Causes of the French Revolution of 1789

Uploaded by YaRmaNi on Mar 28, 2005

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 Philosophers
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 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. Many people became livid at the way France was governed. The people
couldn't do anything to bring about a change. The French Parliament was called the
Estates-General. It had not met since 1614 and couldn't without the consent of the
king. It basically had no power.

The economic problems created by the French kings also contributed to the
Revolution. During the 18th century, the French government spent more money than
it collected in taxes. By 1788, the country was bankrupt. Arthur Young, an
Englishmen and observer, who traveled to France from 1787 to 1789 angrily
describes the living conditions of the peasants in his book Travels in France. The
amount of tax each person must pay is unfair. Landholders found in the nobility
weren't taxed much. The landholders found in the commoners were taxed heavily.
There was lack of bread. The price of bread was a lot higher then one's ability to pay
which caused great misery for the people of France. Most of the money was spent on
wars. France had been at war for nearly 50 years out of the previous one hundred
years. France supported the Americans in the American War of the Independence.
After that, France was in financial ruins. A large sum of money was also spent on
palaces, entertainment and gifts by the kings of France. The government spent a lot
of money which put forth high taxes. The tax system was unjust. The nobles and the
clergy hardly paid any tax. The Church owned one-tenth of the land in France and did
not pay any taxes. The peasants were the victims of the heavy taxation. Louis XVI
tried to reform the taxation system but the nobility and the clergy refused to accept
the new reforms. Therefore, the king was unable to make any financial reforms. The
gabelle, salt tax, was also levied by the French Kings. When Jacques Turgot tried to
impose the corvee, tax on land property, he was opposed by the nobility. He failed to
pass the corvee and was dismissed by Louis XVI..

Social problems were also a major factor that brought about the French Revolution. In
the 18th century, France was a feudal country with class divisions. People were
divided into three estates. The First Estate consisted of the clergy. The Second
consisted of the nobility, and the Third included the bourgeoisie, the city workers and
the peasants. The state you belonged to decided your power and rights. Document 2
shows the social class distinctions. The first estate was made up of 1% of the people
and owned 10% of the land in France. The second estate consisted of 2% of the
people and owned 35% of the land. The third estate held 97% of the people who
owned 55% of the land. The people-to-land proportion was unjust looking at the
amount of people in each estate. The third estate held very little land compared to the
amount of people it had. It was overcrowded. The first and the second estate were
the privileged classes. They clergy and the nobility were exempt from many taxes.
They had to pay about four-fifths of their income on tax. They also needed to pay the
land tax: also the taxes on property, roads, and salt. The third estate was the most
discontented class. The bourgeoisie were well educated. They were strongly
influenced by the ideas of Voltaire and Rousseau who attacked the injustices of the
time. Rousseau believed that people are basically good but become corrupted by
society. In an ideal society, people would make the laws and would obey them
willingly. Probably the most famous of the philisophes was Francois-Marie Arouet
who took the name Voltaire. He used biting wit as a weapon to expose the abuses of
his day. He targeted corrupt officials and idle aristocrats. With his pen, he battled
inequality, injustice, and superstition. He detested the slave trade and deplored
religious prejudice. They resented the privileges of the nobility and wanted a larger
role in state affairs. City workers were angry because their wages were not enough to
buy goods when prices were going up rapidly. The peasants made up 80% of the
population and had to pay heavy taxes. In his book The French Revolution, Albert
Mathiez states that the Revolution was caused by the middle classes. The working
classes weren't able to control or start the Revolution. They were just starting to learn
how to read. French peasants were subject to certain feudal dues, called banalities.
These included the required used-for-payment of the lord's mill to grind grain and his
oven to bake bread. The lord could also require a certain number of days each year
of the peasant's labor. Peasants were targeted by society. They couldn't do anything
on there own or try to fight back.

The French Revolution was caused by social, political and economic problems.
People were in discontent with the king. The first two estates were privileged and the
third was very unprivileged and had to pay heavy taxes. The third estate did not get
along with the first two. French kings spent a lot of money on wars. They spent more
money then they made. It was time for a change in France.
Causes of French Revolution
Wars:
A number of major wars had taken place in the forty years leading up to the revolution.
France used to always participate in the war and King Louis had to invest a lot of money in
wars and the weapons. All this money came from the taxes paid by the 3rd estate. For
example: the war with British: in 1756 the French fought with the Americans against British.
This caused the government run low on money at a time when prices were high. This
contributed to the overall causes leading up to the revolution because it outraged the
peasants to be so burdened that they could not afford to eat. On top of that they had failed
crops which further increased the price of the essential commodities. All this lead to unrest
and food riots.

