1789: The French Revolution

Thousands of women marching to protest the high price and rarity of bread, the Reign of Terror in which tens of thousands were decreased, the Storming of the Bastille Prison- all were a part of one of the most significant revolutions in the west. The French Revolution of 1789 was based off of social classes. France was divided into three groups called estates. The First Estate was made up of clergymen, who owned 10% of land in France, and the Second Estate was nobility and royalty. They owned 20-30% of the land. These two estates were the top two provinces and they were exempt from paying taxes. The rest of the people in France belonged to the Third Estate, which was roughly 97% of the population. It was the only taxed estate and was commonly …show more content…
For example, France was left with a massive debt once Louis XIV died in 1715. Their participation in the Seven Year’s War and the American Revolution, plus the extravagant spendings of Queen Marie-Antoinette, only made the national debt worse (Sailus). This means that even though France was in debt to begin with, they still participated in the Seven Year’s War(French and Indian War) and the American Revolution while the Queen was being inconsiderate with her spendings. This left them with a charge larger than before. This is important because they tried to get rid of the debt by only taxing the peasants, since the upper classes were exempt from paying them. This is a clear sign of inequality. Particularly, in the Women’s March on Versailles 1789, a mob of thousands of women sieged the Palace of Versailles in a violent and dramatic confrontation. They were protesting the high price and scarcity of bread (McClintock). This means that there was a violent protest, featuring thousands of women trying to fight against the monarchy. The purpose was to retrieve some of the bread that they were hoarding, and to lower the price of bread overall. This is important because the Women’s March on Versailles was the first movement to topple the Ancien Régime, and it made one of the biggest impacts on the French Revolution. The rarity of bread, one of France’s main staples, is an undenying sign of the economy …show more content…
Once France’s debt was deep enough to keep their people starving, thousands of women marched on Versailles, protesting the scarcity of their main staple, bread. Even though many people had good wealth and social class, they were still put in the Third Estate. When they tried to make changes, they would constantly get outvoted. Because Louis XVI was not aware of the needs of his citizens, commoners began protesting the government and they finally arrested the king. Although the revolution was tragic and lasted several years, the people fought through it and they earned what they wanted;