...CAUSES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION Political Causes: The French rulers were not interested in the welfare of the people. This naturally created discontent among the people. France attained the height of glory under Louis XIV who ruled for twelve years. However, his highly expensive wars and lavish style of living weakened France, economically as well as politically. He gave good advice to his successor Louis XV saying "Do not imitate my fondness for building and for war, but work to lessen the misery of my people." Louis XV considered state business to be a bore and engaged himself in pursuing worldly pleasures. His constant source of enjoyment was Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry. He appointed and dismissed ministers and even declared wars only to please these women. When his ministers attempted to discuss affairs of the state with him, he merely remarked, "After me, the deluge." He was indifferent to the fact that the treasury was empty after the wars. He adopted a policy of repression by strict press censorship, arbitrary imprisonment of those seeking reform, banning and burning literature criticizing the government, thus endangering personal liberty in France. Though his successor Louis XVI was intelligent and meant to do well, he lacked the will power to carry out any reforms. Further, he was badly influenced by flattering courtiers and his ill - advised Queen Marie Antoinette who lacked consideration for the people. When she was told that the people had no bread...
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...CAUSES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION Date: 1789–1799 Participants: French society Location: France The French Revolution was a major event in modern European history. The causes of the French Revolution were many: the monarchy's severe debt problems, high taxes, poor harvests, and the influence of new political ideas and the American Revolution, to mention only a few. Starting as a movement for government reforms, the French Revolution rapidly turned radical and violent, leading to the abolition of the monarchy and execution of King Louis XVI. Though the monarchy was eventually restored, the French Revolution changed France and the rest of Europe forever. It inspired a number of revolutionary movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that made the final end to institutions such as absolutism, feudalism, class privilege and legal inequality, and spread the principles of natural right, equality and freedom throughout the world. The three main causes of French revolution are as follows: 1. Political Cause 2. Social Cause 3. Economic Cause 4. Intellectual Cause. POLITICAL CAUSE That time France was the absolute monarchy with a weak monarch king Louis XVI - French king of the Bourbon dynasty who took the throne in 1774; inherited massive debt problems but was unable to fix them. France had long subscribed to the idea of divine right, which maintained that kings were selected by God and thus perpetually entitled to the throne. This doctrine resulted in a system...
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...most worrying thing for the government is the way in which it soon antagonised the peasants who had been an important component of the revolutionaries’ support base. This essay seeks to explore the civil constitution and show how it weakened the support base of the revolutionaries as it alienated the Catholic constituency that had been sympathetic all along. The essay will also show how the civil constitution had far-reaching consequences that included civil and international war. The Civil Constitution narrowed the support base of the revolutionaries by antagonising the peasants and civil war was the ultimate result. Prior to the civil constitution, the outbreak of the revolution had united different sections of the Third Estate. The peasants who constituted just over ninety per cent of the French population were by far the largest component of the revolution’s support base. There was so much uniting the Third Estate including demands for political and civil rights. The...
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...The French Revolution The book that was reviewed is titled “The French Revolution: William Doyle”. It addresses some of the causes of the French revolution and the effects it had. The French Revolution is known as one of the most significant events in the world’s history. Its impact hardly can be overvalued due to globally caused implications. Therefore, it is considered as generally valid birth of civilized principles. Appropriate analyzing requires plenty of items considering. However, there is the try to outline the most significant causes and effects of great historical event. Let’s start with the causes of the French Revolution. A major cause was social injustice and class inequalities. 18th century in French history was the time of feudal abutment. Naturally that is accompanied by different rights and duties for its members. The division of French society members was provided by Estates. In fact, prerevolutionary France experienced three of them: first, second and third estate respectively. The contrast between them was too significant and frustrated the lowest class. The first most privileged Estate was for about 2 percent of the entire population. At the end of scholastic influence era, the power of the Church was unrestricted. As for corresponding benefits, the Estate was out of tax duty. Moreover, the Church was authorized for income tithe claiming. Curiously enough, this minority owned more than 15% percent of France’s lands. The second Estate was nobility. As well...
