Causes of the French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution (1789)

Bankruptcy: French kings had engaged France in a variety of expensive wars and conflicts, some of which proved to be ill-conceived, such as the French & Indian War (1754–63), which was devastating to the French colonial empire, its national psyche and its economy. The role of the French in the American Revolutionary War was also financially crippling. Plus, the king and his court continued to spend lavishly. Even during times of economic crisis, the spending continued. Especially in the years preceding the Revolution, France was no longer a trading power, compared to UK, Netherlands, Spain or Portugal, since it had lost most of its colonial empire. It had to rely on generating revenues internally, so it had to increase taxation. The non-aristocratic class (peasants, bourgeoisie, those in un-inheritable positions) carried the tax burden, as nobles/aristocrats had generally purchased their positions of privilege, and could not be legally taxed under their then-current system. The king was unwilling and unable to reform the system which heavily taxed the poor majority, while ensuring privilege for the aristocrats. As a result of this limited tax base, the government became bankrupt, and could no longer secure loans, as it had defaulted several times in recent decades.

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Starvation: A colder weather pattern struck during the economic melt down, causing food to become even more scarce.

Social Inequity: France had a parliamentary system, which advised the king on governance, but it was still an absolute monarchy in practice. The king and aristocracy lived a life of great privilege, while the majority in the middle and lower classes were overtaxed, and even faced food shortages and starvation. During this age of enlightenment, and with the influence of the American Revolutionary War, the lower and middle classes were far from willing to accept of such an outdated and oppressive fate. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) was also a target, since they successfully imposed their influence upon the king, maintaining Catholicism as the state religion. The RCC was highly favored, not subject to taxes, while collecting a required 10% from the non-aristocracy (adding to their excessive tax burden). Clergy also led a fairly lavish life compared to the middle/low classes, a fact not lost upon the general public.

Lack of Action: Despite the desperation of the situation, no effective measures were ever put into place to solve the worsening economic shipwreck which was France in the late 18th century.

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Comments (1)

The masses will only tolerate blatant inequality for so long, then something's got to give.

#1 - TJB - 09/03/2009 - 14:43

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