Causes of the French Revolution

Study Notes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Podcast