Causes of the French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

• Financial Crisis: France was deeply in debt from wars and extravagant spending by the monarchy.
• Social Inequality: The Estates-General system divided society into three classes: clergy, nobility, and commoners, with the latter paying most of the taxes.
• Enlightenment Ideas: Philosophers like Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu spread ideas of liberty, equality, and democracy, inspiring the masses.
• Food Shortages: Crop failures and food shortages in the late 18th century added to the growing discontent among the population.

Key Events of the French Revolution

• Estates-General (1789): Representatives of the three estates met to address the financial crisis, but the commoners (Third Estate) broke away to form the National Assembly.
• Tennis Court Oath (1789): The National Assembly vowed to continue their work on a new constitution, marking the beginning of the Revolution.
• Storming of the Bastille (1789): A mob attacked the symbol of royal authority, freeing prisoners and sparking widespread violence.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): A fundamental document outlining individual liberties and democratic principles.
• Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Radical Jacobins, led by Maximilien Robespierre, executed thousands of perceived enemies of the Revolution.
• Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte (1796-1799): A military general who seized power and eventually became Emperor of France.

Key Figures of the French Revolution

• King Louis XVI: The monarch who ruled France during the Revolution, eventually executed in 1793.
• Queen Marie Antoinette: The Austrian-born queen, hated by the French people, who was also executed in 1793.
• Maximilien Robespierre: A leading Jacobin who dominated the Reign of Terror, eventually executed in 1794.
• Napoleon Bonaparte: A military general who rose to power and became Emperor of France, marking the end of the Revolution.

Outcomes of the French Revolution

• Abolition of Feudalism: The Revolution ended the feudal system, introducing equality and individual rights.
• Establishment of the Modern Nation-State: The Revolution created a centralized government, shaping modern France.
• Spread of Revolutionary Ideas: The French Revolution inspired similar movements across Europe and the world.
• Rise of Napoleon and the French Empire: Napoleon's conquests spread French influence and reorganized Europe.

Causes of the French Revolution

• France was deeply in debt due to costly wars and extravagant spending by the monarchy, leading to a financial crisis.
• The Estates-General system created a social hierarchy, dividing society into three classes: clergy, nobility, and commoners, with the commoners shouldering the majority of taxes.
• Enlightenment philosophers such as Rousseau, Voltaire, and Montesquieu spread ideas of liberty, equality, and democracy, inspiring the masses to demand change.
• Crop failures and food shortages in the late 18th century exacerbated the growing discontent among the population.

Key Events of the French Revolution

• In 1789, the Estates-General meeting was convened to address the financial crisis, but the commoners (Third Estate) broke away to form the National Assembly.
• The National Assembly vowed to continue their work on a new constitution, marking the beginning of the Revolution, with the Tennis Court Oath in 1789.
• The Storming of the Bastille in 1789, a symbol of royal authority, freed prisoners and sparked widespread violence.
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted in 1789, outlined individual liberties and democratic principles.
• The Reign of Terror, from 1793 to 1794, was a period of violence and executions led by radical Jacobins, resulting in the deaths of thousands of perceived enemies of the Revolution.
• Napoleon Bonaparte, a military general, seized power and eventually became Emperor of France, marking the end of the Revolution.

Key Figures of the French Revolution

• King Louis XVI ruled France during the Revolution and was eventually executed in 1793.
• Queen Marie Antoinette, the Austrian-born queen, was hated by the French people and was executed in 1793.
• Maximilien Robespierre, a leading Jacobin, dominated the Reign of Terror and was eventually executed in 1794.
• Napoleon Bonaparte, a military general, rose to power and became Emperor of France, marking the end of the Revolution.

Outcomes of the French Revolution

• The Revolution ended the feudal system, introducing equality and individual rights.
• The Revolution created a centralized government, shaping modern France and establishing the modern nation-state.
• The French Revolution inspired similar movements across Europe and the world, spreading revolutionary ideas.
• Napoleon's conquests spread French influence and reorganized Europe, leading to the rise of the French Empire.