The French Revolution of 1789-1799
The French Revolution was a violent and a transitional period in French history that shook both the continent of Europe and France itself. The French Revolution stemmed from a vast set of motives. The influences of the French Revolution were both internal due to the government of France, political divides, and an impoverished economy from wars and also externally from Enlightenment philosophy and the outcome of the American Revolution (Schwartz, “The French Revolution: Causes, Outcomes, Conflicting Interpretations.”Causes of the French Revolution). The results of the French Revolution are incalculable and can be influential today; however, there were immediate consequences that changed french culture, politics and government.
One of the first causes of the French Revolution of 1789-1799 was the failed harvests in 1788 and 1789 known as the agrarian crisis of 1788-1789. The year prior to the French Revolution was plagued by a drought leading to poor crop yield. In addition, the winter following the poor harvest was the coldest in decades (Llewellyn , Jennifer, and Steve Thompson, “Harvest Failures.”). The lack of food led to an increase in prices that most of the french citizens could not afford. Most of the population was spending almost all of their income solely on food. The french government deregulated the grain market and provided little aid to the poor commoners. These actions sowed the seeds of rebellion and opposition in the French
The French Revolution was a monumental historical event. Somehow, however, the causes of this conflict are often forgotten among all of the chaotic events. However, the causes of this revolution are exactly what will be discussed in this essay. The three most paramount issues which caused the French Revolution were the inequality in estates, the ignorance of King Louis XVI, and the political system.
The French Revolution was a huge turning point in European history, and characterized the modern European society we know today. The French Revolution was a moment of demarcation in government between the pre-modern and the modern world. This essay will examine the effects of the French Revolution by analyzing the changes in government before, during, and after 1789.
France during the 18th century, was a country of great progress of society and established Paris as an urban powerhouse. When talking about the causes of the French revolution, many will point to a variety of factors that they believe to have been the root cause of the ordeal. Some might focus on the growing number of the farm employees who were contracted to keep order in areas of business, some might focus on the blurring of class lines that occurred in France as new venues of income transformed every portion of society, and some might point to implementation of these unfair taxes that were placed on the people to repay debts that had been occurred in previous administrations. The ideas previously mentioned played a key role in the development of revolutionary Paris and many other topics that weren’t mentioned also played a critical role in the changing of France, but arguably the most significant of these causes was that of the desacralization of the French monarchy and how aspects such as literature and secularization would lead to the eventual downfall of the once great colonial power.
In 1789, an event would take place that would shake a nation. This event further altered the country of France’s history and drastically changed its future. This event was known as the Storming of the Bastille, the first violent instance to instigate the French Revolution and the formation of a rebel alliance to overthrow French monarchy. However the motives of the renegades is far and wide. The question must be asked; What were the major reasons for the French Revolution? Many elements of France’s infrastructure were created to suppress the qualms of the people. However, the major influences that caused the French Revolution were the new ideas of the enlightened thinkers, powerlessness of the Third Estate, and famine crises. Without these factors within French society, a governmental collapse may not have occurred.
The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.
The French Revolution spread over ten years from 1789-1799 and was one of the most important events in the history of the world. The Revolution led to many changes in France. The Revolution led to the development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism. It questioned the authority of kings, priests, nobles and eventually ridded itself of the monarchy in the nation. The Revolution also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political ideas of the people. The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types of ideas, social classes and the changes in the political views.
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
The French Revolution was a time of innovation, sovereignty and inalienable rights. During this time, French citizens were in a mindset of re-creating their countries political landscape and change old institutions including, absolute monarchy and the feudal system. This movement played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary nations by showing the world the power people inherit. Near the end of 18th century king Louis XVI had the country bankrupt, his extravagant spending and Frances pricey involvement in the American Revolution to blame. Not to mention the past 2 decades of bad harvest, crops and bread were of shortage, causing a wave of famine. All people were separated into bias social hierarchies, and many had no power. Overthrowing the
The French revolution of 1789 is often cited as one of the pivotal events in the formation of the modern world, a world which, contrarily, neither required a revolution during such a time period nor a particularly French one at that. Indeed, societal change occurs almost solely in times of relative crisis and furthermore tends to follow the contained characteristic of such, only occurring in the immediate vicinity of the upheaval in question. The combination of debt, famine, and an expanding divide between the governing elite and the lower social classes can be argued to have been the ultimate cause of the revolution in France, just as the political and economic degradation following the end of the Second World War can be linked to the rise
In a period of four years, the French Revolution went from women marching to Versailles and demanding bread, to the institution of the Reign of Terror, which killed close to 250,000 people. The late 18th century was a dramatic time of French, political transformation which originally strived to implement equality throughout the nation. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen reflected the ideas of the Enlightenment and presented the idea of equality and liberty. In theory, the French Revolution of 1789 was to protect the rights of the French citizen and provide political equality, but with the institution of the Reign of Terror, the revolution took a bloodier turn. Why did the French Revolution become so chaotic and
The peasants decided to not pay taxes. “The crisis came about primarily because of an inefficient and unfair tax structure.” (Historywiz.com) This caused France to go even into more debt. This was also accompanied by the many “mini ice ages” that happened during this time. “Not only were the royal coffers depleted, but two decades of poor cereal harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and the urban poor.” (History.com Staff) These “ice ages” killed all the wheat crops, so the King decided to increase the taxes on bread. The tax was so high that it would take a peasant's whole week’s pay to buy one loaf. This just added to the fire of the French
The French Revolution had a lot of causes but the main cause was in my opinion, the increase of taxes, and the major increase in labor. The citizens of France called for change in government and the government ignored these problems. King louis XIV turned his back to these accusations. The citizens pleaded for control over the population, labor, and taxes but no change had come. It was when the government moved the peasants off the farms that the food shortages were fixed.
By the 1780s, Frances excellent economy was in a major decline. The France was in need of a revolution. The French Revolution had many causes. Bad weather caused crop failure to sweep over the area, resulting in a shortage of grain. Food shortages lead to starvation and higher prices. When the cost of bread would rise, the starving third estate would steal from bread shops. Taxation was a major cause of the French Revolution. Louis nearly doubled the governments debt. To solve the debt problem, Louis decided to impose taxes to get out of debt. They called a meeting of the Estates General to approve this new tax. The heavy taxes made it almost impossible to run a successful business.The cost of living rose. The failure of having a great and
The French Revolution took place from 1789 to 1799 and has become a symbolic icon that represents the struggle for liberty and equality as well as the transition from absolute to constitutional monarchies throughout Europe. The revolt spurred the expansion of nationalism and democracy to change many nations forever. Many factors contributed to the eventual spark that led to challenges against the monarchy, estate system, and political and social ideas that would shape the nation in futures to come. The long term and short term issues that triggered the French Revolution include the social conditions brought about by the estates system, the financial crisis caused by the extensive accumulation of war debts, and the tremendous spending on court
The French Revolution or the Revolution of 1789, was a movement that shook up the foundation of France, a country that was already in a state of crisis. During this time, France was dealing with one of its most major problems that were plaguing the country’s financial downfalls; not being able to collect enough taxes to repay their debts. Some additional causes of the Revolution, other than France’s financial struggles, were the resistance of the nobility and clergy towards any type of tax increase, the increased growth of the philosophies from the Enlightenment, and the not so amazing efforts put forth by their ruler at the time, Louis XVI, who was attempting to impose an absolute monarchy on the country.