Introduction
This paper would discuss and evaluate the causes of the origin and evolution of the world-famous French Revolution. It would cover all aspects and perspectives of the French Revolution.
Revolution – the term means to rebel or overthrow a government or a social system. It results in a complete change from the existing situation. Generally, a revolution happens when there is widespread misery, unhappiness, and dissatisfaction among the mass of common people in any country. People may be unhappy because their basic needs are not been taken care of by their ruler or government. History shows that there has been some type of revolution almost all over the world at various times. Europe has also had its share of revolution. The famous uprising in France in the 18th century resulted in what is now known as the French Revolution.
Main body
The French revolution, in this part of the world at least, was the inspiration for all subsequent uprisings and revolts throughout Europe in the nineteenth century and its ideals, in part, are visible in many of the twentieth centuries’ wars as well. Before talking about the reasons why the revolution occurred, it is appropriate to place it in its context in European history. The French revolution has traditionally been viewed as a major dividing line in modern Europe’s history, an event which has destroyed that complex of political, social, legal, and juridical institutions known as the old regime and inaugurated a new era characterized by a greater emphasis upon individual rights, the spread of a representative government and the emergence of a new kind of loyalty to the nation.
The causes of the French Revolution have been stated by many historians and authors, all of whom have given their expert views. The main causes of the revolution are understood as food and financial crises and social inequality. Some authors say that the American Revolution and the Enlightenment had a lot of influence on the French Revolution. Louis XVI was the king of France in the year 1789 when the nation had gone through a severe winter and most of the crops were lost. Poor people were angry and dissatisfied because the cost of living had become very expensive and they could scarcely afford enough to eat. On 14th July 1789 huge crowds marched through the streets and attacked the Bastille (a prison where weapons were stored) and took over power to rule France and thus the French Revolution started.
In the year 1789, the nation’s treasury was bankrupt after supporting America in their revolution. They were in heavy debt. King Louis XVI had to raise money but he could not tax the peasants because they had no money and he knew that the aristocrats and middle class would revolt if he tried to raise money from them. So he asked the Estates-General, an assembly that represented the Estates or classes in France, to advise him.
The people of France were divided into three classes known as the Estates. The First Estate comprised the Clergy who were 1% of the total population. The Second Estate comprised of the Nobles who were 2% of the population. The remaining 97% of the population formed the Third Estate. (Orville 119) The bourgeoisie (Middle Class), workers, and peasants formed the Third Estate. The First and Second Estates were the advantaged classes meaning that only they could hold important positions and were exempt from many taxes. The Third Estate however was called upon to pay more than half of their income as taxes. This shows that there was too much social inequality in France.
The conditions of life among the peasants, who formed the great mass of the third estate, and an estimated eighty percent of the population varied widely from one region of France to another. As already stated above serfdom was rare but many feudal or manorial obligations plagued the peasants. The clergy was also 0wed a tithe, as well as a levy on grain and other farm products that were particularly resented. Also, a monarchial tax weighed heavily on the peasants. On top of this, the peasant population had increased since 1750 and the landowners were attempting to extract every last drop of blood by way of fees and obligations and taking land from the peasants that already wasn’t enough to enable them to support their families. Inevitably, this resulted in an increase in peasant bitterness towards their landlord. However, even though all of these factors were undoubtedly major catalysts in the bringing about of the revolution, they weren’t by any means a new phenomenon.
One of the most common misconceptions about revolutions is that they occur in societies that are economically depressed and on the verge of collapse. France was experiencing rising industrial production, an expansion in the volume of foreign trade, and increasing prosperity of the merchant class and it was all due to successful foreign policy. (Jeremy, 359-84) Unfortunately, there were certain flaws in this seemingly generally prosperous situation. First and foremost the wealth of the nation was not evenly distributed. The nobles, clergy, and merchant classes all benefited from the rise in food prices but wages didn’t rise with these prices, and the peasants, who owned thirty to forty percent of the land didn’t benefit either. The monarchy was unable to tap into this wealth and so, therefore, became more and more in debt because of the refusal of the nobility and clergy to pay taxes. The crisis reached its climax in 1788 when the king, unable to secure fiscal reform or further loans summoned the Estates-General. This body had not met for one hundred and seventy-five years and had the traditional right to institute taxes and its’ convening marked the first stage of the revolution along with the subsequent secession of the third estate to form the national assembly.