Price increase:
In 1700, the price of essential things increased so much that the wages of the workers
could not match with the price of the commodities. So the families could not afford food and
other basic necessities with such low incomes. This is long term causes which lead to French
revolution as there was a lot of discontentment among the masses.

Poor Harvest:
In 1787-88, the harvests were very bad due to very severe cold winters. Thousands of
people suffered because there was not enough food. Angry mobs gathered in the streets.
The women played an important role in the French revolution as these poor women of Paris
marched to the king’s palace at Versailles to demand bread for their hungry children. This is
one of the short term economical causes of revolution.

Burden of New Taxes:

In order to create funds for the war and to buy the weapons, the King Louis XVI kept on
increasing the taxes which further added burden on the third estate as discussed in the
other section. This lead to French revolution as the poor peasants could not cope up with
theses taxes and could not do anything about it as they had no voice. They wanted to have
a say in as to how the country should be run.

The First Estate:

the first estate mainly consisted of clergy. This was the Roman Catholic Church. They were
the 0.3% of France’s population and owned about 10% of the land. On top of that, they
didn’t pay taxes even thought they were one of the wealthiest people of France. The
peasants paid 10% of their salary only to the Archbishops, Bishops and Abbots. The leaders
of the clergy, bishops lived like nobles. The first estate contributed to the revolution but it
was a short term cause. The Clergy took advantage of the fact that the king was so
indecisive and non-judgmental. They thought that they could gain power by helping and
advising the king when he would reach a dilemma. The greed for power contributed to the
revolution because then the other estates wanted power as well.

The Second Estate:

The second estates were aristocrats. They made up 1.5% of the population and owned 20%
of the land. They didn’t pay taxes either. They often ordered peasants to work on their land
and made them pay to use the mills. They were given control over other villages. They were
hated by both the estates. They were hated by the first estate because the aristocrats had
control over more land. They were well of and wealthy and on top of that they didn’t have
to pay any taxes. Aristocrats were hated by the peasants because they used to be used as
slaves. The second estate contributed to the revolution because they refused to help King
Louis by not paying the taxes especially during 1787 when the money was needed to fund
the war against the British. The second estate did not help King Louis XVI to bring about
reforms in the taxation system. In 1783, Charles de Calonne (Controller General of Finance)
suggested that the nobility should also pay the taxes. The nobility refused to cooperate
which further increased the economic problems of France.

Unfair taxation and the Third Estate:

The 3rd estate made up 98.2% of the population. The 3rd estate consisted of middle class
and peasants. There were lawyers, doctors, bankers, soldiers, merchants, priests, artisans,
urban workers and peasants. The majority of the third estates were the peasants. They
owned little land. They used to be abused by the first and the second estates. They used to
call the poorest members of the third estate sans-culottes. It was a term created by the
French in 1790 to describe the poorest members of the thirst estate because they wore
pantaloons instead of the more in fashion clothes. The taxation system prevalent in France
was faulty as the poorest were forced to pay the maximum taxes. The 3rd estate comprising
of mainly the peasants had to pay 1/10 of their salary to the church. This was known as
“tithe’. There were many other taxes that they also had to pay. They paid the “taille” which
was a sort of income tax. They had to pay “Seigneurial’ to the local landlord, or lord of the
manor. These taxes were known as “feudal dues”. For example; the landlord would charge
peasants heavily to use his mill to grind corn. Corvée (work tax) was paid for few days each
year. Peasants had to work hard for the upkeep of local roads. Gabelle was a tax on salt.
There was tax on salt since it helped to preserve food and “Aide” was a tax on bottle of
wine. The third estate weren’t paid sufficiently and they had to pay so many different taxes.
The revolution took place because there was unfair taxation. The poorest community of
France was paying high taxes for multiple reasons. They paid taxes so that the aristocrats
can live a lavish life. They paid taxes to fund the war. They paid taxes to save the economy
of the country.They are the real heroes of the French revolution because they were the ones
who took the first action which was known as the beginning of the French revolution.
Because the peasants wanted new constitution, the trigger took place. They wanted power
that’s why they took over the king and gained power.

Population increase:
Population increase lead to the French revolution although it was a short term cause. The
population increased dramatically in the 18th century. This caused peasants to become
landless. This also meant that there was shortage of resources as they didn’t have surplus
due to the poor harvest. Due to this reason the capable families worked really hard in order
to feed their families and be capable of paying the taxes. This caused the revolution
because it made the peasants want more land, money and power.

