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causes of the French Revolution, economical, political, social,…
causes of the French Revolution
Unfair Class Structure
society was divided into three estates, the estate you belonged to determined your class and role in society.
the first estate was the clergy, powerful church leaders chosen by the king. The second estate was the aristocrats nobles who had high ranking past family members or bought their way into the estate. These first two estates made up 3% of the population, owned around 40% of all land, and didn't have to pay taxes. The third estate was the other 97% of the population, they ranged from wealthy bankers to the poorest in France. The third estate paid all taxes to the government and had little to no power socially.
Years of Bad Harvest & Famine
in the years before the French Revolution France saw a shift in weather that would negatively affect their harvest for years to come. These poor harvests would affect the poorest in France more than anyone. They often worked on farms and needed a good harvest to support their families financially.
bad harvest meant there was a shortage in wheat, bread prices rose drastically. Bread was the main food of the working classes diet. Now many of them could barely afford to feed their families
Economic Troubles
Throughout the 17th century, France was involved in many wars including the American revolution. This involvement eventually pushed the country into bankruptcy. the extravagant spending of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette pushed France further into bankruptcy.
the rich had luxurious and expensive lifestyles, the palace of Versailles cost almost $2 billion USD today, dinner at the palace featured more food than a peasant family would have all week. The people of the third class noticed this inequality and started to speak out against it
Poor Leadership (King Louis XVI)
france was ruled by an absolute monarchy meaning all the power belonged to the king or queen. They had control over all forms of authority and society
leadership was hereditary, Louis XVI came from a long line of king Louis'. The situation France was in wasn't his fault, but Louis did little to stop it, he stayed loyal to the idea of absolutism and refused to deal with the demands from the poor. The majority of French citizens resented the monarchy and wanted to see a change in leaderhsip.
the Age of Enlightenment : :
the age of enlightenment was the birthplace of the ideas that helped the French revolution begin. Liberty and equality were needed for the revolution, these ideals were explored and studied during the enlightenment. Specifically by philosophers Baron de Montesquieu, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
the Tennis Court Oath
on June 17th 1789 the third estate declared themselves the National Assembly, the true representative body in France. when Louis XVI heard of this he attempted to stop them from meeting by locking their meeting room.
The members of the National Assembly simply moved their meeting to the indoor tennis court next door. In their meeting they created the tennis court oath, voting to never disband until a new French constitution was made. when Louis XIV tried to shut down the assembly they stood their ground and refused. This brave act by the third estate laid the groundwork for the revolution.
the Storming of Bastille
the huge stone prison located in Paris served as a symbol of royal oppression, the abusive power of the monarchy. The King could send anyone there without a fair trial.
on the morning of July 14th 1989, a large mob stormed the Bastille to get ammunition and guns to defend themselves from rumored troops sent by Louis XVI to shoot and kill them. They forced the governor of Bastille Marquis de Launay to lower the gates and once inside they killed all the soldiers and Launay. Once the word of these events reached the king he asked his advisor “is this a revolt” to which they replied, “no sire, it is a revolution.
economical
political
social
intellectual
social
economical
political
philosopher JohnLocke
an illustration of the storming of bastille
King Louis XIV
a political cartoon showing how the third estate supported the other two
the inside of the Palace of Versailles
an illustration of when the Tennis Court Oath was created
