In the 18th century King Louis XVI's spendings on the American Revolution practically bankrupt the country which had brought 2 decades of poor cereal harvest, cattle disease, and higher bread prices. Angry peasants showed their desperation by joining groups/clans that were against high taxes, those groups could not provide getting rid of taxes on how they always had riots and looted people homes.
King Louis XVI's controller general (Charles Alexandre de Calonne) came up with an solution to there financial problems which would make the eligible class of people no longer taxed and would tax the wealthy more. To support or help with this act the king summoned the Estates-General a sponsor of the clergy, the meeting was scheduled for May 5th, 1789.
Frances population had changed dramatically since 1614, the percentage of the non-autocracy people was now 98% but still was over voted by the other bodies. Approaching the May 5th meeting the Third Estate started to get across they wanted equal support, they wanted voting by head not status. After all the people wanted the same thing, they gave in they got the voting rights. The Estate-General had got everyone together at once in Versailles. But people started fighting and things turned hostel in between the three orders.
On June 12th, the National assembly continued to meet at Versailles. By this time fear and violence consumed the capital. All though people were enthusiastic about the break down of royal break down, Parisians became panicked as rumors of an impending military coup began to go around. A well known insurgency climaxed on July 14th, when rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in attempt to get gun powder and weapons, this is now a holiday in France called Bastille da...
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...t. Royalists and Jacobins fought the new regime but were shut down by the army led by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Within four years of the directory being in power they started facing financial crises, popular discontent, inefficiency, and above all political corruption. By the late 1790s the directory was falling apart and needed the army to keep them in power because without the army making them powerful the people would take them down. the directors gave most of their power to the generals in the field. November 9th, 1799, as frustrations with their leadership reached a fever pitch, Napoleon staged a revolution taking down the directory and placing himself Frances "first consul." Which put an end to the french revolution and started the Napoleonic era
Works Cited
history.com Staff. "French Revolution." history.com. A&E Television Network, 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
The French Revolution was a period of radical change of political, economic, and social structure in France in the eighteenth century. During this period, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette were in power, but soon were beheaded by the infamous guillotine during the overthrowing of the French monarchy. This was caused by their neglect to address the agrarian distress between the middle class and peasants in France, the lack of trust between the French and their monarchy due to Queen Marie-Antoinette’s suspicious correspondences with Austria, and the sheer and absolute hatred that the French had for the Austrian Empire in which Queen Marie-Antoinette was born in.
As the revolution calmed, the National Assembly attempted to maintain power however, Napoleon Bonaparte, an outstanding national general, ousted the newly set republic in a coup d 'etat in 1799, imposing himself dictator of France and leading the country to new militaristic heights that prompted French nationalism and the spread of Enlightenment ideas. Even though Bonaparte’s title as a dictator, emperor in 1804, connotates a restricted freedom, he actually made great lengths to enact policies that reflected Enlightenment ideals such as freedom of religion. Bonaparte centralized France’s government and moved to consolidate all of Europe under one nation. Touting Enlightenment ideals where his soldier traveled, Napoleon 's conquest set the foundation
Louis' ministers Turgot, Necker and Calonne all agreed that France needed reforming if it was to get out of the massive debt it had accumulated. In February of 1787, Louis called the Assembly of Notables as France was in dire need of tax reform due to its debt. Louis suggested tax reforms to bring government expenditure in line with government income but because he had lost his authority as a king, he could not persuade the first and second estates to agree with a tax reform and they did not wish to bear the burden of increased taxation. This showed Louis to be weak and unable to make decisions about France's future. Shortly afterwards on the 5th May 1789, the Estates General was called and Louis' absolute power over France was all but over. This was one of the main events that led to the start of the French revolution an...
...nd the republic nature of France.) and The Royalists (Who wanted a return to the system of monarchy).
The declaration of the Terror was a direct result of the growing discontent and ravenous violence that had been occurring since 1789. Revolution could have occurred in an orderly member as it was obvious that Louis XVI was a weak leader but the French citizens set the tone early on with the Storming of the Bastille. This event shows that the French were inclined to achieve their desires through violence and not negotiations. The Bastille was attacked as a response to Louis’ addition of troops in Paris and the fear that they would be attacked. Munitions were transferred to the poorly guarded Bastille just a few days before the attack. A mob descended upon the Bastille on July 14 of 1789. The Governor of the prison Launay tried to reassure that
...d estate was made up of a city-dwelling, well educated middle class called the bourgeoisie, the urban lower classes and the farmers, all of which made up about 80 percent of Frances population and yet received less money than both the other two states combined. This did not stop from the government taxing the population though and the burden of it fell mostly, if not almost all on the peasants. They lost half or more of their income in taxes and were forced to pay ridiculous taxes like feudal dues to the nobles, tithes to the church and royal taxes to the king?s agent and besides all this, peasants had to pay a certain tax which was paid in work rather than money. The two other estates on the other hand paid no or very little taxes thus the third estate all had reasons to hate the old regime. The French and American revolution was partly the outcomes of these resentments towards the government and was also the result of weak leadership at the top.
The Bastille incident set off revolts all over France and Louis was soon deposed afterwards.A democratic goverment was setup in place of the old monarcy.
The French Revolution started in 1787 because the country was going through financial difficulties and there was unrest between the classes of citizens in the country. The differences between the lower class citizens and higher classes, being nobles and the monarchy were great. The citizens had heard of the revolution that went on in the colonies and they also wanted freedom and independence. The real start of the French Revolution was on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille. Between 1789 1793, a constitution was written, feudalism was abolished, war had broken out, and King Louis XVI was put to death. In late 1793 and early 1794, Maximilien Robespierre became the head of the Committee of Public Safety in France. This was the new governing body in France; it could be compared to the executive branch of a government. Robespierre was a great leader, he ins...
This oppression of the Third Estate along with the financial problems that fell on the common people would lead to the French Revolution. Overall, the people of France revolted against the monarchy because of the unsuccessful estate system and the inequality it led to, because of the new enlightenment ideas that inspired them, and because of the failures of the monarchy.
Kirchberger, Joe H. The French Revolution and Napoleon. New York: Facts on File inc, 1989.
It all started on October 16, 1793 when the beheading of Marie Antoinette happened. She was accused for helping the enemy and producing civil war within France. On her way to getting beheaded, she spent time in many different Parisian Prisons. During the summer of 1788, France was having some very serious economic problems. Louis XVI yielded to pressure and assembled the Estates General which was a governmental body that represented France’s three Estates (nobles, the church, and then French common people). She then agreed to the granting of the third estates as many representatives as the other two estates combined. Nevertheless, after the storming of the Bastille she ended up supported the conservative court faction that insisted on keeping the royal family in
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Social Rebellion in French History. p. 9. this time, society was thought to be in control but went out of hand with the daily executions of nobles, members of the clergy, and rebels. On May 5, 1789, the Estates General were to meet at Versailles. “ There was tremendous excitement about that meeting as hopes for change arose from all sides.”
The French Revolution had many causes. According to the historian, French people revolted because they were, “intelligent, free, and prosperous to be critical of the existing conditions.” In other words, this historian is saying that the people of France knew what was going on in their country. I agree with this historian and this quote. There were conditions that existed in France the people were aware of. The ideas of the Enlightenment, social classes, and tax system contributed to the French Revolution. The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate’s desire to obtain liberty and equality.
The executive directors governed from 1795 to 1799 under the Directory Rule. In 1799, Napoleon overthrows the Directory Rule and France falls back to Monarch Rule.