The French Revolution
One of the most significant milestones in history, the French Revolution was a time of political and social upheaval in France. It lasted from 1789 until the late 1790s. During this decade or so, French citizens eradicated traditional customs that had prevented equality among all citizens. The French Revolution was greatly influenced by the American Revolution as well as by many ideals of the Enlightenment. It played an extremely important role in shaping many modern nations, showing that the will of people is where a great amount of power lies.
There were many events that caused France to be in an unstable and unsatisfactory state, allowing for the revolution to occur. France was left in bankruptcy due to overspending by King Louis XVI and France’s deep involvement in funding the American Revolution. In order to make up for this debt, high taxes were imposed. These taxes were placed on items necessary for the lives of the common people in France, causing unrest among that class. Many of the poor and common …show more content…
This division of classes is what allowed the hostility to initially build. In voting, each estate only got one vote despite the fact that the Third Estate represented 98% of the population, which created tensions between the three estates. The Third Estate, also known as the common people, was made up of two classes: the working class and the middle class. The working class was known as Sans-Culottes and the middle class was known as the Bourgeoisie. It was the Bourgeoisie that wanted their political influence to match their economic status and that advocated for more power. It can be safely said that the Bourgeoisie played a significant role in modernizing French society; however, they managed to obtain exclusive possession of the benefits of this modernization by exploiting the Sans-Culottes. The Bourgeoisie used the Sans-Culottes to fight for
One of the most significant milestones in history, the French Revolution was a time of political and social upheaval in France. It lasted from 1789 until the late 1790s. During this decade or so, French citizens eradicated traditional customs that had prevented equality among all citizens. The French Revolution was greatly influenced by the American Revolution as well as by many ideals of the Enlightenment. It played an extremely important role in shaping many modern nations, showing that the will of people is where a great amount of power lies.
There were many events that caused France to be in an unstable and unsatisfactory state, allowing for the revolution to occur. France was left in bankruptcy due to overspending by King Louis XVI and France’s deep involvement in funding the American Revolution. In order to make up for this debt, high taxes were imposed. These taxes were placed on items necessary for the lives of the common people in France, causing unrest among that class. Many of the poor and common …show more content…
This division of classes is what allowed the hostility to initially build. In voting, each estate only got one vote despite the fact that the Third Estate represented 98% of the population, which created tensions between the three estates. The Third Estate, also known as the common people, was made up of two classes: the working class and the middle class. The working class was known as Sans-Culottes and the middle class was known as the Bourgeoisie. It was the Bourgeoisie that wanted their political influence to match their economic status and that advocated for more power. It can be safely said that the Bourgeoisie played a significant role in modernizing French society; however, they managed to obtain exclusive possession of the benefits of this modernization by exploiting the Sans-Culottes. The Bourgeoisie used the Sans-Culottes to fight for