Mary Noh

01.11.15

What were the Causes of the French Revolution?

From the reign of Louis XIV, France went through a prominent Golden Age; it had a productive economy,
rich farmlands, and a culture that dominated Europe. French was also the language of diplomacy and
the tongue spoken in most of the courts of the continent. Despite its extended influence, in 1789,
France developed a corrupt, inefficient government with overwhelming debt. Furthermore, the class
structure, L'Ancien Regime was archaic and unfair. The combination of these complications was topped
off by the ideals of the Enlightenment, leading the third Estate to erupt into revolution. Due to these
economic, social, and political factors, the French Revolution came to be.
The French Revolution was greatly incited by the economic aspects of foreign military aid and poor
taxation systems. The French debt led to the financial crisis of the French government. Before the
Revolution, the debt had risen from 8 billion to 12 billion. Expenditures on losing the Seven Years' War
and the France's aid of the Americans on their Revolution and War of Independence increased another
1.3 billion livres. Louis XV, the predecessor of Louis XVI, was deeply unsatisfied about the loss of the
Seven Years' War and so, began drawing up a long-term plan to establish an extensive navy and an antiBritish coalition of allies. Their goal was to go into war with Britain and regain tis colonies from them. It
instead ended in a mountain of debts. Poor taxation systems were also a problem for France. The
peasants, the poor, and those aspiring to become bourgeoisie were impeded with incredibly high taxis
levied to support a wealthy monarchy, along with the Second Estates' excessively lavish lifestyles. The
peasants were bombarded with a collection of taxes such as the requirement of the salt tax (gabelle),
the payment of 10% of their income to the church (tithe), and a 5% property tax (vingtieme). The third
estate was completely blocked from the privileges of the Second and First Estate.
In addition to the poor economical state of France, the social factors of the social hierarchy and the
Enlightenment ideas influenced the start of the Revolution. During the 1890's, France's population
numbered around 26 million, 21 million working in agriculture. Although the French peasantry was
generally better off than those in other countries such as Russia and Poland, starvation was a common
problem. This was proven to be especially critical in the years of bad harvest. In spite of the evident
harsh living conditions of the Third Estate, the First and Second Estate kept their gluttonous privileges.
Out of 26 million, 100,000 members of the clergy owned 10 percent of the land. They were both rich
and powerful within the French hierarchy. Likewise, the nobility paid no taxes and barely contributed to
the state's infrastructure. The French citizenry also took in the ideas of the Enlightenment very well.
Popular figures such as Voltaire and Rousseau presented ideas of "equality" and "freedom of the
individual" which the French greatly accepted. The American Revolution further demonstrated that
these ideals could be put into practice. American diplomats such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas
Jefferson lived in Paris and discussed these aspects with the French intellectual class. The majority of the
French citizenry experienced a coalition of social difficulties and novel ideas that provoked the French
Revolution.
It is essential to note that political issues of poor administration and extraneous extravagances were also
responsible for the French Revolution. During the reign of Louis XVI, the French monarchy was corrupt
and immoral. All the important offices were reserved and given to the highest bidders who could afford

Mary Noh

01.11.15

hem. Furthermore, the line of kings in France regarded themselves as the "Representatives of God on
Earth" as we can see in King Louis XIV's "L'etat, c'est moi!" However, with the help of the Enlightenment
ideas, the citizenry grew to believe in the voice of the people instead. The last straw of the camel's back
was the Character of the Queen, Marie Antoinette. She was a very frivolous queen and squandered
money on personal gain even though she knew of the harsh economic condition of France. The fact that
she was born Austrian intensified France's detest for her. She acted as symbol of royal deficit and
represented the face of the French Revolution. The prior political issues of France caused the outbreak
of the French Revolution.
Much was responsible for the French Revolution. Though other countries experienced harsh conditions,
the coalition of economic, social, and political features triggered the fire of the Revolution. It caused
events such as the Storming of the Bastille, the March on Versailles, and even the creation of the
vehement Guillotine. The French Revolution was not only an attempt to overthrow the French
Monarchy but the epitome of emerging liberty, fraternity, and equality