The Estates-General generally voted as a class. Usually, the clergy and nobility voted to support whatever the king wanted so that the vote of the Third Estate did not matter. The masses argued that voting had to be done by the head rather than class because they had far more representatives. King Louis agreed to this suggestion and the National Assembly was formed. After storming the Bastille, the National Assembly took overpower. They tried to bring down the cost of bread and bring about equality among all classes. Their slogan was ‘Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity which inspired many ordinary people. King Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette attempted to flee France but were arrested and beheaded in 1793.
After the king was executed, the members of the National Assembly quarreled among themselves and many parties and leaders emerged. Many men contended for power and those who lost the power struggles were usually beheaded. This period became known as the ‘Reign of Terror’. This period is said to have lasted from 1793 to 1799. During this time many people were arrested, several executed and an unknown number died in the prison. In spite of all this, the revolution is said to have improved the lives of ordinary people, and their struggles are still remembered in the words of the French National Anthem, the ‘Marseillaise’.
The Reign of Terror ended when the French government was taken over by a popular general named Napoleon Bonaparte who became the most powerful leader in European history.
The whole revolution is said to have lasted for about 10 years: from 1789 to 1799. Several writers have given their views about the French Revolution – the causes and its results. The monarchy and aristocracy fought for power and thus failed to notice the uprisings by the Third Estate. The working class had a clear path to address their ill-treatment.
Most of the historians agree that although one of the causes was the food crisis, it was not the main issue. 1789 alone was not a bad year. There had been drought and famine in France for several years before 1789 that led to food shortages and it so happened that people just revolted in the year 1789 when they faced this problem along with other difficulties. Financial crises also do not seem to be the main cause. It is clear that social inequality was the main cause of the French Revolution, but coincidental events such as the food and financial crises, the European Enlightenment, the American War of Independence, and the absolute government headed by Louis XVI also played a big part in the violent revolution.
The enlightenment and enlightenment writings had a very deep impact on the French psyche. The increasing prevalence of the language of the enlightenment, stressing equality before the law and differentiating between absolute and despotic rule, placed the monarchy and government under closer scrutiny of public opinion. Enlightenment literature was not in itself revolutionary but some of its implications could be. There was also a rift developing between the nobles. (Derek 214) Many of the wealthier bourgeois families were buying their way into nobility. This became a bone of contention especially among the poorer nobility, whose ancestors had proudly taken arms to serve the king. These nobles of the sword had fallen on hard times and clung frantically to any and all privileges as a means of maintaining their status. They resented the fact that power had shifted within the nobility from the oldest noble families to the so-called nobles of the robe. Although the feudal system of the Middle Ages had long since passed, remnants of it still remained. Peasants were vexed by seigniorial dues and cash owed to their landlords. Many nobles held rights of justice over their peasants who believed that the landowners were increasing their hardship.
It is clear to see that eighteenth-century Western Europe was a relatively prosperous area. However, in central and eastern, the peasant was still serf bound, unprotected by law against the exactions of his lord. In turn, this meant that the nobility got wealthier and the peasants got poorer. As events progressed smaller agricultural yields diminished noble revenues while inflation raised the cost of nobles’ lives. Thus rent was raised or sharecropping was introduced which infringed even more on the peasant’s meager income and higher dues were enforced at harvest time all of which increased hardship and seemed truly unfair to the peasant.
Although social tensions within France certainly contributed to the revolutionary situation in August 1789 it was not the only contributing factor. Divisions and inequality between, as well as within, the Three Estates created an atmosphere of disharmony while the influence of the enlightenment and liberal ideas fueled the growing discontent of the Estates toward the government and Louis XVI. However, political factors, like the undermining of the King’s power as well as economic factors, such as the chaotic nature of the taxation system exacerbated the social tensions and combined created a revolutionary situation.
Conclusion
To summarize then, fairly strong class tensions had developed in France by the end of the eighteenth century. Some of the grievances of the third estate were long-standing, but they were sharpened after 1750 by rising food prices, by a marked growth in the peasant population, which taxed their available land resources, and finally by a reassertion of privileges and a growing exclusiveness on the part of the nobility. These ills alone were perhaps not enough to provoke a revolution; but they built up a sense of frustration in the unprivileged groups, and, once the revolution had begun, they caused it to turn into a mass movement of incomparable fury.
Works Cited
Derek McKay and H. M. Scott, The Rise of the Great Powers 1648–1815 (London: Longman, 1983), p. 214.
Jeremy Black, “French Foreign Policy in the Age of Fleury Reassessed,” English Historical Review 103 (1988): 359–84.
Orville T. Murphy, Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes: French Diplomacy in the Age of Revolution, 1719–1787 (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1982), 119.