The Causes of the French Revolution
Table of Contents
- What Caused the French Revolution?
- Social Causes of the French Revolution
- Economic Causes of the French Revolution
- Environmental Causes of the French Revolution
- Political Causes of the French Revolution
- French Revolution Effects
- Lesson Summary
What Caused the French Revolution?
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The spark that ignited the French Revolution (1789-1799), one of the most important events in modern global history, was actually government debt, accumulated during the course of two wars, and the desire of King Louis XVI to increase taxes to pay off that debt. However, for a spark to ignite the fire of revolution, there had to be plenty of fuel to burn. This fuel, or the deeper causes of the French Revolution, had roots in the very structure of French society. It was based upon a political system that gave absolute power to a king, political and economic power to a very small aristocratic class, and a difficult life of poverty for France's peasants who represented a substantial majority of the population. It was not a question of whether the French Revolution was going to happen, but when it was going to happen.
Social Causes of the French Revolution
The social causes of the French Revolution stand out because of the primary role they played in pushing the actual revolution forward. For political purposes, French society was divided into three estates: the First Estate was the Catholic Church clergy, the Second Estate was the aristocracy and the Third Estate was everyone else (the bourgeoisie (middle class) and the peasants). The Third Estate represented the majority of the population by far, but they had little actual power or wealth to reflect that. There was no mobility between these groups - a peasant was never going to become a member of the aristocracy or clergy, and it didn't matter how successful a member of the bourgeoisie was, they could never enjoy the benefits of the aristocracy.
The bourgeoisie, which comprised about 10% of France's population, had wealth created by the rise of capitalism in France. Bankers, entrepreneurs, and merchants were all a part of this group and played an integral role in the economic development of the nation. Yet, this group, which was mostly educated, had little real influence in the political realm. Certain privileges were reserved for the aristocracy, who had only obtained their status in society through birth not by actual accomplishment, and the clergy. This created discontent within the bourgeoisie which was enhanced by emerging philosophies, and promoted the need for equality and shared political rights. Their anger over their limited status and lack of social mobility in society, despite their economic role, would drive many in the bourgeoisie to play a leadership role in the coming revolution.
It was the peasants, however, who represented the majority (about 75-80%) of France's population. The peasants were farmers, but very few actually owned much, if any, land. In fact, most rented from members of the aristocracy to whom they not only owed rent but were also responsible for upholding a variety of privileges that the aristocracy had retained from the medieval feudal system. For example, the fees the peasants had to pay to use aristocracy-owned village facilities, such as the flour mills or community ovens. Not only were peasants responsible for rent and fees, but they also had to bear the burden of paying most of the taxes in France. The peasants and the bourgeoisie had to pay taxes, while the aristocracy and the clergy did not. Thus, peasants found themselves with constant oppressive economic burdens that left many struggling just to survive, and no means to address the inequality and unfairness of the system because they had no political power or representation.
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Economic Causes of the French Revolution
Although France's economy grew dramatically in the 18th century, largely as a result of trade, problems emerged as the end of the century approached. This economic growth was not really reflected in French society, in fact, the cost of living had increased by about 62% in the forty years before the revolution, while individual income did not keep pace. The population of France had grown from approximately nineteen million people in 1700 to approximately twenty-six million by the eve of the revolution, and most of this growth was in rural areas where peasant farmers were struggling to get by. Typically, a French farming family used about 80% of what they grew, which left only a small portion to be sold so that they could pay their taxes, fees and rents. If anything diminished the harvest, they would begin to starve.
The dramatic growth in population also meant that there were more people competing for jobs in urban areas, and a failure of France to industrialize at the same pace as England meant that the market was increasingly flooded with cheap British textiles, leading to widespread unemployment in the textile industry. Other jobs that industrialization might have provided were not available for French workers, thus, unemployment went up at the same time that food prices were rising.
Other economic causes of the French Revolution were related to a rising national debt that the government was unable to pay. This debt was primarily related to two earlier wars that the French fought against England. The Seven Years War (1756-1763) began in North America, but it was also fought on the European continent. Dual front wars were very costly and the result was an increase in French debt. Just fifteen years later France joined the American Revolution and fought against the British, further increasing their debt. The French monarchy's expenditures on maintaining a luxurious lifestyle at court also added to the government's economic burden while further demonstrating the wide gulf of inequality which separated the aristocracy from the peasants.
By the mid-1780s it became clear to King Louis XVI that something had to be done about the substantial French debt. Taxes would be the best way for the government to supplement its income, but the peasants were already so heavily taxed that no additional profit could be made from them. The only option was to increase the tax base, and the only way to do this was to tax the aristocracy. It was the attempt to tax the aristocracy that ultimately sparked the French Revolution.
Environmental Causes of the French Revolution
Many of the reasons for the French Revolution were preventable if a variety of changes to the social and economic system had been made earlier, however, natural forces were not something that the government could control. From 1787-1789 France experienced a variety of weather extremes, including very heavy rains, scorching hot summers and bitter cold winters that ultimately led to poor harvests in 1788 and 1789. This not only made life very difficult for rural families who found themselves facing starvation, but it led to significant inflation in the price of bread, which was the main staple of the urban workers.
Political Causes of the French Revolution
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What were the main causes of the French Revolution?
The main causes of the French Revolution can be broken down into social causes, economic causes, political causes and environmental causes. It is difficult to say which of these played the largest role, but social and economic problems that promoted inequality left the peasants and bourgeoisie angry which provided the major fuel for revolution.
What were the causes and effects of the French Revolution?
The causes of the French Revolution were based upon the desire for social, economic and political change. As a result of the French Revolution, all of these changes were brought about, except for political change, which was not implemented until the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.
