Name: Keana Schadow

Directions: Complete the following questions using the website listed below. You may need to
click on links in the article to read more about specific topics.

www.historycrunch.com/causes-of-the-french-revolution/

1. When did the French Revolution begin?

1789

2. What kind of government did France have before the events of the French Revolution?
Absolute monarchy

3. What kind of government did France have as a result of the French Revolution?
Republic that was based off the properties of equality, liberty, and fraternity.

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 Name: ____________________

4. The website details a few main causes of the French Revolution. List them below.

the history of the estates-system, resentment towards the absolute monarchy of Louis
XVI, the impact of the Age of Enlightenment, the weather conditions before 1789 and
the economic crisis that France faced under Louis XVI.

5. In what century did the Age of Enlightenment occur?

18th century

6. Which three philosophers (according to the website) had an impact on changing the way
people viewed the world? (Especially revolutionaries in France)
John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu

7. What did each of the three philosophers argue for in general?

the rigid class divisions of feudalism, or the estates-system, present in France.

8. What did John Locke think about the role of government in society?
a leader may only govern a society if he has the consent of those he is governing.

9. How did John Locke’s ideas lead to or cause the French Revolution?
caused people to question the legitimacy of Louis XVI to rule when he did not have the support
of many of the citizens within France.

10. What did Jean-Jacques Rousseau think about the role of government in society?
Rousseau argued against all class divisions in society

11. How did Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas lead to or cause the French Revolution?

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^^ caused French citizens to question the absolute monarchy of Louis XVI and the unequal
nature of the estates-system.

12. What did Baron de Montesquieu think about the role of government in society?
Montesquieu advocated for a system of government based on a separation of powers with
three branches of government, including: executive branch, legislative branch and judicial
branch.

13. How did Baron de Montesquieu’s ideas lead to or cause the French Revolution?

challenged the authority of the king because it involved his power being divided into three
parts and others gaining more authority.

14. What is an example of the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment in the events of the French
Revolution? Explain.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen because it’s a series of individual rights
protected by law

15. How did the Age of Enlightenment lead to or cause the French Revolution?

The ideals of liberty and equality specifically, the writings of John Locke, Jean-Jacques
Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu greatly influenced the revolutionaries in France.

16. France was divided between three different classes called estates.
a. What was the system called that divided France between these three estates?
 estates system

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 Name: ____________________

b. What kind of people made up the ‘First Estate’?

 Roman Catholic clergy, the clergy included people such as: monks, nuns, parish priests and
bishops.

c. What kind of people made up the ‘Second Estate’?

French nobility

d. What kind of people made up the ‘Third Estate’?

merchants, lawyers, poor laborers, and ordinary peasants.

e. Which estate had the largest population?

All other people in France, about 98% of the population belonged to the Third Estate. 

f. Which estate had the least wealth and power?

The third estate

17. How did the estates system cause the French Revolution?

New ideas on society from the Age of Enlightenment caused citizens from the third estate to
begin to question the estates system and this helped lead to the outbreak of the revolution.

18. Explain what an absolute monarchy is.

 is a form of government that involved society being ruled over by an all-powerful king or
queen. 

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 Name: ____________________

19. What social system was absolute monarchy often combined with?
political power, economics, and all forms of authority.

20. What is meant by ‘hereditary rule’?

that the monarch received their position due to their birth and as one in a long family line of
monarchs

21. What is meant by ‘divine right of kings’?

the monarch derived his or her power from God.

22. How did the absolute monarchy of Louis XVI lead to or cause the French Revolution?
This furthered the power of a monarch because it ensured that the king or queen did not get
their power from the people, and therefore the people had not control or say over the
monarch’s rule. 

23. Explain the weather conditions in the decade before the French Revolution AND the
impact it had on France.
weather conditions had an impact on French crops in the years immediately before the
outbreak of the revolution. drastic shifts in the weather that negatively affected the food
production of the country.  It impacted France by starvation.

24. What ultimately caused to drop in food production in France at the time?

The harsh winter of 1787 and 1788 which froze + blocked the streets of France, also ruining the
streets of grain or other food.

25. Who suffered the most from the weather conditions at the time? Explain.

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 Name: ____________________

The poor suffered the most from these conditions. The peasant class had to work the fields in
these conditions also due to the weather, the prices raised dramatically which worsened it for
the poor.

26. What was the staple food for French citizens at the outbreak of the French Revolution?
Bread

27. What had occurred to the food item from the previous question by 1789?
This increased the price of bread to rise so the peasants had to buy more.

28. How did the weather conditions of the 1780s lead to or cause the French Revolution?

Because of the extreme weather conditions, it led to crops dying + the king forcing peasants to
farm + giving them low income + raised the price of bread angering them, leading into his
imprisonment.

29. Explain how war created an economic crisis in France at the time of the French
Revolution.

France has been through various wars, spending ungodly amounts on the expensive wars.
Through France also ending up supporting wars as well with no money back. This resulted in
France becoming extremely poor. Making Louis take money from peasants.

30. How did Louis XVI try to solve the economic crisis facing his country?
Louis XVI attempted to save the country by taxing the poor

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 Name: ____________________

31. Besides war, what else led to the economic crisis in France before the French
Revolution?

Frances expensive living expenses, palace of Versailles.

32. How much did the Palace of Versailles supposedly cost France in today’s money?
$50.7 billion

33. How did the economic crisis lead to or cause the French Revolution?

Because of all the taxing + the way they spent the money, third estate found it as wasteful +
expensive sparking their anger with the rumors.

34. Which cause of the French Revolution do you think had the biggest impact on the
revolution? Explain your reasoning.
The biggest impact on the cause of the French revolution would be the money spent on the
costly wars. Especially as allies + receiving no compensation for helping support. That was a
major cause for putting France in a poor position which led to taxing which was the final straw.
Taxing was the second reason in my opinion and that’s why because they go together.

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