Causes Of The French Revolution

Just about any country that one can name has some history of civil unrest, class issues, rioting in the streets, and outright warfare. These patterns of behavior are common denominators for most civilization in the world. The names, faces, and places may change, but the motivations are generally the same, because of the need for change and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve it. In contrast to the United States, which was in the process of freeing itself from British colonial rule, France was working to free itself from royal absolutism. This period is historically known as the French Revolution. Many scholars do not agree on the chronology of the French Revolution; some scholars suggest that the Revolution took place between 1789 to 1799 while others feel that it did not end until Napoleon lost power in 1815. To better understand the history of the French Revolution it is necessary to discuss the causes, major events, significant figures, and the outcomes associated with these political developments. Without this uprising, that changed the face of the entire country and influenced local political life in many countries in Europe, in all likelihood the France we know today would never have existed.

There were many causes and events leading up to the French Revolution in 1789. Before the Revolution, France had been involved in many expensive wars, especially the American War of Independence, causing financial difficulties and debts which were increased through the expensive upkeep of the Royal Family and their courts. At this time the Age of Enlightenment was occurring and new ideas, challenging the Ancien Regime and the Absolute right to rule, were emerging. The monarch of the time, King Louis XVI, was a weak monarch who was incapable of making decisions and sticking to them. King Louis XIV was also incapable of using his powers in a way to spark fear and gain control of those under his power. As a

France stood as the center for the Enlightenment because it was in a constant dichotomy between “the desire to censor dissident ideas and the desire to appear open to modernity and progress” (Hunt, 4098). Parliament hindered the monarchy’s reform efforts by using their own words of Enlightenment influence against them. This was a paradox that showed how the Enlightenment affected all levels of French life, but was applied to achieve different results. While the American Revolution and the resulting new republic was regarded as a successful application of the Enlightenment, the unstable, failed attempts at change and reformation in France led to early signs of revolution as revolts “in the name of liberty” from 1787-1789.

Between 1789 and 1799, France went through one of the most dramatic events of modern European History: the French Revolution. The French population went through economic chaos, a dictatorship, and a civil war as well as other dramatic changes. During these years, the French decided to speak up for themselves and they became enemies of the French revolution. Internal enemies included the King, Louis XVI, Monarchists and Royalists and the Churches that were run by refractory priests. External threats were caused by aristocrats who had fled the Revolution; more specifically known as “émigrés”, Austria and Prussia. The latter were the more dangerous threats to the Revolution.

The primary causes of the American Revolution were because of the unjust treatment of the colonists. The French and Indian War was extremely expensive for Britain, so to pay off the debt they decided to tax the American colonies. Several taxes were created, one of them was the Stamp Act. This act required the colonists to pay taxes on every piece of paper that was used, such as legal documents, licenses, newspapers, ship’s papers, etc.

“Let them eat cake” is a very popular quote that you may have heard before. It was supposedly said by the Queen of France, Marie-Antoinette, during the late 18th century in the middle of an outbreak known as the French Revolution. There were many causes that lead to the Revolution, including the third estate´s predicament. They struggled with being denied basic rights, over taxation, and neglect from the monarchy.

The era of France Enlightenment and religion have a misconception that leads one to believe that they were enemies. The Enlightenment was not against religion but it was against the superstitions and the supernaturalism of religion. Philosophes during the era of France’s Enlightenment did not look to abolish religion or the Catholic Church of France. They simply wanted a separation of religion and state because it was believed that the state was based on reason and religion was based on morality. Religion and the Enlightenment were compatible and Dr. Sorkin argues: “the Enlightenment was not only compatible with religious belief,” it actually generated new formulations of that belief. One goal that was a reflection of the

France in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, the clergy and the nobility, which were the officials of the church and the group of aristocrats respectively, had supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It is popular with the slogan “liberty, equality and fraternity” that brought French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people are still arguing whether French Revolution is the main effect of the Enlightenment ideas emergence or social economic disruption, I will argue that this revolution was an ultimate outcome of the social and economics disarray by looking at the details of foreign and internal aspects.

