French Revolution Essay

Submitted By haveanemilyday
Words: 391
Pages: 2

Causes of the French Revolution

Written by: Michelle Yang
Edited by: Emily Day

While Louis XVI held power before the French Revolution, his grasp on the French people rapidly weakened with news of the American Revolution. Although France had been known as the country of “absolute monarchy,” when the Americans succeeded in breaking away from the British crown, the French society brought up their own revolution. France’s luxurious spending on top of its war debt enraged the overtaxed citizens, bringing in unspoken complaints and disagreement especially in the late 18th century. The rulers of the country, mainly Marie Antoinette, spent extravagant sums of money on luxuries that devastatingly impaired the country’s economy. Along with Marie Antoinette’s voracious spending was the war debt from the Seven Years War with Britain and the American Revolution. The debt that France was left with stuck with them for the remainder of the 18th century, putting an economic restraint on the country and its citizens. The French social structure had been divided into three “estates.” The first estate was made up of the clergies, who held the most power within the three estates. The second was made up of the nobles, who were the ones that held the power to be in government official positions. The nobles did not pay taxes, unlike the third estate, who held the heaviest burden when it came to taxing. The third estate was called the “bourgeoisie,” or the middle-class. They were made up of the laborers, workers, and peasants. They made up most