There were three main reasons for the French revolution. The first one is the political cause, the French Monarchs had unlimited power. They arrested anyone at anytime and imprisoned them. Louis XIV, was a powerful monarch. He was hardworking, efficient, and a confident ruler. He was involved in many wars. He was also known as the Sun King. He was known for many things. He built the palace of Versailles and held court there. He kept the nobles out of politics. He had a desire for religious harmony. He wanted to increase his power by putting together an army. He built new industries. He improved communication. Louis XIV foreign policy weakened the economic condition of France. Louis XIV fought the seven year war against England which in the end didnt bring …show more content…
The French Society was divided into 3 classes, the Clergy, Nobles and Common People. The clergy was divided into 2 subgroups the higher clergy which was considered to be the top. They managed the churches, monasteries and educational institutions of France. They did not pay any tax to the monarch. The higher clergy lived in luxury. The lower clergy was considered the miserable. The nobility didnt pay any tax to the king. The nobility was also divided into two subgroups, which was court nobles and provincial nobles. The court nobles lived in luxury. They did not pay any heed towards the problems of the common people of their areas. The provincial nobles paid their attention towards the problems of the people. But they did not enjoy the same privileges as the Court nobles enjoyed. The farmers, cobblers, sweepers and other lower classes belonged to this class. The condition of the farmers was very miserable. All of them had to pay taxes. The doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen, writers and philosophers belonged to this class. They had the wealth and social status. The common people became rebellious. The third cause of the French Revolution was the economic
Undoubtedly, a cause of the French Revolution was due to political conflict; the monarchy and the nobility had a dispute over a tax reform which eventually caused bankruptcy and poverty for the masses. Plus, the French went through an economic hardship. One of these events was the Agrarian Crisis. Granted, France at the time had an ineffective ruler who was King Louis XVI, but he eventually was beheaded. Therefore, these are the causes of the French Revolution.
Born on September 5, 1638, to King Louis XIII of France and his Habsburg queen, Anne of Austria, the future Louis XIV was his parents’ first child after 23 years of marriage; in recognition of this apparent miracle, he was christened Louis-Dieudonné, meaning “gift of God.” A younger brother, Philippe, followed two years later. When the king died on May 14, 1643, 4-year-old Louis inherited the crown of a fractured, unstable and nearly insolvent France. After orchestrating the annulment of Louis XIII’s will, which had appointed a regency council to rule on the young king’s behalf, Anne served as sole regent for her son, assisted by her chief minister and close confidant, the Italian-born Cardinal Jules Mazarin.
Louis XIV, son of Louis XIII (1601-43) and Spanish Queen Anne of Austria (1601-67), was born on September 5, 1638 in the Château of St. Germain. Louis XIV was hailed as a miracle due to being the King and Queen’s first child after 23 years of marriage, and the newborn Dauphin was referred to as “Dieudonné” meaning the gift of God (Lewis 4). Cardinal Richelieu, who arguable founded the system that was eventually perfected by Louis XIV, had controlled effective government under Louis XIII and was the virtual ruler of France from 1624 until his death (Matthews et al. 386). When Richelieu passed, Anne of Austria ensured that power should only pass into the hands of Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (1602-61), a trusted ally of both her and Richelieu (Judge 2). On May 14, 1643, Louis XIII died while his son was
In this historical writing event about Louis XVI, I am writing about his early life and how he became king and also, what his downfall was in the history of France. King Louis was king from 1643 until his death in 1715. Starting at the age of 20. He reign for 72 years and 110 days. That’s the longest record of any monarch of a sovereign country in European history.
DBQ Practice The French Revolution was caused by many problems within France. During the 18th century, France participated in wars such as the American Revolution and the 7 years war. With France participating in those 2 wars, they became bankrupt. France had to somehow make money so they decided to start heavily taxing the 3rd estate and made them work harder for their own food and wealth.
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
There were many issues that contributed to the French Revolution. An unfair social class and corrupt government were the major reasons why the country came to be under a rebellion. One huge reason of why the French Revolution came to be was because of all the money that was being used up by the king and queen for their own personal use. The money was not being distributed for the economy and this became a huge issue for the people of France. I will talk about a few primary documents that give other examples of why the French Revolution occurred.
