What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the

Objective: French Revolution?

● Describe the social, economic, and political issues that led to the French Revolution.

Introduction: What issues in society might cause people to revolt against their government?
➡ Directions: Using the chart below, brainstorm reasons why people revolt against their government.

Why might this issue cause someone to revolt

Issue in Society against their government?
Example: Not enough affordable food This problem might lead someone to revolt against their
government because not having enough affordable food could
lead to death and starvation.

Job wages goes down The problem with this is that people aren’t going to have
enough money to pay for rent and pay for food since they don’t
get enough

Segregation People will have a problem with this because the African
Americans won’t like to be separated of the things they do.
They would want equal rights and might cause a revolt.

Immigrations laws This problem might lead someone to revolt against their
government is because they want an opportunity at life in the
USA and people wouldn’t like to get deported

Of the issues you listed above, which issues do you think our society still faces today?

Identify Social, Economic, and Political issues in Pre-Revolutionary France

➡ Directions: As you read each section, identify the issues facing France and describe how these issues could lead to a
revolution in France.

Social Issues: The Three Estates

The estates system was the class structure or hierarchy in France before the French Revolution. The same groups that
held power during the Middle Ages still had control after the Middle Ages ended.

clergy: people who work for the church nobility: wealthy landowners and people commoners: peasants and city-workers
like the Pope, bishops, and priests with high status in society

Image 1 Image 3
The Three Estates, You Should Hope this Game Will
Be Over Soon, 1788

Source: Schwartz and O’Connor, Democracy and Nationalism, Globe Book Company (adapted) from the NYS Global History
and Geography Regents Exam, August 2007

Image 2

Source: Reproduced with permission from the National Museum of France from the NYS
Social Studies ToolKit. http://www.c3teachers.org/inquiries/frenchrev/

Source: Jackson J. Spielvogel, World History, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2003 (adapted) from the NYS Global History and
Geography Regents Exam, January 2007.

1. Under the estates system, what were the three social classes?

clergy nobility commoners

2. Under the estates system, which social class was taxed the most? The commoners

3. Under the estates system, which class was the largest portion of the population? The commoners

4. What does image 3 reveal about social issues in pre-revolutionary France? It tells me that they treated peasants like
nothing and the clergy had more priorities

UNIT 10.2 | Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism | SQ 7. What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the
French Revolution?
4. Based on the images above, identify the social issues 5. How might these social issues lead the French people
facing pre-revolutionary France? to revolt against their government?
Social issues that happened are that peasants had to pay The commoners wouldn’t want to keep on paying taxes
instead of the higher class because they are losing money

Political Issues: Absolute Monarchy

An absolute monarchy is a form of government in which one ruler has supreme authority without limitation.

. . . Powers of the king.—The King, Louis XVI, was absolute. He

ruled by the divine right theory which held that he had received
his power to govern from God and was therefore responsible to
God alone. He appointed all civil officials and military officers. He
made and enforced the laws. He could declare war and make
peace. He levied taxes and spent the people’s money as he saw
fit. He controlled the expression of thought by a strict
censorship of speech and press. By means of lettres de cachet
(sealed letters which were really blank warrants for arrest) he
could arbitrarily [without reason] imprison anyone without trial
for an indefinite period. He lived in his magnificent palace at
Versailles, completely oblivious to the rising tide of popular
discontent [frustration]. . . .

Portrait of King Louis XVI of France painted by Antoine- Source: Friedman & Foner, A Genetic Approach to Modern European History,
Francois Callet College Entrance Book Co., 1938 from the NYS Global History and Geography
Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is public domain. Regents Exam, January 2007.

6. Using the text above, identify five powers held by King Louis XVI and describe why these powers may lead the
French people to revolt against their government.

Powers Held By Louis XVI How might this power lead some French people to revolt
against their government?

1. The power of being king given by god People might not believe that god gave him the power
so religious people might get offended

2. HE appointed all civil officials and military officers He might have used them in a wrong way and people
might get affected by this

3.He levied taxes and spent people’s money as he saw fit People will get mad that the king is wasting their money
and taxing them at the same time

4.

UNIT 10.2 | Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism | SQ 7. What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the
French Revolution?
 5.

