The French Revolution was the most important event in modern history. It destroyed the old order of society and government and brought about modern changes in the world. It swept away the last remnants of feudalism and made the middle class the dominant class of modern society.
Background
In 1789 France was the most populated nation in Europe and had been growing in wealth and prestige since the time of Louis XIV. Despite this economic growth, it was far behind many people’s ideas of what a society and government should be. Socially, it was divided into three unequal classes of people. And politically it was still ruled by an absolute monarch.
The Causes of the French Revolution
The Revolution was the result of three related crises that fell upon France at the same time: a social crisis, a political crisis, and an economic crisis.
The Social Crisis
Feudal France was neatly divided into three social classes, or Estates, with different jobs and privileges. The clergy was the First Estate, the nobles were the Second Estate, and the peasants were the Third Estate. The Third Estate was the largest but had few rights at all.
One of the major problems of French society was the growth of a large middle class. These people did not fit into the neat divisions of the three estates, so they were considered equal with the lowest, the Third Estate. What had happened over the years is that the middle class grew in size and in wealth but never gained rights or respect that their wealth deserved. Because they worked for their money instead of inheriting it, they were looked down upon. This caused a great deal of anger and tension in French Society as peasants and middle class French people began to hate the nobles and aristocrats.
The Political Crisis
The political crisis centered on king Louis XVI (16th). Unlike Louis XIV (14th) he was not very popular. He lived in Versailles and cost the people millions of dollars and kept spending lavishly on himself even as France was going through a financial crisis. He was humiliated when his armies were defeated by the Prussians in 1787. But his worst problem was that people no longer believed in the divine right of kings. That is, most people no longer believed that you obeyed the king because God gave him his authority. Rather, people were coming to believe the philosophers of the Enlightenment who said that a leader is only legitimate if he has his people’s consent. And Louis XVI had his people consent less and less.
The Economic Crisis
By 1786 the French government was broke. They had spent millions helping out the American colonies in their revolution against England. And France was still trying to pay off the expense of the palace of Versailles and Louis XIV’s other extravagant expenses. Then France was hit by a drought; crops failed and people died. As the people began to protest, the king and nobles still lived their expensive lifestyles. In desperation Louis XVI decided to call on the Estates General, the representative body that had not met for over 150 years. This body met and the Third Estate proclaimed that their representatives were the real government of France. The Revolution began and 10 years of bloody revenge was poured out on the nobles, aristocrats and clergy. The king himself was beheaded.
Although a violent and bloody time, the French Revolution had important permanent results. Absolute Monarchy was ended. The Revolution ended the feudal privileges of the nobles. Serfs were freed. Mandatory offerings to the Church were ended and the government changed from a religious (divine right of kings) to a secular (consent of the people) foundation. The Revolution also paved the way for one of the most important leaders in all of French history: Napoleon Bonaparte.
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