French Revolution Essay

"The essential cause of the French Revolution was the collision between a powerful rising bourgeoisie and an entrenched aristocracy defending its privileges."

2. This statement is true to an extent, the French Revolution was primarily caused by the collision of the two groups, the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. However, starvation and France's horrible financial state also added to the increasing tension. During the reign of Louis XVI, he failed to maintain a careful balance between different social forces. The monarchy tried to reform itself but it was prevented from doing so by the selfish obstruction of the aristocracy. Louis called the Estates General for the first time in centuries however the social issues of the country were already past the point of peaceful solution. The combination of the animosity between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy, famine, and France's debt sparked the French Revolution.

The tension between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy had been building for many years prior to the French Revolution. In the eighteenth century there was a gradual deterioration in relations between the Second Estate and Third Estate which particularly widened during 1770s and 1780s due to the severe economic depression after a long period of prosperity. Louis XVI summoned the Estates General, but failed to listen to the cries of the Third Estate. The aristocracy was exempt from paying taxes; meanwhile the 70-85% of the population that made up the Third Estate had to pay the majority of the taxes. From the Third Estate in the eighteenth century the middle class emerged by investing themselves in the expansion of industry, international or colonial trade. Using new ideology put forth by the philosophers during the Enlightenment, the middle class overturned the French monarchy. Philosophes such as Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and especially Robespierre all formed enlightened ideas that influenced the rise of the middle class against the aristocracy. The bourgeoisie were tired of the aristocracy's abuse and quest for power, so they revolted.

In addition to the social conflicts that were erupting at the time, France saw its worst weather in decades. The two years prior to the revolution saw meager harvests and harsh winters. A series of crop failures caused a shortage of grain, consequently raising the price of bread. Because bread was the main source of food for poor peasants, this led to starvation. The famine spread to all corners of the country, but Versailles remained untouched. The king and queen were unaffected by the famine, meanwhile the population survived on