No one factor was directly responsible for the French Revolution. Years of feudal oppression and fiscal mismanagement contributed to a French society that was ripe for revolt. The economical downturn may have been the kickstarter that began the revolution as the taxes rose higher and outrage at the crown heightened. The economy began to destabilise in the late 1700s, and the king decided to bring in financial advisers to look at the weakened French treasurey. Each adviser gave the king the same warning that something had to be done and radical changes had to be made, but each were, in their turn, kicked out. After the financial crisis began to effect France more harshly, the king finally decided that something had to be done, and so he appointed a new controller general of finance, Charles de Calonne in 1783. Calonne suggested many ways to get France out of the spiral, but most balanced on the nobility paying taxes as well as the French public. He pleaded with them at the National Assembly, but to no avail. Thus, financial ruin became imminent.
The Jacobins, led by Robespierre - who wanted the king out of the picture entirely – where the radicals of the Assembly. Whereas the Girondins took a more moderate approach to the monarchy. This led to the rift in the assembly, which caused the Girondins to lose power.
Austria and Hungary were at war with France for most of the National Assembly’s lifespan, and the rage of the people when the war was going badly started the
The high costs of maintaining the army and navy exacerbated the situation, along with the lavish lifestyle of King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie-Antoinette. Louis appointed Charles de Calonne as comptroller-general to solve France’s financial crisis. Calonne knew that the only way to get France out of debt was to fairly distribute the tax burden among the three estates. Of course, this did sit well with the nobility and Calonne was dismissed after giving his presentation at the Assembly of Notables. In a desperate act, Louis called the Estates General. The Estates General was an ancient practice that had not been called since 1614. Events there would prove to be the beginning of the revolution proper. France suffered under years of inept and self-serving monarchs. Louis XVI was preceded by his grandfather, Louis XV. It was his loss of public opinion and war spending that put his grandson in such a precarious position in the years after his reign. The rule of Louis XVI would prove to be a doomed one. He was ousted after a comparatively short 17 years. The outdated political system gave way to a constitutional monarchy, and when that failed, the French Republic. This Republic however would not prove to last. Feudalism was the whole of existence for rural commoners in the time before the revolution. Farmers had no right to the land they worked and lived on. Serfs were beholden to their manor lord
Before the revolution France was ruled under the Ancien Regime system, meaning the country and all its people were under the reign of an absolute monarch. This was a tradition that had been upheld through the years and the Royal family had enjoyed a life funded by the people of France, the royal family’s lifestyle unaffected by the situation outside their palace. The Palace, Versailles, was built by king Louis XIV and the expenses for building this “village” was very high, and in later years the cost for its upkeep would play a significant role in Frances financial difficulties. In order for these difficulties to be overcome France needed a tax reform. The government had a very high tax rate on the poorest of their people, the Third Estate, and they were still not getting enough money to get out of their
First of all France was in debt because they lend money to America and King louie had gone a little crazy ,spending money. He and his predecessor fled
The French Revolution is said to have a number of causes. It was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France that lasted from 1789 until 1799, and was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the empire. The main causes of the French Revolution was the political, economic, and social problems happening in the society during this time. One of the causes of the French Revolution of the political tension going on during the time.
Revolutions are a time of rebellion where those go against the government and demand reform or change. No matter what reforms were made, revolutions tend to have very similar causes such as unfairness between government and citizens, social inequality, and other revolutions and documents declaring independence, rights, or reform. The three main causes of the French Revolution were social inequality, unfair tax systems, and America’s reforms such as the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.
There were many causes and different events that lead up to the French Revolution in July 14, 1789. Therefore, having economic conflict being the main cause of the French Revolution there was financial difficulties, debts, and also poor harvest. These all had a huge impact because it led to most people not doing much of their work which caused hunger throughout the French Revolution.
The French Revolution is a that was caused the implementation of tax schemes that were aimed to help guide the country out of debt. The French were in deep debt because of their funding of the American Revolutionary War. The French Revolution was also caused by Enlightenment ideas that spread throughout the French. The citizens of France were frustrated with the taxation and the unequal economic system. The French Revolution does not have a single leader because the point of the revolution was to remove the power from the rule of a king and to give it to the people.
Millions of French people suddenly revolted against a society that their past families had accepted forever. Ways of life that once worked well for people became rigid and not suitable over time. New conditions/thought changed the minds of many people across the country. Suddenly, what had seemed so reasonable before had become outrageous and unnecessary. In the French’s case, it was the institutions of feudalism and monarchy that stopped working. There was great divide between nobility and commoners which further perpetuated the process of conflict. By the 1770’s, France was on the edge of a full on war. People were unhappy. There is political corruption everywhere. The clergy and aristocracy owned 30% of French land even though they were only 2% of the French population. Many enlightenment thinkers give up on the operation of their country. Montesquieu, a French scholar once said, “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” While most people are suffering through poverty, the government is spending on luxuries and over taxing. The Third Estate barely gets any say and gets worse when Louis XVI locks them out of the assembly. The debt was made worse from spending in both the Seven Years War and The American Revolution. These events added up and eventually seemed impossible to fix and impossible to be prevented. However, several things could have been done to stop the
Prior to Bonaparte’s rule, the economy of France was at a continuous decline as there was a financial crisis created by years of weak kings, the previous Seven Years War, and the building of the Palace of Versailles. As a result, citizens of France took an initiative and the economy continued to hold a fatal position. However, as Napoleon came into power he established the Bank of France that would remove France of its debt by providing loans as a catalyst for growth in the industry. The system enforced bank regulations such as requiring every citizen to pay taxes, making money used to make loans to make
During the 1700s, Kind Louis XIV had acquired a large quantity of national debt. The main reason for their debt was deficit spending. France was involved in the American Revolution and the Seven Year’s War, which they did not have the money to. They, instead, kept spending money they did not have. Versailles, a town outside of Paris, was also a contributor of the debt because King Louis XVI built the Palace of Versailles, and Versailles took 12% of the whole budget.
Before 1661 the French economy was in ruins. The economy had been greatly damaged by the 30 years war and there was also great corruption among the nobility.
Many things caused the French Revolution. I believe that absolutism and privilege, famine, and economics were three of the most significant factors causing the French Revolution. These three elements led people to be unhappy with the current government and want to overthrow it.
Revolution? The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The French Revolution of 1789-1799 was one of the most important events in the history of the world. The Revolution led to many changes in France, which at the time of the Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe. The Revolution led to the development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism. It questioned the authority of kings, priests, and nobles. The Revolution also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political ideas of the people.<br><br>The French Revolution was spread over the ten year period between 1789 and 1799. The primary cause of the revolution was the disputes over
The inflated opinion the French monarchy had about themselves and other nobles lent itself to how they contributed to and handled the economic downturn in France for centuries prior to the French Revolution. Forming the foundation of many of France’s financial issues, the monarchial system granted royals and the nobles who surrounded them the ability to feel as if they are intended to be superior to the rest of France, a mentality that would last until the French Revolution began. With this monarchial system, each king of France from 1610 to 1789 would contribute in both positive and negative ways, depending greatly on the Chief Ministers they appointed. [ADD]
The French succeeded in bringing economic stability to the country. A massive accumulation of debt and financial struggle plagued the country, ruining the lives of the common people. Revolutionaries were later able to recover slowly from these troubles and improve the common person’s life. The misuse of French money greatly troubled the economy. The luxurious lives of the royal family used up a large fraction of the French budget. Millions of dollars of French treasury were spent yearly for the royal family to continue their extravagant lives. After the revolution was fought, Napoleon created a new system of French finance and closely monitored the flow of money. This shows that the revolution succeeded in gaining control