The age of Enlightment:

The enlightment was a period of revolution; a time where there was a major shift in the way
the people thought. People began to question, investigate, reason and find the logic behind
the theories. They were confident as they were going against the church / questioning the
church, and who ever did that was executed. The enlightment affected areas like POLITICS,
ARTS, LITERATURE, SCIENCE and last but not the least RELIGION. People started having
secular thoughts. People started becoming open-minded and were ready to accept the
change. They made their own laws and customs and adapted reality. Due to this the people
became more knowledgeable New political ideas were evolved which lead to a new view of a
government. The government system changed. People wanted to have representatives
government not one person ruling the country. They wanted to change their form of
government from absolute monarchy to democracy. All the citizens wanted to share power.
More universities and book were made. This also gave people a better sense of equality.
There was a desire to change the society. The philosophers often gathered in Paris and
other European cities. They discussed politics, science and society. They changed their
ideology. They believed in secular thoughts, “SOCIAL CONTACT “and the “GENERAL WILL”.
Social contact was a deal with people for the good, the right to elect, impeaching a
president (anyone who has power) and general will was that people should have a right to
choose their ruler. These ideas and thoughts lead to the French revolution as the people of
France became more aware of their rights and freedom and liberty.

Demands and The tennis court oath:

This was the trigger and led to the revolution. Louis XVI tried to prevent the national
assembly from writing a new constitution by locking them out of their meeting rooms.
However, they gathered in an indoor tennis court. There they took an oath not to disband
until they had written the constitution. This was a major event which started the revolution
because we can see that the people have gone against the king because he didn’t let the
people make laws and regulations. This also indicates that the citizens desired change badly
that is why they took this action and took the oath that they will make a new constitution.
The third estate declared themselves as the national assembly. There were three main
demands of the peasants. The first one was that the peasants wanted Necker to return and
become the finance minister as they knew that he would sort out the monetary issues.
Secondly, they wanted new constitution, rules that would give the king less power and give
the third estate a voice in the running of France. Their last demand was that they wanted to
rule the country as they made the majority of the population. In conclusion, we can say that
there were numerous causes which lead to the French Revolution out of which, most of
them were economical. The revolution was imminent because the third estates were treated
badly since they were abused, treated like slaves and paid heavy taxes when they couldn’t
afford it. They didn’t have power either. The French revolution brought a sense of equality
among the citizens of France and everybody shared power. All the causes of the French
revolution are interconnected because one issue leads to another and piles up. And when all
the causes pile up it becomes a burden and there is no way out, hence the majority wins
and there is a new beginning. Like in this case, all the causes just piled up. When king Louis
had no way out the wheel turned causing the majority to win, in this case the peasants and
there was a new beginning. There was a new form of government, sense of equality and
everybody had equal power. The political factors lead to the economical factors.

Chapter – 1

The French Revolution

Q.1: Describe the circumstances leading to outbreak of

revolutionary protest in France.

Ans: On the eve of the French Revolution, that is in 1789

A.D. France presented a dismal look. Following were the conditions on the
eve of the French Revolution. In other words we can say that following were
the chief causes of the French Revolution:

(a) Social Causes - On the eve of the revolution, the French society was
ridden with several inequalities. The clergy and the nobles led a life of luxury
and enjoyed numerous privileges. On the other hand, the peasants and
workers lived a wretched life. They groaned under heavy taxes and forced
labour. The middle-class comprising of lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc also
suffered humiliation at the hands of the clergy and the nobles. This state of
social inequality was the chief cause of the French Revolution.

(b) Political Causes - Emperor Louis XVI of France was an empty headed
despot. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette, squandered money on their
luxurious living and wasteful festivities. The high posts were often auctioned,
so inefficiency reigned supreme. The whole administration was corrupt and
each department had its own laws. In the absence of any uniform system
there was confusion all around. The people were tired of such a rotten
system of administration and wanted a change.

(c) Economic Causes - France had been continually involved in wars which
had broken her economy. The luxurious life led by the French King Louis XVI
and his queen had made the matter still worse. The people groaned under
heavy taxes. The system was so faulty that only a fraction of the taxes could
be realized as the people were too poor to pay the taxes while nobles and
the clergy who could pay, were completely exempted from all the taxes. The
economy became so bad that the French Government had almost reached a
state of bankruptcy. Thus the shattered economy of France proved a major
cause of the Revolution.

(d) Immediate Cause - Forced by financial bankruptcy, Emperor Louis XVI

was compelled to call a meeting of the Estates General in 1789 A.D. after a
lapse of 175 years. It generated much excitement as the members of the
Third Estate were determined to put forth their problems. But when the first
two Estates i.e. the Clergy and the Nobility refused to have a common
meeting with the Third Estate, the people lost their temper. They had already
suffered much in the severe famine in 1788 - 1789. In this way the calling of
the Estates General in 1789 A.D. proved to be the immediate cause of the
French Revolution.

Q.2: Which groups of French society benefitted from the revolution?