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...The French Revolution of 1789 had many long-range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions in France contributed to the discontent felt by many French people-especially those of the third estate. The ideas of the intellectuals of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the coming of the French Revolution. The Philosophes planted the seeds for the French Revolution. Their goals were to expose and destroy the inequalities of the ancient regime (old order). The political discontent of France was one of the causes of the Revolution. In the 17th and 18th centuries, France was ruled by an absolute government. The king had all the political powers. Anyone who criticized the government could be arrested and put in prison without trial. Louis XVI was king at the time of the French Revolution. He was more interested in hunting than governing France. He and his Austrian queen, Marie Antoinette, lived an extravagant life at the Palace of Versailles. They did not really care about the state of their country. The excerpt from the cahiers mentioned in document 3 shows that the votes in the assembly were not taken by head. The people of the 3rd estate felt a sense of betrayal when the king supported the block voting over the head voting. The first two estates worked together to outvote the large third estate to keep them from becoming a threat to the power. Lord Acton, an Englishmen, states that the monarchy being overthrown...
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...Western Civilizations Final Essay: French Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Causes of WWI Sherly Familia EUH 2001 Professor Miller December 13, 2017 Predominantly history helps us understand the changes society has faced and took on changes that at the time deem necessary to leave the past behind and try to move forward. History focuses on past events but it is also studies of past experiences and that helps society make better choices with everyday problems. Governments of today are based of the same concepts in the time of western civilizations. The nature and legacy of the French Revolution has been debated into three explanations. First the French Revolution signaled for a democracy victory over tyrant government. “It proved that the residents of an old monarchy in the heart of Europe could come together to constitute themselves as citizens of...
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...In 1770, an age of dangerous vulnerability for European monarchy, Marie Antoinette walked with great expectations into a ticking bomb. Over the previous and next few years, the discontent and anger of the French against their nobility expanded rapidly, people distrusted the way national finances were been managed by the King and his court. (History.com 2009) The French debt increased every year since Louis XIV had made extravagant expenditures on luxuries such as magnifying Versailles. This was compounded by heavy costs of the Seven Years War that his heir, Luis XV financed; Luis XVI invested a large amount in the American War of Independence. “This led to the long-running fiscal crisis of the government. France was deeply indebted, so deeply as to be effectively bankrupt.” (Bonjour La France, Causes of the French Revolution, 2014). On the other hand, the population of France grew abruptly; in 1700 there were approximately 20 million people, only 89 years later the nation counted 10 million more. (Bastille-Day 2015). The French Society of the time was separated into three ranks: The First Estate was the Clergy, The Second Estates were the Nobles and the Third Estate was the Common People. Only the last ones had to pay abusive taxes, mainly to maintain the royal family and court in Versailles. Even though The Third Estate was definitly superior in...
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...This historical analysis will define the causes, changes, and effects of the French Revolution from 1789-1795. The primary cause of the French Revolution was the growing concern over the absolute power of the monarchy that excluded the middle and lower classes from participation in the government. Louis XVI was the absolute monarch during the early stages of the revolution, which served as a catalyst for extreme governmental neglect, starvation, and abuse of the lower and middle classes during the 1780s. More so, an increased interest in Enlightenment principles, the American Revolution, and Republican government created a middle class platform for protesting the king as a threat to participatory governance. Eventually, the Estates-General sought diplomatic means to end the monarchy, but Louis XVI refused to abdicate. However, the Estates General formed a military and overthrew the monarchy, which resulted in the formation a Republican government in 1792....
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...The French Revolution was a world changing event. What caused The French Revolution? The causes of the French Revolution are Feudalism/the class system, the monarchy and the economy all played their part. To begin with, Feudalism and the class system helped caused the French Revolution. For example, feudalism (is a class system based on land ownership) feudal oppression and fiscal for years had mismanagement. Another, the contribution to the French society that was ripe for revolt and that lead to unfair taxation and laws to where it benefit the first and second estate and the third estate (poor people) was left with paying all of the taxes and giving away their money to pay the first and second estate so they can get richer. Next, the class system. The class system was an unfair market towards the low and poor people. First, the first estate were the clergy the clergy were the high members of the church such as pope, Priest and bishops. They were they rich but they population, the 2nd estate were the Nobles the nobles were the landowners who paid little taxes. Lastly, were the 3rd estate they were the rest of French the poor side where they had to pay all the taxes and work 10x as hard....
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...The American, French, and Haitian Revolutions: Causes and Consequences The world in the 18th century was in turmoil. Not so much politically as it was philosophically. For centuries the power of government had rested in inheritance and tradition. The king was king by birth and divine right. People were content to accept their lot. You took what life gave you and did the best you could with what you had, but all that was about to change. Starting around the turn of the 17th century, works by philosophers such as John Locke, Voltaire, David Hume, Emmanual Kant and others began making their way into the libraries of the common people. The ideas about government and its existence were starting to be questioned. The government, the philosophers preached, existed to serve the people, not the other way around. If and when a government fails to be of benefit to its people, then said subjects have the right to abolish the current government. It was this idea, along with the teachings of all men are created equal that would eventually lead to the revolutions that would dominate the end of the 18th century and on into the 19th century. Called the "shot heard around the world" by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his poem “Concord Hymn”, a bullet fired in Concord, Massachusetts in 1775 is credited by many as the official start of the American revolutionary war. In reality, though, it had actually begun more than two decades prior with the start of the French and Indian War...