There are many causes that could have contributed to the French Revolution like the peasants were aware of their situation and were less willing to support the feudal system. The philosophes were well read throughout the region and questioned many. The government was at the edge of bankruptcy due to their involvement in the American Revolution because there was a refusal to pay taxes given by the Great Britain King which ended with the rulers and privileged class become allies with the peasants and non- privileged class. There was many economic factors that started the French revolution also like: crop failures in 1788 and the population increasing. The French Monarchy was vanishing because it was unable to adapt to the pressures brought onto it which also contributed to the start of the French Revolution.
One of the main reasons for the French Revolution was because of the economy. By 1787, the French government was bankrupt. France was making purchases with expenses that were higher than its income. The French were spending cash on palaces and on exceptionally expensive wars. In order to raise the money back, the food prices started to increase
The cause of the French Revolution can be attributed to the divergence and economic problems that existed in France at the time. The Third estate made up 98% of France’s populations and owned a majority of the land, 65% to be exact, yet they were treated unfairly in society. (Doc 2) The Third Estate payed a majority of taxes and most of the profit they make was given to the nobility as payment for their rent. In document 3, a
Economics also played an important role in the French Revolution. In France there was an abundance of debt and taxation. The French monarchy managed their fiscal affairs by using an unequal system of taxation, borrowing money, or selling noble titles and other privileges. This led to a long running fiscal debt. France could not solely rely on tariffs to generate income. Although other countries had higher taxation rates, the burden on the common people was greater in France. Peasants and other third estates were taxed harshly which in good times was burdensome and in bad times it was devastating. Nobility and clergy were exempted from paying taxes. This left the peasants, wage earners, and the professional and business classes with the burden of taxes. This burden caused the unrest, which eventually led to the French Revolution.
The French Revolution developed from many different causes, but originated from the treatment the peasants got from the monarchy. Countries ruled by a monarchy were not very prosperous if you weren't of the nobility rank. Social inequality plagued France, a class system separated the people. Nobles, made up 3% of the population, and the other 97% were the peasants. Life for the peasants were very strainful and tough. Famine, poor, no medicines to fight bacteria or infections, and small dirty homes, these are a few ways to describe the peasant life of France. On the other hand monarchs lived the big life. Elegant parties, abundance of food, big and fancy mansions, the rich life if you will. Since the government was an absolute monarchy, all basic rights of the peasants were denied and the people were forced to live in these harsh conditions. Land distribution between the estates were not very equal either. 45% of the land in France was owned by 3% of the population, the clergy and the nobles. And the other 55% of the land was owned by the 97% of the population, the peasants. The monarchs were spending more money than they were bringing, this causes crippling debt. The monarchy taxes the peasants, who are already poor, and this only upsets them more.
At the time in France there were three social class system, Estate system, where the majority of the population were commoners and were the only ones taxed. France under Louise XVI was under a serious financial crisis only to continue raising taxes on the poor. The first beginning factor in the start of the revolution was the bread riots, the price to bread drastically increased causing families to starve and people to go crazy pounding on the door for change. Activist started asking for change for more equality, enlightenment saloon culture ideas of natural law and equality started to raise eyebrows. The rebellion led by Maximillian Robespierre brought together the third estate forming militias fighting against the king after adopting the Tennis Court
The French Revolution started in 1789 and finished in the late 1790s. French Revolution is climbed by Napoleon Bonaparte who is the French military pioneer, drove effective military troops amid the French Revolution. The reasons for the French Revolution are Political issues, Old Regime, and The Economic. Different issues were likewise the contention amongst borgeoisie and gentry, which are the two greatest gatherings.
There are multiple reasons why the French Revolution occurred. The American Revolution played a big role in the overthrowing of the French Government. It taught the French that the people could rule themselves without the help of a monarch and that a revolution could lead to social and political change. Another example would be that the people disliked the Old Regime. The Third Estate, which was most affected by the Old Regime, lacked power which angered the people. They were poor so shortages of food were common (Doc. 3 Arthur Young’s travels). Bread became a staple in their diet but buying it for their families took out half of their income, of which never rose. In 1789, due to inflation, the prices increased leaving most people facing starvation. Also, the French tax system took its toll in all of this. The First, consisting of the clergy and 0.5% of the population, and Second estate, the nobles and 1.5% of the population, had little to no taxes while the Third Estate, the middle class of common workers and peasants and 97-98% of the population, were taxed heavily (Doc. 2 The Three Estates in Pre-Revolutionary France). The King and Queen taxed the people in order to maintain a large army and the