Causes Of The French Revolution - 906 Words

The French Revolution began with a corrupt monarch, and ended with the death of thousands. In 1789 the bourgeoisie (middle class) and peasants revolted against King Louis XVI and nobility, citing various reasons as cause: including corruption and a poor economy. These people, making up 97% of the population, were known as the third estate. The original purpose of the revolution was to create a constitutional monarchy, but this idea quickly became lost in the radical ideas of the revolution. However, the revolution, despite best efforts, failed. France once again had a complete monarchy. Many factors contributed in causing the unrest, and ultimately full blown revolution among the people of France. But, arguably, the three main causes of†¦show more content†¦The ignorance of King Louis XVI only fueled the people’s anger. They did not feel heard, and nothing was being done to aid them. Poor, hungry, and without a voice, it is unsurprising that the idea of a revolution t ook hold. Originally, the king held meetings with the Estates General, which functioned similar to a parliament. The population consisted of three â€Å"estates.† The clergy, or catholic church, the nobility, and the bourgeoisie and peasants. The first two estates represented about 3% of the population, and the third estate represented the other 97%. However, they were all given an equal amount of representatives. This meant that the first and second estates together outvoted the third estate, and meetings were inconsistent at best. Furthermore, excerpts from the Cahiers, a list of grievances, mention that â€Å"The meetings of the Estates General†¦ shall be scheduled for definite times†¦ in order to assure the third estate the influence it deserves because of its numbers†¦ its votes in the assembly should be taken by head† (Document 3). This complaint suggested that the third estate have more representatives/votes in the Estates General, as the third es tate represented the majority of the french population. Additionally, the people wanted more consistent meetings so that the king would be more involved with his country. Instead, King Louis XVI locked the third estate out of an Estates General meeting. So, the third estate moved into an indoor tennis court and sworeShow MoreRelatedCauses Of The French Revolution1119 Words   |  5 PagesThe French Revolution The French Revolution of 1789 was one of the biggest upheavals in history. You may be wondering what exactly led this to happen, but there were multiple long range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions ultimately led to the discontent of many French people especially those of the third estate. The ideals of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society. Before the revolution, the majority of France were living in poverty. 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