Economic Issues: Debt and Rising Costs

Debt is money that is owed to someone else. When a country is in debt, it means that they have to pay the money back
to whomever it is owed leaving less money for the country to pay for other things.

Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was a royal château [castle] in Versailles and was the center of political power in France from
1682 until 1789. Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette lived in the palace before the French Revolution. They were
known for throwing lavish parties.

The Queen Marie Antoinette’s Chamber The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles
Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is public domain. Image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is public domain.

France’s government was in enormous debt. King Louis XIV (1638-1715), Louis XV (1710-1774), and Louis XVI (1754-
1793) added to the debt, borrowing money to finance the following:

Date Event that Increased the French Debt

1678-1789 Building of, additions to, and upkeep of the Palace of Versailles

1756-1763 Seven Years’ War: Fought against their rivals at the time, Great Britain, and several other European
powers in Europe and North America.

1775-1783 American Revolution: France landed 1.3 billion livres, soldiers, and ships to the American colonists in
their fight against the British.

1678-1789 Extravagant lifestyles of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette

7. What did the kings of France spend money on that put the country into debt?
The king-built building for example the palace of Versailles.

UNIT 10.2 | Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism | SQ 7. What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the
French Revolution?
8. Which of these costs seem justified? Which costs seem unjustified?
As cost that is justified is him investing in the army to make a better and stronger army. An unjustified cost is their
extravagant lifestyle they lived using the people’s money.

9. Often to pay back debt, a government will do two things. One, they will cut back on the amount of money they
spend. Two, they will raise taxes. Based on your understanding of the estates system, if the king raised taxes in 1789,
who would have to pay them?

Watch The French Revolution Documentary from the History Channel (20:30-23:32) and read the
transcript below then answer the questions to the right.

(20:02) Narrator: Versailles in the late seventeen hundred is an

oasis of extravagance [wealth]. Surrounded by a land in despair
and with an uncertain king at the helm, France is charting a
course for disaster.

(20:16) After nineteen years of marriage Louis has sired four 10. As the financial problems in France escalate,
children, yet as a king he remains impotent [unable to act]. As what does Louis XVI do?
the financial crisis escalates all the king can do is hire and fire a What the king does is that he hires and fries more
succession of administrators, none of whom have the answers. administrators who have the answers
By ancient privilege, the nobility and clergy are exempt from
taxation and so as taxes rise to cover the government's
mounting debt repayments the burden falls heavily upon the
poorest.

20:49 To add to their misery, freakish weather arrives to

decimate the harvest.

William Boyle: “If ever God had intervened to make a situation
worse the summers or 1788 and spring of 1789 is a moment
when that happens. By the summer of 1788, you already have a
burgeoning political crisis and it's developing against the
background of very serious food shortage.”
11. What happened in the summer of 1788 and
spring of 1789 to make the economic situation
worse? What were the effects of these events?

(21:13) Narrator: For the people of France in 1788, bread is the

essence of life itself.

Lynn Hunt: “Most ordinary people in France ate at least two 12. Why was bread so important in France?
pounds a day of bread. Bread was all-important. Its price was
immediately felt by everyone, if the price doubled you're in big
trouble.” Under the financial mismanagement of Louis’
government, the cost of bread skyrockets. Food supplies are 13. What was the result of the rise in bread prices
hoarded by profiteers and the cost of a loaf of bread can soon in 1788-1789?
equal a month's wages.

(21:51) Hunger turns to rage. Bread riots break out across

France. Bakeries are raided and shopkeepers suspected of
hoarding bread are lynched on the spot.

UNIT 10.2 | Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism | SQ 7. What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the
French Revolution?
14. Based on the images, video, and text above, identify
the economic issues facing pre-revolutionary France? \
Some economic issues that was faced was that the king
was using the people’s money for himself but still made
them pay taxes
15. How might these economic issues lead the French
people to revolt against their government?
The economic issue that led France to get revolted was
because people had to pay taxes and give up money for
their king and these people didn’t have money for food
since it was all going to waste.

UNIT 10.2 | Enlightenment, Revolution, and Nationalism | SQ 7. What were the social, economic, and political issues that led to the
French Revolution?