Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Long term causes (The engliement: The Age of Enlightenment was also called…
Long term causes
The engliement: The Age of Enlightenment was also called a revolution in thought. It brought new ideas of equality, liberty and fraternity which were the basic tenets of the French Revolution.
-
-
-
Liberty: freedom in society like speech, religion, press, trade etc.
Reason- absence of intolerance and prejudice in one’s thinking, and use logic to discover the truth
Estate-based society French society was organised into three estates that were classified into two groups.
The privileged estates (noble and clergy) had economic power, special laws and had to pay little or no taxes.
The lower social groups or third estate had no privileges, because the privileged estate governed them and they had no control over their lives.
-
American Revolution In 1776, the American colonists declared independence from Britain. War soon broke out and Louis XVI sent troops and money to help the Americans fight against France’s their traditional enemy, the British.
France actually helped the Patriots win the American Revolution by sending soldiers, ships, and weapons, but cost France a lost of money. It’s one reason why France had no money.
It inspired the French people. They saw a group of people overthrow their king and start a democracy. They wanted that, too!
-
Poverty: During the 18th century, important economic changes took place in France. Peasants and the poor people of the towns were finding it increasingly difficult to pay for the basics in life.
-
Absolutism: France was an absolutist monarchy from the middle of the 17th century with Louis XIV. From 1774, Louis XVI was the king of France.
Absolute monarchy or absolutism meant that the power of the monarch was unlimited except by divine law or by what was called ‘natural law’. In an absolute society, the only person who could change the powers of the monarch was the monarch. As such, it is difficult to think in terms of an absolute monarch diluting his/her own authority.
-
Where is the tax money?: Luis looks at the empty chests and asks “Where is the tax money?“ The financial minister, Necker, looks on and says “The money was there last time I looked." The nobles and clergy are sneaking out the door carrying sacks of money.
Taxation sistem: In France, even though some people in France were very rich, a large amount of them were poor. Taxes were high and so were prices, but the wages were low. Unable to provide for their families, the lower classes of France were also in an economic crisis.
