French Revolution Essay

French Revolution Essay

French Revolution Essay

The French Revolution was a time of great change for the French nation. The causes for the French Revolution were broken down into three components:   Social, Political, and Economic. With every war or revolution there is bloodshed and the French Revolution was no exception.
Pre-revolutionary France was known as the Old Regime. In that time the social classes were split into three estates. The amount of inequality between each estate helped form the revolution. The third estate, also known as the bourgeoisie or middle class, was responsible for paying all the taxes. For people living under the name of the third estate there was much tension and riots broke out frequently. Before the revolution there was a time of great change in the way we look at the world. It was known as the Enlightenment. Enlightenment thinkers helped people question the church and how the government worked. John Locke inspired people with his natural rights. He gave people courage to stand up for their beliefs. Another cause for the French Revolution was the American Revolution. The American Revolution helped people gain more rights. The French citizens were inspired by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, that they demanded equal rights for the third estate.
The French army played a large part in the American Revolution. They helped fight against the British on American lands. The cost of helping the American’s would be one of the many causes that contributed to France’s bad economy. King Louis XIV added to the debt of France with the building of Versailles. To help with the cost of the project, Louis XIV raised taxes. Due to the increase in taxes the people in the third estate were struggling to survive. The cost of living increased and the price of bread rose because of bad weather.
After Louis XIV’s power ended, a new time of uncertainty began. King Louis came to power. He was a weak and indecisive leader. He let political matters drift until they were too...