What Caused The French Revolution

Revolutions are seen by many as an inevitable part of many societies. They allow both the people and societies to progress and advance. One of these revolutions was the French Revolution, which led to the downfall of monarchies in other parts of Europe. The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s. The revolution began with people wanting small reforms, such as changes to the system of taxation; leading to a complete change, transforming every aspect of French citizen’s lives, including for a short time, calendars and clocks. The events during the revolution gradually became more and more radical; starting with non-radical things such as the calling of the Estate-General and formation of the National Assembly, then progressing …show more content…
This class of citizens did not belong anywhere in France’s hierarchical society. According do Karl Marx, “the bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionizing the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole reactions of society”, (Marx, 18). Old Regime France was mostly an agrarian society, and most of its production came from agriculture. The bourgeoisie however had other ways of making money that allowed them to rise up in society fast. This made agricultural production seem much less efficient in comparison. Therefore, France needed to change its means of production for other parts of French society to keep up, or at least close the gap with the bourgeoisie. This need for change caused more tension in the structure of France and its …show more content…
The Estates-General was called. The Estates-General was an assembly that represented the Estates of France, the First Estate, made up of the clergy, the second estate, made up of the nobility, and the Third Estate, made up of the common people. The First and Second Estate made up five percent of the population, while the Third Estate made up the other 95 percent. The Estates-General hasn’t been called since 1614. They had voted by order, so any two could outvote a third. This put a majority of the population, the Third Estate, at a disadvantage. Five percent of the population would be able to decide what happens to the other 95 percent. The five percent also did not have to deal with being taxed, being hungry, or with the other issues that the Third Estate had to deal with. The third estate wanted a stronger representation, so the third was doubled, allowing them to get double the votes, (Lecture, 9/22). “This still led to nothing. The stalemate continued for six weeks, during which bread prices continued to rise, public order began to break down in many districts, and the widespread hopes of the spring began to turn sour”, (Doyle, 39). The structure of France’s society was broken and the Third Estate knew it. In the essay by Skocpol and Trimberger, they say, “…states are greatly constrained by economic conditions and partly shaped and influenced by class