Causes of the French Revolution Essay examples

Submitted By elliebert14
Words: 724
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Causes of the French Revolution France was in a state of unrest, and needed change. The first and second estates were the controlling class and change meant a loss of power and money so the third estate could live better lives, they wouldn’t allow it, and so commenced the French Revolution. The government in France that the third estate rebelled against was suggested by Montesquieu, which was a limited monarchy. His suggested form of government created an unfair separation of power and the third estate was getting the least of everything, despite the fact that they made up a large majority of the population. There were many things that caused the French Revolution but it was mostly because of the contributions of the Enlightenment thinkers, debt, -which led to the third cause-, a famine that spread across France. Undoubtedly one of the contributing factors to the French Revolution was the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers. As a the ideas of philosophers entered France, “A growing number of the French citizenry had absorbed of equality and freedom of the individual, as presented by the Enlightenment thinkers. These ideas brought them a realization of how they should be treated bt their government” (Philosophers influence the French). This explains the ideas of the philosophers brought light to the subject of how a government should treat its citizens. One of the enlightenment thinkers that had the most effect on the French Revolution was Baron de Montesquieu who, “claimed that a liberal constitutional monarchy was the best system of government for a people who prized freedom on the grounds that separating the powers would create a more fair and democratic government” (HistoryToday.org). This explains how Montesquieu’s ideas influenced the French government that the people ended up wanting to overthrow. Separating the powers into different groups resulted in some of the groups having more power than the others. Another contributing factor to the French Revolution was the debt that France accumulated France had plans to gain power, “ They had began drawing up a long term plan that would involve constructing a larger navy and building an anti- British coalition force of allies. In practice this led to a mountain of debts” (Wikipedia/ causes of the French revolution). This is an example of the frivolent spending on the part of the French government that plunged all of France into debt. To try and make up for the horrible debt, King Louis XIV applied taxes, “ in order to finance the budget deficit which amounted in 100 million livres in 1745, Machault d’ Arnouville created a tax of 5 % on all revenues… still expenditures outpaced revenues” (HistoryToday.org). On top of the horrible economy that was present in France at that time, King Louis XIV piled taxes on the people that couldn’t afford to pay
Show More

Related Documents: Causes of the French Revolution Essay examples

Causes Of The French Revolution

Alex Zhang Mr. DeBruin Honors World History 9 P0 14 January 2015 DBQ: Causes of the French Revolution Why do people get unhappy about the government and rebel? In the case of the French Revolution of 1789, there were several reasons why the French citizens weren’t happy about the government. Three of the main reasons consist of unfair taxation, unfair land distribution, and prices of bread. France during that time period had 3 estates. The first estate consisted of the clergy. The second one consisted…

Words 447 - Pages 2

French Revolution Causes And Effects

Revolutions – Causes and Effects England, France and Haiti all had revolutions that were unique in their own way. Absolute monarchs in England had to battle against Parliament. In France, the three estates angered the bourgeoisie, or middle class, who, although wealthy, were treated like peasants under the Old Regime. In Haiti, the French Revolution itself prompted the some 100,000 slaves to revolt against their greatly outnumbered masters. Each of the countries contains one-of-a-kind causes…

Words 564 - Pages 3

The Causes of the French Revolution Essay

THE AGE OF REVOLUTION IN CONTEXT DOCUMENT ANALYSIS Between 1789 and 1799, France went through one of the most dramatic events of European History: the French Revolution. As a consequence of the Enlightenment, french people decided to speak up for themselves to solve the issues that have been around them for long, but they couldn’t deal with them. Political power was not distributed equally which had left groups feeling underrepresented and without rights. Economy was underdeveloped (in comparison…

Words 1039 - Pages 5

The Causes Of The French Revolution In The 19th Century

For some professional historians, the French Revolution and its study has perhaps seemed to grasp more attention of historians and people than any other events. The French Revolution which began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascending of Napoleon Bonaparte was considered as a watershed event in the modern European history. All of Europe was profoundly affected and left marks on the Middle East, India, North and South America, and other parts of the globe that were explored, exploited…

Words 1908 - Pages 8

What Are The Causes Of The French Revolution Dbq

The 1700’s were a very crucial time for change in France. Before the revolution and the idea of change would start being conspired there were conversations that would inspire the motives to rise against the powerful and wealthy. The abundance in land made France suitable for farms, this would benefit what are the first and second class of the population in France. At this time France’s population was divided into three different classes, the first being the church, second being the nobles that owned…

Words 797 - Pages 4

Cause Of Violence In The Haitian And French Revolution

Haitian or French revolution you had to be extremely cautious, saying, doing, or even being the wrong thing could lead to harsh death. Violence in the Haitian and French revolution was a key role in how it played out. Leaders of both these revolutions had to keep discipline and strict rules in order to keep themselves safe from any traitors or threats. This would often result in brutal, sometimes barbaric behavior, as well as scaring the people for their lives.This essay will prove that the cause of violence…

Words 1020 - Pages 5

What Was The Main Cause Of The French Revolution

drew to a close, France’s costly involvement in the American Revolution and the extravagant spending by King Louis XVI left France in debt. He gave high taxes and so the taxes placed on the people were unfair. The third estate had to pay most of the taxes which were placed by the kings. Outraged the people tired of being suppressed by the King wanted change. After the revolution had ended Napoleon I had taken over France, he was a French military leader and became an emperor. A man fighting wars constantly…

Words 665 - Pages 3

How Did Marie Antoinette Cause The French Revolution

and encouraged her husband to resist reform of the monarchy. Also, she allegedly responded to the French peasantry having no bread by callously replying, “Let them eat cake.” She wore flour in her hair while some people went without eating, she was considered a “shoe hound” when there were people that couldn’t afford shoes, and some believe that her spending was one of the causes of the French Revolution.…

Words 385 - Pages 2

How Did Louis Xvi Cause French Revolution Dbq

believed in the Divine Right. He was very selfish like because he focused on his personal issues. He spends most of the money on luxury and expensive wars. Later on, he was in severe debt where he taxes the Third Estate(Commoners). One cause of the French Revolution is the government taxation. According to document 1, it states, “He levied taxes and spent the people’s money as he saw fit. He controlled the expression of thought by a strict censorship of speech and press”. This emphasizes that Louis…

Words 214 - Pages 1

Global Essay

Causes of the French Revolution Even though the French Revolution of 1789 had many long range causes; political, social, and economic conditions in France at the time contributed to the discontent felt by many French people. The Third Estate was by far the most displeased of all others. They faced high taxes and overcrowding with little or no representation in government. The French Revolution sparked many new reforms in France that were not previously available to the Third Estate. The American…

Words 690 - Pages 3