authority of the King and set up their own government.

The French Crown's debt was caused by both individual decisions, such as intervention in the War of Independence and the Seven Years' War , [11] and underlying issues such as an inadequate taxation system.

The War of Independence alone cost 1. The Seven Years' War was even more costly, at 1. The financial system was ineffective in multiple ways. First, despite the Capet's attempts to limit their power, the nobility still wielded significant influence at Court; when Silhouette, a Controller-General, suggested taxing luxury items, he was removed from office due to noble opposition. Second, there was a system of tax immunities and feudal privileges that allowed many of France's wealthy citizens to avoid many taxes, notwithstanding the fact that few direct taxes were levied in the first place.

The capitation was also imposed, a tax that varied with social status and the number of people in the family, but this too was insufficient. The tax that was collected, a significant sum, was fixed at certain levels at the government through a system of tax farming; private individuals and groups were asked to collect a fixed amount of tax on behalf of the government, and could keep any excess. When the government failed to accurately forecast the levels of tax that they could collect, they did not benefit from any increase in national output.

Furthermore, due to the obvious financial difficulties of the French Crown and the lack of a central bank, lenders demanded higher interest rates to compensate them for the higher risk; France faced interest rates twice as high as Britain did, which further increased the cost of servicing the debt and hence worsened the Crown's problems.

One of the ministers that Louis turned to in order to resolve the financial crisis was Turgot , financial minister from Turgot abolished the regulations surrounding the food supply, which to this point had been strictly controlled by the royal police: they monitored the purity of bread flour, prevented price manipulation via hoarding, and controlled the inflows and outflows of grain to regions facing good and bad harvests.

Turgot was forced to restore regulation and repress the riots. Though resolved, the failed experiment led to deep distrust of the monarchy, with rumours of their intention to starve the poor both prevalent and widely believed. In , Calonne was appointed as financial minister; Calonne, ahead of his time, advocated increasing public spending to drive up consumption and hence increase the country's GDP and tax revenues.

However, this policy also failed, and only resulted in higher debt and France facing a primary deficit for the first time. The total fiscal deficit reached million in Necker , appointed in and , used his connections with European banks to facilitate lending in order to fund wars and service the debt, but this proved a temporary measure as might be expected and had little long term value. In and there were poor harvests, perhaps triggered by the Laki eruption in Iceland. On the other hand, while the financial crisis and the resultant social issues France faced have often been cited as a major cause of the Revolution, some historians attack this point of view.

Lucas, for example, asserts that the bourgeois and nobility were not in fact that distinct, evidencing his argument with the bourgeois entryism and the a priori suggestion that it makes little sense for the bourgeois to attack a system that they are trying to become part of. Lucas places the break between bourgeois and nobles at the moment of the Estates-General, rather than earlier, asserting that it was only when the bourgeois were relegated to the Third Estate that they took issue with the nobility, seeing themselves as equated to " vulgar commoners ".

Revisionist historians such as these also contest the view that the nobility were fundamentally opposed to change, noting that signatories of the Tennis Court Oath had the particle 'de'. The patricians began the Revolution, the plebeians completed it ".

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Further information: Age of Enlightenment. European Review of Economic History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 4 : Boston: Ginn: London: Routledge. Population Studies. London: Penguin Group. Palmer, The age of the Democratic Revolution: a political history of Europe and America, — 2nd ed. Theory and Society. The French Revolution. Melbourne U. French Society in Revolution, — France: Manchester University Press, , pp.

A debate on economic reform and policy in 18th Century France. The Journal of Economic History. Harrington Ed. Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, pp. The Economic History Review. Past and Present. London: Freemantle and Co. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press. French Revolution. Significant civil and political events by year. What Is the Third Estate? Peace of Basel. Treaty of Amiens 25 Mar Charles-Alexandre Linois. William V, Prince of Orange. Alexander Korsakov Alexander Suvorov.

Luis Firmin de Carvajal Antonio Ricardos. Other significant figures and factions. Feuillants and monarchiens. Hidden categories: CS1 errors: missing periodical Articles containing French-language text. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Free Essay: Causes of the French Revolution There were many causes and events This meant that they were heavily taxed like the rest of the Third Estate, but. Essay about Causes of the French Revolution. Words3 Pages. The French Revolution was caused by many factors; some were significant and played a.

The French Revolution has been viewed as the major turning point in European political and social history. The causes that led to this bloody revolution can be looked at from an economic, political, social, and intellectual standpoint. Failed reforms, famine, the Enlightenment, a corrupt bureaucracy, and a divided population are only some of the many aspects that helped influence a revolution to take place in late eighteenth century France. Economically, France's government was virtually bankrupt and in debt.

There is significant disagreement among historians of the French Revolution as to its causes. Usually, they acknowledge the presence of several interlinked factors, but vary in the weight they attribute to each one.

The three main causes of French revolution are as follows: 1. Political Cause 2.

Causes of the French Revolution Essay examples

The French Revolution French Revolution was a horrifying event that was from to The revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic and created political chaos. The french revolution started because most people were denied basic rights because the King and Queen cared only for themselves, the economic crisis in France, and social injustices. The King had unlimited power and he declared himself as the representative of God. During this time, the Shah made the people very angry due to his actions as ruler.

Causes of the French Revolution Essay

Alex Zhang Mr. Three of the main reasons consist of unfair taxation, unfair land distribution, and prices of bread. France during that time period had 3 estates. The first estate consisted of the clergy. The second one consisted…. Revolutions — Causes and Effects England, France and Haiti all had revolutions that were unique in their own way. Absolute monarchs in England had to battle against Parliament. In France, the three estates angered the bourgeoisie, or middle class, who, although wealthy, were treated like peasants under the Old Regime.

The French Revolution has often been credited with fanning the revolutionary flames that swept through Latin America at the turn of the nineteenth century. It thus seems logical that the struggle against Spain was conditioned by the ideas and events that caused the upheaval in France, and that the great liberators of the continent, men […].

International: struggle for hegemony and Empire outstrips the fiscal resources of the state. Social antagonisms between two rising groups: the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. Ineffective ruler: Louis XVI. Economic hardship, especially the agrarian crisis of generates popular discontent and disorders caused by food shortages.

Major Causes of French Revolution

The French Revolution French Revolution was a horrifying event that was from to The revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic and created political chaos. The french revolution started because most people were denied basic rights because the King and Queen cared only for themselves, the economic crisis in France, and social injustices. The King had unlimited power and he declared himself as the representative of God. During this time, the Shah made the people very angry due to his actions as ruler. When this revolution ended, it was a huge turning point in Iran. The French Revolution began in , due to enlightenment ideas, inspiration from other revolutions, economic troubles, and religious injustice, among other things. This revolution was a huge turning point in the history of France. Despite the Iranian Revolution taking. You may be wondering what exactly led this to happen, but there were multiple long range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions ultimately led to the discontent of many French people especially those of the third estate. The ideals of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society. Before the revolution, the majority of France were living in poverty. Peasants were entirely. The late 18th century was a dramatic time of French, political transformation which originally strived to implement equality throughout the nation.

French revolution Essays

After reading this article you will learn about the causes of French revolution. Like Industrial Revolution and American Revolution, the French Revolution was also the originator of few but important political ideas or concepts. But before embarking upon that aspect it is necessary to throw light on several causes of the French Revolution hereafter only F. In most of the states of Europe there were absolute monarchies and absolutism reached the final stage of toleration or patience. The general nature of autocratic rulers was to declare war against other states and to meet the expenses of war their normal behaviour or method was to impose heavy dose of taxes upon the people including the aristocrats and the wealthiest sections of the community.