French Revolution

The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799. Although

there were several factors that made the French Revolution

possible, such as population growth, the expansion of the

middle classes, and the rise of an informed public, there

were three immediate causes of the Revolution. One was the

diminished authority of the royal government. Another was

the revolt by the nobility, who sensed a weakening

monarchy. The third cause was the crop failure.

The government of France was in a financial crisis. The

country was deeply in debt from the financing of the wars of

Louis XIV. To deal with the nation’s economic problems,

Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estates General in

1789.

The Estates General was made up of representatives from

each of the three social classes, or Estates. The First Estate

consisted of the clergy, the Second Estate consisted of the

nobility, and the Third Estate consisted of the commoners.

The Third Estate, which made up 98 percent of the

population of France, was underrepresented. Since the

Estates General had to vote separately and by order, the

Third Estate would almost always be outvoted by the First

Estate and the Second Estate who would get to vote first.

Because of this, the Third Estate wanted its traditional

number of representatives to be doubled so that it matched

the other two orders put together. When Louis XVI refused

their demand, the Third Estate, led by Abbe Emmanuel

Sieyes, changed its name to the Nation...