In 1789, France was the heart of Enlightenment thought, however, in addition to this, the government was corrupt and there were growing socioeconomic tensions throughout the country. This corruption and tension between the classes fueled the French Revolution. The motto of the Revolution, “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, had deep roots in the ideas and works of Enlightenment Philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke. Enlightenment ideas about religion and society played a major role in the creation and purpose of the new policies from the Revolution. Rousseau, Locke, and Montesquieu

The French Revolution of 1789 was inarguably a significant turning point in the history of Europe. However, there have been historical debates over the major contributing factor that had caused the French Revolution. Many historians have argued that the French Revolution was sparked by the emerging new age ideas of Enlightenment in the 18th century, which encouraged people to think logically and critically about their society. Many notable writers such as Diderot and Voltaire began to publicly criticise the social structure and the governance of France. (Darlington et al., 2004, p.25) But other historians argue that ideas affected the way people saw

With newfound challenges of the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the increase in the Enlightenment’s rationalism and liberalism, an undermining of the Church began to set forth a new era and problems for the Church that they tried to come back from. Reorganizing at Trent set a new grim determination for the Church that catapulted their morale against ideas of modern culture. The last of these increasing troubles being the French Revolution, after which an immense religious revival manifested into the conversion of the elite in Europe, and extended their reach to every corner of the world, but mostly focusing on the moral problems taking place in the 19th century influenced by the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, the Church’s opposition to modernism came to an end when Pope John XXIII, with extreme boldness, turned its back on four centuries of extreme

The French Revolution was a period of long ending causes and it led to many long-lasting conditions in France including political, social and economic conditions. The French revolution was significant because it led to the end of the old monarchy. The important causes of the French Revolution were the old regime, economic hardships, and the American Revolution. Thus, economic hardships, the old regime and the American Revolution were the important causes of the French Revolution.

Life in France during the Seventeenth Century was volatile in that there were many changes to the central ideology of society. Focusing on the time immediately before and during King Louis XIV’s reign, intellectual curiosity peaked. People began to wonder about the world and even questioned religion. Right before King Louis XIV was officially crowned, Europe was just coming out of the Thirty Years war. This war occurred in the Holy Roman Empire between 1618 and 1648 and was a war between the Catholics and the Protestants (Wilson). Although the war didn’t occur directly in France it definitely had an impact on the way France would be ruled since it was a Catholic nation (Damerow 2009). As a direct result of the closer examination of religion,

The Enlightenment during the eighteenth century challenged each of the traditional values of the Catholic Church in that age (“Faith & Reason: The Role of the Roman Catholic Church During the Enlightenment”). Europeans were undergoing a constant change; unfortunately Europe’s religious organizations were not keeping up to par with these continuous changes. During that time period, the most prominent and conservative institution of Europe, the Roman Catholic Church, was completely forced into a direct conflict that at the time did not seem to have an end (“Faith & Reason: The Role of the Roman Catholic Church During the Enlightenment”). The Church was under attack by non-believers. The rest of the community who did not agree with Catholic beliefs were out to get them, they wanted to prove that nothing is “real” if it could not be proven through science. Nevertheless, the Church did not cease their fight. They continuously insisted that they were merely a source of truth through God. They also confidently claimed that all those who lived with disbelief were to be damned in their afterlife (Catholicism History). It was very apparent that the rest of the world was not having it and they did not care what the consequences were for not believing; they refused to be Bible huggers, basically. They were questioned left and right on their intentions and still, to this day are not supported

During the period of the Renaissance, the Church was seen as the supreme power and ruler of the land. It was a machine, generating hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue and serving as the ultimate authority for all things regarding life. Throughout the duration of this course, we have witnessed society shift farther and farther from the Church. During periods like the Reformation, Scientific Revolution, and the French Revolution, the previously uncontested and unrivaled Church received opposition and resistance. These movements are imperative to see the spirit of the period and to see groups rise out of their apprehensiveness and timidity and take a stand for what