Which groups were forced to relinquish power? Which sections of
society would have been disappointed with the outcome of the
revolution?

Ans: Groups of French society which benefitted from the revolution -

All the groups of French society which formerly formed a part of the Third
Estate were benefitted from the revolution. These groups included the
peasants, workers, petty-officers, lawyers, teachers, doctors and traders.
Formerly they had to pay all the taxes and they were humiliated both by the
Clergy and the Nobles at every point but after the revolution they began to
be treated equal with the upper sections of the society.

Groups of French society which were forced to relinquish power -

People belonging to the upper classes - the First Estate and the Second
Estate, which enjoyed all the privileges has to relinquish power. Such people
were the Clergy and the Nobles. The special privileges of these higher
sections were abolished as a result of the French Revolution. Now the French
society was organized on the basis of social equality.

Sections of society which would have been disappointed with the

outcome of the revolution - Naturally the erstwhile privileged classes i.e.
the Clergy and the Nobles would have been disappointed with the outcome
of the revolution because everybody is disappointed when privileges are
taken away from them.

Q.3: Describe the legacy of the French Revolution for the people of
the world during the 19th and the 20th centuries.

Ans: The French Revolution was one of the most significant events in the
World History. It gave to the world the three main ideals of Liberty, Equality
and Fraternity. Its main achievements and effects on the modern world were
as follows:

1. The French Revolution put an end to the arbitrary rule and developed the
idea of People’s Republic in Europeand subsequently in other parts of the
world.

2. It inspired the people throughout the world with the ideals of freedom and
liberty which subsequently formed the basis of the national sovereignty.

3. The French Revolution preached the concept of equal rights for all the
citizens, which subsequently became the concept of equality before law for
all people.

4. It spread the idea of human fraternity which is one of the chief attributes
for promoting the ideals of love, unity and co-operation among the different
sections of the society.

5. The French Revolution gave the term ‘Nation’ its modern meaning and
promoted the concept of ‘nationalist’ which inspired the people in Poland,
Germany, Netherlands and Italy to establish Nation-States in their countries.

6. The French Revolution had a great salutary effect on the ruling monarchs
who took several measures to ensure people’s welfare introducing many
reforms.

Q.4: Draw up a list of democratic rights we enjoy today whose origin

could be treated to the French Revolution.

Ans: We in India enjoy the following Fundamental Rights.

1. Right to Equality
2. Right to Freedom
3. Cultural and Educational Right
4. Right to Religious Freedom
5. Right against Exploitation
6. Right to Constitutional Remedies

If we closely study the impact of the French Revolution, we can easily find
that many of them have their origin in the French Revolution.

I. Right to Equality - The Right to Equality has its origin in the French
Revolution. Equality was one of the main principles of the French Revolution,
which led to special rights and privileges of the common classes and
established political, economic and social equality.

II. Right to Liberty or Freedom - The origin of this right can also be traced to
the French Revolution. The Declaration of Rights of Man laid emphasis on the
personal liberty and right of the common peoples.
III. Inspiring the Spirit of Democracy - The French Revolution inspired the
spirit of democracy which ensured all other rights which we enjoy today. It
stressed on the principle that the government should not be only for the
people but also by the people.

IV. Encouraging the Spirit of Fraternity - By breaking all shackles of high and
low the French Revolution helped in the growth of the spirit of Fraternity and
Social Welfare.

Directly or indirectly the origin of all Fundamental Rights can be traced to the
French Revolution.

Q.5: Would you agree with the view that the message of universal
rights was beset with contradictions. Explain.

Ans: There are two opinions on this point whether the message of universal
rights was beset with concentrations or not. Most of the authors feel that the
message of universal rights, as explained in the last question was quite clear
and there should be no contradiction to such principles. The Declaration of
Rights of Man and Citizen was perhaps the first attempt in the world to draw
an outline of the universal rights on such a wider scale. It was a laudable
attempt. It laid emphasis on the three fundamental principles of Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity. Such principles have been adopted by all the
democratic countries. Contradictions, if any, are only vague and need not be
taken so seriously. Some criticize only for the sake of criticism and so they
should be ignored. The French Revolutionaries must be congratulated for
heralding the great principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Q.6. How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?

Ans: After France became a republic in 1792, the then ruler, Robespeirre,
gave more privileges to the wealthier section of society. Further, he was a
sort of autocrat himself. This led to reign of terror for the following many
years. After Robespeirre’s rule came to an end a directory was formed to
avoid concentration of power in one individual. Members of the directory
often fought among themselves leading to total chaos and political
instability. This created a political vaccum in France. This was a conducive
situation and Napoleon Bonaparte took the reign of power as a military
dictator