Preview

French Revolution DBQ Essay

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
500 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
French Revolution DBQ Essay
Padraic McGrath
Miss Carrol

November 8, 2014 French Revolution

The French Revolution was from 1789 to 1815 and was a major turning point in history.
The revolution led to many changes in France. The French Revolution was caused by political reasons such as King Louis XVI’s absolutism and economic reasons such as an unfair taxation system. The revolution impacted the people of France both positively and negatively such as education reforms and The Reign of Terror, it also had positive effect outside of France such as a growing revolutionary spirit.
One cause of the French Revolution had to do with politics. An example would be Louis
XVI’s calling of the Estates General, who had not met in 175 years, which led to the creation of the National Assembly that created the Constitution of 1791. According to the excerpt by
Friedman and Foner another political cause of the French Revolution was that Louis XVI was absolute and could literally do anything he pleased (Document 1). Another reason why the revolution was caused was for economic reasons such as deficit spending and poor harvests resulting in increased food prices. Shown by the graph by Jackson J. Spielvogel, the Third Estate made up 98% of the population, owned 65% of the land, produced 100% of the food and paid
100% of the taxes (Document 2).
The French Revolution affected the people of France by establishing public education, abolishing absolutism, and a growing sense of nationalism in France. According to the primary source of Helen Williams, who lived in Paris during the Reign of Terror, adapted by Jane Shuter, everyone in France was afraid to say anything to each other for fear of execution (Document 6).

France came to be patrolled by the Committee of Public Safety, which ensured everything but safety for the citizens, bringing anyone who spoke out or did anything against the views of
Robespierre to jail or to the guillotine. Other ways people in France

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    known as the Reign of Terror. The Committee of Public Safety’s chief task was to protect the…

    • 1340 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    french revolutin dbq

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The French Revolution of 1789 caused many changes in the social, political, and economical world of France. The French Revolution sparked the beginning for many new reforms in France that were previously unavailable to the 3rd estate. The things that led up to the French revolution were all caused from within the social, political, and economic world of France.…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The French Revolution was caused by the fiscal irresponsibility if the monarch (The Silver Bear Cafe) The Clergy and the nobles did not have to pay taxes. This hurt the finances tremendously. France was still hurting from the seven year war. Due to the bad weather, the fields were in poor condition for the harvest. The Government was broke and people were starving.…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution started in 1789 and concluded in 1799; the war lasted ten years for numerous reasons caused by the hierarchy. There were social, political and economical causes that Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI made irrational and poor decisions that lead to the French Revolution. Majority of the reason all associate with having power. Power is the ability to direct or influence others; however, the person behind the power is who determines if it will affect the situation negatively or positively. The French hierarchy had a vast amount of negative, selfish power within their kingdom. The three main causes of French Revolution were Marie and Louis greediness and carelessness of the hierarchy, they were too young to rule, and France…

    • 981 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Reign of Terror began because of the growing suspicion of common people supporting the nobles, and the monarchy. The first victim of this historic era was King Louis XVI, and he was most certainly not the last. Nine months later, Queen Marie Antoinette was too executed by the guillotine. The people were bound to their homes in fear of being accused of committing an offence, leading to arrest or death. Police spies were present all over Paris arresting both guilty and innocent, executing them because of pure suspicion. Some individuals were imprisoned or executed for having been wealthy, or talking to other people outside of their homes. (Doc. 6) This event ended with the beheading of Robespierre, one of the founders of the Reign of Terror, because suspicion became too disorderly and was destroying France as a whole. This mark in French history had to occur in order to show the nobles and the monarchs that they ( the people) weren't going back to the old society, where they had no say and were under unruly law. The founders of the revolution had to instill fear to ensure that the government wouldn't revert back what once…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To deal with the threats to France, the Convention created the Committee of Public Safety. Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer and politician, quickly rose to the new committee’s leadership. He embraced Rousseau’s idea of the general will as the source of all legitimate law. He also promoted religious toleration and wanted to abolish slavery. He was popular with the sans-culottes, who hated the old regime as much as he did.…

    • 696 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American and French RevolutionsThe French Revolution had many causes. The main causes were due to political, social, and economic conditions in France that contributed to the discontent felt by many French people-especially those in 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 philosophies planted the seeds for the French Revolution. Their goals were to expose and destroy the inequalities of an ancient regime and both revolutions did just that. The American and French Revolutions were caused by political, social, and economic factors.…

    • 976 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution was a time of sweeping social and political change in France that kept going from 1789 until 1799, and was mostly conveyed forward by Napoleon amid the later development of the French Empire. The Revolution toppled the government, set up a republic, experienced fierce times of political turmoil, lastly finished in an autocracy under Napoleon that quickly conveyed a large number of its standards to Western Europe and past. Motivated by liberal and radical thoughts, the Revolution significantly modified the course of cutting edge history, setting off the worldwide decrease of outright governments while supplanting them with republics and liberal democracies. Through the Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a rush of worldwide…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The French Revolution of 1789 consisted of many aspects which led to the movement. Both long-term and immediate causes bequeathed to its triumph. The Enlightenment bestowed a new concept of government and society. America also influenced the nation’s controversial revolt.…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    French Revolution - 1

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The French Revolution, which occurred around 1789 to 1814, which included Napoleon’s reign, is considered a major turning point in world history. This revolution led to major changes in France and other nations and regions of the world. For example, some changes were Napoleon changing peoples’ rights and the Latin American Revolution.…

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution is considered to be one of the most significant events in world history. It drastically changed the face of France, which at the time of the Revolution was the most powerful country in Europe, as well as altered the society and government. The causes of the French revolution are attributed to several intertwining factors. Socioeconomic, political, and intellectual events before and during the revolution fueled it from the start.…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The term French Revolution is a term that represents a series of horrifying events between 1789 and 1799. In 1792, tension in France erupted into war, which tore apart the Bourban monarchy and was the first time in history we saw a republic emerge in France. Many historians think that the causes of the French Revolution had heavily to do with social class conflict. The three main causes of the French Revolution was caused by social class conflicts in France, political theories from the Enlightenment period, and the campaign for change by economic reformers.…

    • 564 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution (1788-1799) was known as the biggest event in world history because it changed the people’s perspective of France. The people in France wanted political and social rights that they felt were not being given. The news of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques , Rousseau, and Voltaire were spreading like wildfire, and the society of France were hearing about the Natural Rights of life,liberty,and property. People started to realize they didn't have any of these things because of their King Louis XVI. The citizens of France starting revolting because of the unfair treatment of the third estate, unfair taxing system, and debt owed by France.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    French Revolution Causes

    • 1739 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The French Revolution evolved to be a very important time in history because it forever changed the face of France. The revolution was caused by several conditions which greatly impacted the change of France. The causes that contributed to the French Revolution were the political, social, and economic conditions of the years leading up to 1789. Those factors not only induced many events during the revolution but also the ideas from the Enlightenment era sparked the minds of many French civilians. It is clear that the French Revolution was inevitable due to the many circumstances lingering at that time.…

    • 1739 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution occurred in 1789 and was orchestrated by the French citizens. They “razed and redesigned their country’s political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system” (History). Like the American Revolution, the Enlightenment ideas and values affected it, mostly the notion of popular sovereignty and the idea of inalienable rights. At the end of the eighteenth century,…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays