Causes of the French Revolution The French Revolution of 1789 had many long-term and short term 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 people brought new views to government and society. One of these causes was the growing government debt. By 1787, the French government was bankrupt.
France previously had a very rigid social structure from during the ‘Ancien Regime’ and the French society started to be influenced by the idea of what the American Revolutionaries had achieved. French society was split into three estates: The Nobility, The Clergy and The Third Estate, this is everyone else in French society i.e. Bourgies and Peasants. There was growing discontent of the Third Estate, who criticized the privilege of the nobility and clergy and increasing government taxes. France was in huge financial difficulty following its involvement in the American Revolution as well as a food crisis which was crippling the economy.
First, the War of Austrian Succession 1740 to 1748, then Seven Years War which lasted from 1756 to 1763 and caused France to lose huge amounts of overseas territory due to its defeat. It also intervened in the American War of Independence from 1778 to 1783 which cost approximately 1066 million livres. Most of the cost for War was supported through the loans Necker raised, which gave the lenders lack of confidence due to lack of elected parliament to guarantee the loans. Another reason for France’s financial problems was the tax system in France. The tax farming system was ineffective and chaotic - Farmers-General paid the State an agreed sum and kept for themselves any extra amount.
As the revolution proceeded and as power devolved from the monarchy to legislative bodies, the conflicting interests of these initially allied groups would become the source of conflict and bloodshed. Certainly, all of the following must be counted among the causes of the revolution: Resentment of royal absolutism. Resentment of the seigneurial system by peasants, wage-earners, and a rising bourgeoisie. The rise of enlightenment ideals. An unmanageable national debt, both caused by and exacerbating the burden of a grossly inequitable system of taxation.
The country was run by absolute monarchy, an increasingly unpopular form of government in that time, had a very skewed distribution of wealth among the people and to make matters worse, was facing a financial crisis. These less than optimal conditions coupled with Louis’ weak ruling style eventually caused the discontent of the people to go over the top and led to what we all recognise as the French Revolution. Now comes the question, was it really inevitable? Perhaps if Louis were a little more decisive and less indulgent in his own lavish lifestyle, then maybe the French Revolution could have been prevented. The 3 largest factors that actually led to it in the first place were firstly, the pre-existing unequal social structure of France at the time, enlightenment ideas developed by philosophers from the Renaissance, and of course, France’s long chain of incompetent leaders, which of course ended tragically during King Louis XVI’s reign.
Before 1789, France was considered one of the most dominant European powers with a historically resilient absolute monarch at its head. However, under the regime of Louis XVI, the people grew restless and resentment towards the monarchy reached a new extreme. Jack Goldstone writes that for a revolution to occur, several factors must be considered: the social psychology of the people, the “why and when” of the failed state, the sociological element, political sciences of the matter, class conflict and finally the conscious agency, or decision making, of the people. So what is the state of mind that pushes almost an entire nation over the edge? What factors play into this?
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.
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.
Out of several causes of the French Revolution, there are three major ones; these causes will inevitably change France’s society. The Age of Enlightenment, had brought the idea of thinking, which allowed the nation to realize what their society really consisted of, making the people's minds spark with the thoughts of living in an unfair government. The social system in France would also be a major cause, it added on to the problems already brought up and associated with the age of enlightenment, which would lead to the French Revolution. The social system would bring unfairness between classes. Financial problems in France also added on to the causes.
From the very beginning, the Weimar republic encountered resistance from both sides of the political spectrum. The new government was the body that signed the Treaty of Versailles, and to many, that was a betrayal. The consequences of Versailles were severe to Germany, and many were looking for someone to blame, the government was the ideal scapegoat. The treaty had territorial, financial and political impacts within Germany, which severely divided the country. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles could be seen as undermining the Weimar