What Caused The French Revolution

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For a country that has withstood invasion from the likes of the Roman Empire, Nazi Germany, and England, perhaps the greatest period of tumult was the French Revolution, which began in 1789 and lasted throughout the following decade. The French Revolution featured great political change, including the abolition of the monarchy and great upheaval to the present religious institutions in France. However, it was also a time of great political disorder, as thousands of people perished and France saw numerous changes at the head of state. There is no single ember that started the fire of the revolution; instead, there were several contributing factors, such as the Enlightenment, socioeconomic conditions, and the American Revolution. One contributing factor to the French Revolution was the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a time period where numerous philosophers, such as John Locke and Montesquieu were …show more content…

France had been a major financer of the American Revolution, partially out of spite for its loss to Britain in the Seven Years’ War, but also to undermine its global sphere of power. While France’s investment had been a fruitful one, its expenditures in doing so left the country in steep debt. In response, King Louis XVI called for the assembly of the Estates General to try and resolve the budgetary issues that France was facing. Disagreements over the apportionment of delegates for the Third Estate stalled the procedure to a halt, and the Third Estate threatened to assemble without the other two. Eventually, enough delegates from the first two estates defected to the Third Estate’s objectives, and the Estates General ratified a constitution which curtailed the authority of King Louis XVI. Additionally, it could be argued that the American Revolution itself was demonstrative of the possibility that revolution could be successful, and that powerful monarchs weren’t

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