1789: Causes Of The French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution The French Revolution begun with a corrupt monarch, and ended with the death of thousands. In 1789 the bourgeoisie (middle class) and peasants finally revolted against King Louis XVI and nobility, citing various reasons as cause, including corruption and a failing economy. The people originally intended on instituting a constitutional monarchy, but ended up creating a National Assembly and abolishing social class. However, the revolution, despite best efforts, failed. Many factors contributed in causing unrest, and ultimately full blown revolution among the people of France. But, arguably, the three main causes of the French Revolution were national debt, an ignorant monarchy, and ideas inspired by The Enlightenment
He spent half of the annual budget on building the Palace of Versailles. The remainder was spent on fighting wars with Britain, specifically aiding the American colonists in overthrowing Britain to prove France the superior country. However, King Louis XVI’s attempts at proving his (and the entire country’s) masculinity only caused France to fall more into debt. As a result, taxes were raised against the bourgeoisie and peasants. This, combined with multiple years of poor harvest, caused unrest and anger. The people of France were starving and poor, and their esteemed monarch remained oblivious to their struggles. In an excerpt from Travels in France by Arthur Young, who travelled through France between 1787 and 1789, tells the story of what he saw on his journey. It states, “June 10th, 1789: The lack of bread is terrible. Stories arrive every moment from the provinces of riots… th price of bread has risen above people’s ability to pay. This causes great misery” (Document 1). The unrest of the people is clear, as the document even states that some provinces are rioting due to a lack of food and money. It is apparent that people were incredibly unhappy, and blamed the government for their