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French Rev

The French Revolution was sparked by financial troubles that led King Louis XVI to summon the Estates General in 1789. This assembly represented the clergy, nobility, and middle class of France. However, the Third Estate, representing 98% of the population, had less voting power than the other estates. In the lead up to the meeting, the Third Estate mobilized support for equal representation. This set the stage for the revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and centuries-old institutions like feudalism, radically transforming France's political system.

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12 views

French Rev

The French Revolution was sparked by financial troubles that led King Louis XVI to summon the Estates General in 1789. This assembly represented the clergy, nobility, and middle class of France. However, the Third Estate, representing 98% of the population, had less voting power than the other estates. In the lead up to the meeting, the Third Estate mobilized support for equal representation. This set the stage for the revolution, which overthrew the monarchy and centuries-old institutions like feudalism, radically transforming France's political system.

Uploaded by

bellpepper
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The French Revolution was a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in

the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens
radically altered their political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as the
monarchy and the feudal system. The upheaval was caused by disgust with the French
aristocracy and the economic policies of King Louis XVI, who met his death by guillotine, as did
his wife Marie Antoinette. Though it degenerated into a bloodbath during the Reign of Terror,
the French Revolution helped to shape modern democracies by showing the power inherent in
the will of the people.

Causes of the French Revolution

As the 18th century drew to a close, France’s costly involvement in the American Revolution,
combined with extravagant spending by King Louis XVI, had left France on the brink of
bankruptcy. Not only were the royal coffers depleted, but several years of poor harvests,
drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and
the urban poor. Many expressed their desperation and resentment toward a regime that
imposed heavy taxes—yet failed to provide any relief—by rioting, looting and striking.

In the fall of 1786, Louis XVI’s controller general, Charles Alexandre de Calonne, proposed a
financial reform package that included a universal land tax from which the aristocratic classes
would no longer be exempt.

Estates General

To garner support for these measures and forestall a growing aristocratic revolt, the king
summoned the Estates General (les états généraux) – an assembly representing France’s clergy,
nobility and middle class – for the first time since 1614.

The meeting was scheduled for May 5, 1789; in the meantime, delegates of the three estates
from each locality would compile lists of grievances (cahiers de doléances) to present to the
king.

Rise of the Third Estate


France’s population, of course, had changed considerably since 1614. The non-aristocratic,
middle-class members of the Third Estate now represented 98 percent of the people but could
still be outvoted by the other two bodies.

In the lead-up to the May 5 meeting, the Third Estate began to mobilize support for equal
representation and the abolishment of the noble veto—in other words, they wanted voting by
head and not by status.

While all of the orders shared a common desire for fiscal and judicial reform as well as a more
representative form of government, the nobles in particular were loath to give up the privileges
they had long enjoyed under the traditional system.

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