Why Did The French Revolution Break Out In 1789?

In the following essay, the factors which caused the French Revolution will be examined in order to best understand why revolution broke out in 1789. The French Revolution, a social, economic, and political upheaval with worldwide significance, established a ‘purely bourgeois’ government in France . The causes behind the outbreak of revolution have been widely debated; whilst some, such as John Shovlin, believe economic reasons were the most crucial factor , others have emphasised the role of the Enlightenment in the spread of public opinion , or argued that it was political and social inequality that was to blame . This essay will argue that the short-term economic crises acted as a catalyst to emphasise the longer-term issues in society,
thus culminating in revolution. Three factors will be covered in this essay: firstly, the emergence of public opinion and Enlightened thinking; secondly, the inequality of French society; and finally, economic instability.

William Doyle argues that ‘the impetus of the French Revolution had been intellectual far more than social or economic’ . The enlightened works of writers such as Voltaire and Rousseau were widely distributed amongst the French public, allowing their ideas to be read and absorbed into public opinion. This, Rude states, created a ‘unifying body of ideas… a revolutionary psychology’ . The views of these “Philosophes” ‘taught the Frenchman to find his condition wretched… unjust and illogical’ and propagated discontent with the existing system , thus, the Enlightened man wanted to ‘bring about a more rational, just, and humane organization of the affairs of mankind’ . Furthermore, the American Revolution ‘gave practical expression to the liberal philosophy of the philosophes’ , demonstrating that revolution could be successful, and equality and freedom could triumph . The Declaration of Independence proclaimed that ‘all men are created equal’ and that they are entitled to their ‘unalienable Rights… Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’ . This reflected the Enlightened ideas that were being spread throughout France, and gave those who recognised the unjustness of the French political system something to aspire to. However, it can be argued that the Enlightenment only provided the language in which ideas of revolution could be articulated and justified, and did not lead to revolution itself. Certainly, the Enlightenment was not exclusive to France, for example, Frederick the Great of Prussia, was viewed as enlightened . In addition, it can be argued that, even without the Enlightenment, revolution would still have broken out, whereas if the Enlightenment was the only factor, it is unlikely that that would have been enough to spark a revolution. Therefore, although important to the language of revolution and the spread of ideas, the Enlightenment as a factor is not sufficient enough to explain the outbreak of the French Revolution.

Before the French Revolution, France was under the Ancien Regime, which comprised of Three Estates: the First Estate (the clergy), the Second Estate (the nobility), and the Third Estate (commoners).
However, there was overlap between these groups, and these Estates did not exactly reflect the divisions in French society. Instead, Rude describes society as a pyramid: the apex was the Court and the aristocracy, the centre was the bourgeoisie, and the base was peasants, tradesmen, and craftsmen . Peter McPhee therefore argues that the French Revolution was caused by tensions between these social groups, due to the political and social inequality that the lower classes, or the Third Estate, especially faced . In particular, there was inequality with taxation between the classes as the nobility were exempt , as well as problems with accessing power. The nobility, bourgeoisie and the lower classes had no access to power, however the Third Estate bore heavy taxes and all the burdens of supporting the state . However, the nobility were not willing to give up their privileges in order to achieve social equality because they insisted on their rights , which caused resentment amongst the bourgeois and the peasants as they felt excluded, burdened, and over-taxed . They also felt resentment towards the monarchy: Louis XVI and his court lived lavish lifestyles; because of this, he lost the respect of the middling elites who felt like they were paying for his luxurious way of life but were
still denied access to power . The king also had an inability to create basic changes in society, which allowed for even more resentment to grow over time and increased tensions further . These political and social tensions were not exclusive to France, however. Other countries had unequal political systems at this time, and whilst England, for example, had had its own “revolution” in the shape of the Civil War, its political system was still arguably unequal and yet it did not follow France in revolting. Therefore, the social and political inequalities were arguably not enough to cause a revolution without the contribution of other factors.

It is possible to question why, if the people were unhappy with the inequality of taxation and debt, they did not protest earlier.
John Shovlin argues that ‘it is a truism that the French Revolution was touched off by the near bankruptcy of the state, a predicament exacerbated by a sharp economic slump’ , meaning that, whilst the financial situation in France had been poor for a while, it was the short-term economic impact that was the real catalyst for revolution. Certainly, the French economy had its problems. For example, taxation was vastly unequal: the Third Estate was heavily taxed whilst the nobility was exempt . Therefore, ‘under the Old Regime, the richer a man was, the less he paid’ , which bred resentment amongst the bourgeoisie and commoners, who had to pay more taxes despite having less money, leading to the nobility becoming extremely unpopular. Furthermore, the Seven Years’ War and France’s participation in the American Revolutionary war left France in major debt , and the latter caused a recession . This debt was then further exacerbated by Louis XVI and the nobility’s extravagant spending . Therefore, there was, Shovlin argues, there was a need for a regeneration of the French economy in order to ease France’s debt and prevent sections of society from being alienated from the monarchy . However, it was the short-term economic factors that sparked revolution. The Agrarian Crisis of 1788-1789 led to the deregulation of the grain market by Turgot, Louis XVI's
Controller-General of Finances, and an increase in bread prices, exacerbated by massive inflation . Rude states that this, therefore, caused people to draw together in their hostility towards the ‘government, landlords, merchants and speculators’ . Thus, whilst the long-term financial problems caused resentment amongst the French public, it was the short-term economic crises that provided the catalyst for the revolution.

To conclude, there were many factors that contributed to the outbreak of revolution in 1789. The spread of Enlightened thinking allowed for the dissatisfied public to express their discontent with the unequal and unjust society, and helped the mobilisation of the people versus the nobility. Furthermore, inequalities regarding taxation and access to power and resentment towards the monarchy and the nobility because of these inequalities was a significant contributor to the French Revolution. However, as this essay has argued, the most important factor was economic instability, especially in the short term. Whilst in the long term, the major debt and heavy taxation destabilised the economy and bred resentment, it was the short-term crises that brought all the long-term issues to a head and therefore were the catalyst for revolution. Thus, as a factor, economic instability was the most important in the outbreak of the French Revolution, particularly in the short term.