French Revolution
Introduction
French revolution started in 1789. The series of events started by the middle class shaken the
upper classes. The people revolted against the cruel regime of monarchy. This revolution put
forward the ideas of liberty, fraternity, and equality.
• The revolution began on 14th July, 1789 with the storming of the fortress-prison, the Bastille.
→The Bastille, the fortress prison was hated by all, because it stood for the despotic power of the
king.
→ The fortress was demolished.
Causes of the French Revolution:
Social Cause
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
The term ‘Old Regime’ is usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before
1789.
The society was divided into three estates.
1. 1st Estate: Clergy (Group of persons involved in church matters)
2. 2nd Estate: Nobility (Persons who have high rank in state administration)
3. 3rd Estate: (Comprises of Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, Peasants and
artisans, landless labour, servants)
• First two classes were exempted from paying taxes. They enjoyed privileges by birth. Nobility
classes also enjoyed feudal privileges.
• Only the members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
→ Direct tax called taille and also a number of indirect taxes which were charged on articles of
everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.
• A tax called Tithe was also collected by the church from the peasants.
• Clergy and Nobility were 10% of the population but possessed 60% of lands. Third Estate
was 90% of the population but possessed 40% of the lands.
Economic Cause
, Subsistence Crisis
• The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789.
• This increased the demand for the foodgrains. However, production could not keep pace with
the demand which ultimately increased the prices of the foodgrains.
• Most workers work as labourers in the workshops and they didn’t see increase in their wages.
• Situation became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
• This led to the scarcity of food grains or Subsistence Crisis which started occurring frequently
during old regime.
Political Cause
• Louis XVI came into the power in 1774 and found empty treasury.
• Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
• Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence
from the common enemy, Britain which added more than a billion livres to a debt that had
already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
• An extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles also cost a lot.
• To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running
government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.
Growing Middle Class
• The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class, who
earned their wealth through overseas trade, from manufacturing of goods and professions.
• This class was educated believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth.
• They were inspired by the ideas put forward by the various philosophers and became a matter
of talk intensively for these classes in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people
through books and newspapers.
• The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for
political thinkers in France.
Introduction
French revolution started in 1789. The series of events started by the middle class shaken the
upper classes. The people revolted against the cruel regime of monarchy. This revolution put
forward the ideas of liberty, fraternity, and equality.
• The revolution began on 14th July, 1789 with the storming of the fortress-prison, the Bastille.
→The Bastille, the fortress prison was hated by all, because it stood for the despotic power of the
king.
→ The fortress was demolished.
Causes of the French Revolution:
Social Cause
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
The term ‘Old Regime’ is usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before
1789.
The society was divided into three estates.
1. 1st Estate: Clergy (Group of persons involved in church matters)
2. 2nd Estate: Nobility (Persons who have high rank in state administration)
3. 3rd Estate: (Comprises of Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers, Peasants and
artisans, landless labour, servants)
• First two classes were exempted from paying taxes. They enjoyed privileges by birth. Nobility
classes also enjoyed feudal privileges.
• Only the members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state.
→ Direct tax called taille and also a number of indirect taxes which were charged on articles of
everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.
• A tax called Tithe was also collected by the church from the peasants.
• Clergy and Nobility were 10% of the population but possessed 60% of lands. Third Estate
was 90% of the population but possessed 40% of the lands.
Economic Cause
, Subsistence Crisis
• The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789.
• This increased the demand for the foodgrains. However, production could not keep pace with
the demand which ultimately increased the prices of the foodgrains.
• Most workers work as labourers in the workshops and they didn’t see increase in their wages.
• Situation became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
• This led to the scarcity of food grains or Subsistence Crisis which started occurring frequently
during old regime.
Political Cause
• Louis XVI came into the power in 1774 and found empty treasury.
• Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France.
• Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence
from the common enemy, Britain which added more than a billion livres to a debt that had
already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
• An extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles also cost a lot.
• To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running
government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.
Growing Middle Class
• The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed the middle class, who
earned their wealth through overseas trade, from manufacturing of goods and professions.
• This class was educated believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth.
• They were inspired by the ideas put forward by the various philosophers and became a matter
of talk intensively for these classes in salons and coffee-houses and spread among people
through books and newspapers.
• The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for
political thinkers in France.