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...The French revolution was an important event in our history. It brought modern changes to the world and destroyed the old order of the government. The middle class became modern society and feudalism was swept away. Since Louis XIV, France was growing wealthy and also becoming the most populated country in Europe. Although economically they were growing, the people were not pleased with the idea of their society and government. France was ruled by an absolute monarch and divided in 3 unequal classes. Ultimately, three important factors caused the French Revolution: a political, social and economic crisis. The political crisis was due to Louis XVI. Louis XVI cost the people of France millions of dollars during their financial crisis from lavish spending’s. This caused him to be very unpopular to the people. After his army was defeated in 1787 by the Prussians, the people no longer believed in the divine right of the kings. The people started to become enlightened from the philosophers who led them to believe that leaders were only legit if they had the peoples consent. This was a problem because the people no longer believed in Louis XVI....
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...The American and French Revolutions had a common goal. Compare and contrast the causes and practices of the American and French Revolution. Throughout human history, few have always controlled the lives of many. This case still exists today, as governments consisting of a few hundred people attempt to do what is best for millions of others. However, the public through an electoral process most commonly selects these decision-makers. These decision-making individuals were not always selected by the public, and in some such instances, the few that ruled over others were overthrown after their actions earned the discontent of the people. Both the American Revolution and the French Revolution can be grouped as these events. In both the American and French Revolution, the ruler was regarded as a tyrant and overthrown for the benefit of the public. Although the aims of the two revolutions were quite similar, there were many differences between them. The American Revolution and the French Revolution can be categorized as events where rulers were overthrown due to their actions; however, no matter how similar the causes, there are many differences between the events of the two revolutions. The French-Indian War of 1754 was a war between the British and the French to gain control over North American colonies. The British eventually defeated the French but owed a great debt and expected the colonies to help pay for the cost of the war. The British wished to cut down on costs in its North...
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...The Enlightenment removes some of the power of the French government and the church, and inspires a new type of society that is based on rationale, and not inherited power. More and more people are taking in this idea of equality and individual freedom. The American Revolution showed the French people that it is possible for a government with Enlightenment ideas integrated. Some American diplomats such as Benjamin Franklin have lived in Paris, where they talk with French authorities and respected people. Also, contact between the Americans and the French that helped the Americans win the war helped spread these revolutionary ideas to other people in France. This is important to the thesis because it shows one of the causes of the French Revolution, and the effects of The Enlightenement can...
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...Revolutions such as the American Revolution and the French Revolution are often referred to as major turning points in history. These revolutions have left lasting impacts on countless nations and regions worldwide. Revolutions represent major changes in a society, government systems and the economic lives of the people impacted. The French Revolution, which began in 1789 and lasted until 1814, set into a motion a course of revolutions that impacted not only the people of France but other groups around the world seeking independence and changes in their government. There were many causes of the French Revolution. One cause of the French Revolution was that King Louis the XVI could imprison anybody for however long he felt, and did not have...
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...French Revolution The French Revolution last from 1789 to 1799. This war had many causes that began the revolution. Its causes ranged from the American Revolution, the economic crisis in France, social injustices to the immediate causes like the fall of Bastille, the Convening of he Estate-General, and the Great Fear. As a result of this revolution there many effects , immediate and long term. The immediate effects were the declaration of rights of man, abolishing of olds reign, execution of king and queen, the reign of terror, and war and forming of the citizen-army. The long term effects were the rise of Napoleon, spread of revolutionary ideas, growth of nationalism, and the conservative reaction. The contributing factors to the French Revolution was the economic crisis in France. The French government had undergone economic crises, resulting from the long wars waged during the reign of Louis XIV, the losses incurred in the French and Indian War, and increased indebtedness arising from loans to the American colonies during the American Revolution. The American Revolution showed that they got economical and political freedom from Britain. This liberalism sparked many revolutions in Europe ,but in France the ideas of the Enlightenment and liberalism were put to their fullest test. The French people wanted rights and would later get these. Another reason was that the old regime was ineffective and it abused its power. The immediate causes of the French Revolution were that the...
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