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May 17, 2024 · The French Revolution had general causes common to all the revolutions of the West at the end of the 18th century and particular causes that explain why it was by far the most violent and the most universally significant of these revolutions. The first of the general causes was the social structure of the West.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 9, 2009 · Learn about the causes, timeline and consequences of the French Revolution, a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s. Explore how the revolution transformed France's political, social and economic landscape, and its impact on modern democracies.
Causes of the French Revolution. Storming of the Bastille. There is significant disagreement among historians of the French Revolution as to its causes. Usually, they acknowledge the presence of several interlinked factors, but vary in the weight they attribute to each one.
Jan 12, 2023 · 3 main causes of the French Revolution include a financial crisis caused by mounting state debt, rampant social inequality, and the incompetence of the French monarch and the Ancien Régime (old regime).
- Sarah Roller
- Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette. France had an absolute monarchy in the 18th century – life centred around the king, who had complete power. Whilst theoretically this could work well, it was a system heavily dependent on the personality of the king in question.
- Inherited problems. By no means did Louis XVI inherit an easy situation. The power of the French monarchy had peaked under Louis XIV, and by the time Louis XVI inherited, France found herself in an increasingly dire financial situation, weakened by the Seven Years War and American War of Independence.
- The Estates System & the bourgeoise. The Estates System was far from unique to France: this ancient feudal social structure broke society into 3 groups, clergy, nobility and everyone else.
- Taxation & money. French finances were a mess by the late 18th century. The taxation system allowed the wealthiest to avoid paying virtually any tax at all, and given that wealth almost always equalled power, any attempt to push through radical financial reforms was blocked by the parlements.
Causes. The Revolution was the result of multiple long-term and short-term factors that culminated in a social, economic, financial and political crisis in the late 1780s.
Sep 28, 2020 · Learn about the complex factors that sparked the French Revolution, a seismic event that reshaped political and social norms in Europe. Explore the timeline of key events, the factions and ideologies involved, and the legacy of the revolution.