The French revolution owes its occurrence, foremost, to the significant increase of the French population throughout the eighteenth century. This situation was then aggravated by stratification of society into the nobility, clergy and common people and the ascription of status and opportunity along class lines. The implication of this stratification was the lumping of a majority of the population into the peasantry.
Additionally, their lack of the privileges enjoyed by the higher classes meant that they were socially and economically grounded. Largely due to economic inequality, demands were made for voting in the Estates-General to be done on equality basis.
It is the social tensions between these classes that led to the first signs of social unrest. Peasants went on a rampage destroying manors and all other symbols of social inequality. As a result, the stratification of society was abolished within a year, and a new way of assigning and denying privileges was put up. After that, one’s income level, gender, race, religion, and profession was used as criteria for placement into either the ‘active’ or ‘passive’ class of citizens. ‘Active’ citizens could vote and hold office while ‘passive’ citizens could do neither.
Due to the disinclination of the National Assembly to grant workers equal economic and social participation, the revolution eventually took place. Social inequality, therefore, which leads to economic inequality, can be fully credited to the occurrence of the French revolution.
Legacies of the French Revolution
The most readily available legacy of the revolution is human rights. For this reason; liberty, equality, and fraternity, the offshoots of human rights can be said to be its indirect legacy. Due to the overturning of the seemingly inviolate class order that previously existed, it became possible for women too to demand equality. As such, the revolution also led to the start of the feminist movement.