It questioned the authority of kings, priests, and nobles. The Revolution also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political ideas of the people. Before the French Revolution, France was in a major economic crisis. There was a royal debt; the French government kept spending more money than it was receiving by taxes. This was a direct cause of the economic crises that faced the French Government.
This debt was further accentuated by her involvement in the American Revolution from 1775, and the government continued spending more than they were receiving in taxes. This ensured that by 1788, the royal treasury was empty. This forced heavier taxes upon the 3rd estate, such as the hated gabelle, which angered them as this level of taxing was not enforced upon the higher estates, despite the fact that they had more money. However, the 3rd estate faced graver problems than this as, from 1788 – 1789, a series of bad weather events resulted in bad crops. This was a devastating blow to France as the
In the period 1783 to 93 William Pitt was involved in many different reforms, in areas of finance, administrative and commercial. These were crucial in some way and contributed to Pitt trying to bring about a national revival in Britain. The American War of Independence had had a serious affect on Britain, by ruining government finances, due to the costs of war and the disruption to trade caused by the war. The main problem facing Pitt was the national debt; it had rose, by 91%, to £250 million, with the government expenditure exceeding income by £10.5 million per annum. In addition the interest on the debt alone was £9 million per year.
It could be argued that there are multiple factors that could be argued to be the primary cause of the American Revolution. These factors include social, economic, and political causes, all of which branch out into far more intricate categories. However, a major precursor of the revolution was the tyrannical control with which Britain treated the Americans as an inferior people, mainly through absurd taxes. The colonists began to see the economic restraints that Britain’s laws placed on their lives. Americans grew to believe that the many taxes were levied for the enhancement of British capital at the expense of American welfare.
As stated previously, the Forced Loan existed to fund England’s wars considering that Parliament was reluctant to grant Charles further subsidies. Foreign policy had been dreadful for England since Charles had become King due to large scale operations such as the Cadiz Expedition failing miserably. As such, it was becoming increasingly more expensive to fund. Due to this Charles demanded more
Not all social classes (estates) agreed on the decisions that were taking place at that point in time, some gained and some lost. There were a number of economic problems which helped cause the French Revolution. This produced a huge deal of offence between associates of the third estate who were outraged about the divide between the rich and broke and were likely to demand a transformation. The reality that the greater part of the French population famished also meant that they were likely to fight back. The king and queen played a big part in the outbreak of the revolution.
King Louis XVI had bankrupt the French by supporting the American Revolution. He spent more money on maintaining his palace at Versailles then he did on supporting the French army. The need for a taxation came about and this resulted in the high rise in food prices. Only the third estate was being taxed, since nobility and clergy were exempt, and that meant that not enough taxes were being collected properly to support France. The last main cause of the Revolution was the uprising political problems.
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 wasn't the spark of the Revolution. He recognizes the American Independence as the spark of the French Revolution. The French government was inefficient, unjust and corrupt. There were numerous government departments, different laws in different parts of the country and officials.
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 wasn't the spark of the Revolution. He recognizes the American Independence as the spark of the French Revolution. The French government was inefficient, unjust and corrupt. There were numerous government departments, different laws in different parts of the country and officials.
This lead to the French revolution, because the king needed more money, and had to call a meeting of the estates general, and increase the tax burden on the third estate, which all link back to government debt. Another cause was the bad harvest. Due to bad weather there was very bad harvest, and as the poor peasants relied on farming it wasn’t good. Bread was also a big part of their diet, but because of the bad harvest, bread prices rose and it was not affordable to the peasants. This caused the French revolution, because the poor people were starving, and the rose up to the king to get what they wanted.