Summary:
Explores the history of the French Revolution. Describes the following causes, the Age of Enlightenment, political problems and financial hardships. Also examines the leadership of King Louis XVI.
During the 1700's, the French Revolution occurred. Many causes led up this uprising. These causes include the Age of Enlightenment, political problems and financial hardships.
The first of these causes was ideas during the Enlightenment. The ideas were about French society. John Locke, an Enlightenment thinker, wrote that each and every single person is born with rights. These natural rights include: life, liberty and property. Locke wanted to get rid of an unjust ruler, and people began to be inquisitive of the authority of the King. Another Enlightenment thinker, Montisqieu, wanted freedom of speech without punishment. A powerful government should be divided into three branches. The Legislative branch made laws and was made up of National Assembly; Executive branch was made up of the King, with limited power, who enforces the laws. The Judicial branch was made up of judges that interpret laws to the people. Other thinkers believed the people should have freedom of speech, press and religion.
Another cause of the French Revolution was political problems. The weak leadership of Louis XVI contributed to these problems. He was a weak leader, who, at age 19, did not have the experience necessary to effective rule France. Estates are divisions of social classes of the French in the 1780's. Louis was not interested in keeping the loyalty of the first and second estates. The first estate was made up of the clergy, and the second estate consisted of the nobles. He also was not concerned with problems in the third estate, which were basically the commoners.
Financial hardships caused the French to become bankrupt. The French were supporting the Revolution in America. Louis XVI spent money on maintaining his palace, Versailles, when the money should have been spent on supporting the French army. The cost of food escalated. Only the third estate was being taxed, which means not enough taxes were collected to properly support France.
In conclusion, the French Revolution had many long-term causes. Louis XVI was a weak leader, and the fact that he was self-centered and inexperienced contributed to the causes of the French Revolution. The Enlightenment Thinkers introduced new ideas on how government should rule the people. John Locke was a key aspect of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and Montisqieu was a key aspect in the Constitution of 1791. The financial difficulties in France helped the government realize they needed to change the law for taxation. All estates needed to be equally taxed in order to collect enough money for the army and needs of the people.
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