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French Revolution Dbq Analysis

Decent Essays

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 first cause of the revolution to be discussed: the inequality in estates. To understand this, one must first understand the meaning of the word estate. An estate was a form of social classes made up of the first estate (clergy), the second estate (nobles), and the third estate (peasants and bourgeoisie). The problem with these estates was that the third estate was taxed much more heavily than the second estate, while the first estate was not taxed at all. This led to poverty and starvation as “the price of bread has risen above people’s ability to pay” (Doc A). Even worse for thee third estate, while they were starving and fighting to provide for their families, the first two estates were going on about their lives without concern for those dying of preventable causes. …show more content…

To begin with, King Louis XVI did not know how to make informed decisions on his own accord, much less be responsible for an enire country’s well being. This led to the rise in taxes in the third estate, since Louis XVI chose to under tax the nobles and clergy. This sent France coming into great unrest as they requested “that the taille (a tax on land) be borne equally by all classes” (Doc C). Furthermore, the third estate was outraged as they could not even afford one loaf of bread and the king would eat himself into obesity. It was the king’s ignorance that truly brought his downfall in the eyes of the people, and ultimately, the downfall of

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