Feb 10, · The political causes of the French Revolution were caused by the centralization of government power within an elite circle. There was political absolutism under the Bourbon dynasty and gained unreasonable amounts of power. The monarchy justified its right to rule based on the divine right The French revolution was inspired by many ideas from the Enlightenment, but the main ideas that caused the revolution were life, liberty, and brotherhood; these were never achieved. The ideas of the French Revolution were mainly based off the Enlightenment thinker John Locke Mar 04, · Major Causes Of French Revolution An unfair social structure based on the estate system. At the time, France classified French citizens based on three Imposing heavy taxes on the third estate. Even though this particular estate was not the wealthiest or most prosperous, The emergence of the
Causes Of The French Revolution Essay Essay
InFrance was the powerhouse of Europe, with a large overseas empire, strong colonial trade links as well as a flourishing silk trade at home, and was the centre of the Enlightenment movement in Europe, french revolution causes essay. The Revolution which engulfed France shocked her European counterparts and changed the course of French politics and government completely. Many of its values — l iberté, égalité, fraternité — are still widely used as a motto today. France had an absolute monarchy in the 18th century — life centred around the king, who had complete power. Whilst theoretically this could work well, it was a system heavily dependent on the personality of the king in question.
Louis XVI was indecisive, shy and lacked the charisma and charm which his predecessors had so benefited from. The court at Versaillesjust outside Paris, had between 3, and 10, courtiers living there at any one time, all bound by strict etiquette. Such a large and complex social set required management by the king in order to manage power, bestow favours and keep a watchful eye over potential troublemakers. Incapable of acting in a way which might have transformed public opinion, the royal couple saw themselves become scapegoats for far more issues than those which they could control. Marie Antoinette in a simple muslin dress by Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun. As an absolute monarch, french revolution causes essay, Louis was also held somewhat responsible — along with his advisors — for failures.
Failures could only be blamed on advisors or external parties for so long, and by the late s, the king himself was the target of popular discontent and anger rather than those around him: a dangerous position for an absolute monarch to be in. Whilst contemporaries may have perceived the king as being anointed by God, it was their subjects who permitted them to maintain this status. By no means did Louis XVI inherit an easy situation. The power of the French monarchy had peaked under Louis XIV, and by the time Louis XVI inherited, France found herself in an increasingly dire french revolution causes essay situation, weakened by the Seven Years War and American War of Independence, french revolution causes essay.
The system was clunky and unfair, french revolution causes essay, with some areas over-represented and some under-represented in government and through financial contributions. It was desperately in need of sweeping reforms. The French economy was also growing increasingly stagnant. Hampered by french revolution causes essay tolls and tariffs, regional trade was slow and the agricultural and industrial revolution which was hitting Britain was much slower to arrive, and to be adopted in France, french revolution causes essay.
The Estates System was far from unique to France: this ancient feudal social structure broke society into 3 groups, clergy, nobility and everyone else. In the Medieval period, prior to the boom of the merchant classes, this system did broadly reflect the structure of the world. The new bourgeoise class could only make the leap to the Second Estate the nobility through the practice of venality, the buying and selling of offices. Following parlements blocking of reforms, Louis XVI was persuaded to call an assembly known as the Estates General, which had last been called in Each estate drew up a list of grievances, the cahier de doleances, which were presented to the king.
The event turned into a stalemate, with the First and Second Estates continually french revolution causes essay to block the Third Estate out of a petty desire to keep their french revolution causes essay firm, refusing to acknowledge the need to work together to achieve reform, french revolution causes essay. These deep divisions between the estates were a major contributing factor to the eruption of revolution. With an ever-growing and increasingly loud Third Estate, the prospect of meaningful societal change began to increasingly appear to be something of a possibility.
French finances were a mess by the late 18th century. The taxation system allowed the wealthiest to avoid paying virtually any tax at all, and given that wealth almost french revolution causes essay equalled power, any attempt to push through radical financial reforms was blocked by the parlements. Unable to change the tax, and not daring to increase the burden on those who already shouldered it, Jacques French revolution causes essay, the finance minister, raised money through taking out loans rather than raising taxes. Whilst this had some short term benefits, loans accrued interest and pushed the country further into debt.
Instead of placating the situation, it in fact gave the people an insight into something they had previously considered to be none of their concern. With France on the brink of bankruptcy, french revolution causes essay, and people more acutely aware and less tolerant of the feudal financial system they were upholding, the situation was becoming more and more delicate. Historians debate the influence of Enlightenment in the French Revolution, french revolution causes essay. Individuals like Voltaire and Rousseau espoused values of liberty, equality, tolerance, constitutional government and the separation of church and state, french revolution causes essay.
In an age where literacy levels were increasing and printing was cheap, these ideas were discussed and disseminated far more than previous movements had been. A portrait of Voltaire — the famous French writer, philosopher and thinker, by Nicolas de Largillière This added hardship added an extra layer of resentment and weight to the grievances of the Third Estate, which was largely made up of peasants and a few bourgeoise. Accusations of the extravagant spending of the royal family — irrespective of their truth — further exacerbated tensions, and the king and queen were increasingly targets of libelles and attacks in print.
Eugene Delacroix's allegorical painting, Liberty Leading the People. Image Credit: Public Domain. Tags: King Louis XVI Marie Antoinette. You May Also Like. When Was the Wheelchair Invented? Escaping the Hermit Kingdom: The Stories of North Korean Defectors 20th Century. Bog Body: How Old is the Tollund Man? Eggs and Bunnies: The Origins of Easter and its Traditions World. Fighting in the Fog: Who Won the Battle of Barnet? How Did Dinosaurs Become the Dominant Animals on Earth? Who Was Ida B.
The Causes of the French revolution
, time: 9:18The Main Causes Of The French Revolution: [Essay Example], words GradesFixer
Feb 10, · The political causes of the French Revolution were caused by the centralization of government power within an elite circle. There was political absolutism under the Bourbon dynasty and gained unreasonable amounts of power. The monarchy justified its right to rule based on the divine right The French revolution was inspired by many ideas from the Enlightenment, but the main ideas that caused the revolution were life, liberty, and brotherhood; these were never achieved. The ideas of the French Revolution were mainly based off the Enlightenment thinker John Locke Mar 04, · Major Causes Of French Revolution An unfair social structure based on the estate system. At the time, France classified French citizens based on three Imposing heavy taxes on the third estate. Even though this particular estate was not the wealthiest or most prosperous, The emergence of the
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