To What Extend Was an Outdated Monarchy the Cause of the 1789 French Revolution?
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- Category: History: European
- Date Submitted: 11/28/2010 09:10 AM
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To what extend was an outdated monarchy the cause of the 1789 French Revolution?
The French July revolution is often regarded as to be the most significant revolution from beneath imposing democratic principles onto a prior autocratic government during the past 300 years due to the impact of Enlightenment. July 14th is officially the day the revolution got going. Not only long- and short-term causes let to the overthrow of the French monarch Louis XVI but also social, economic, government and fiscal problems caused the so called third estate to upheaval against the “ancient regime”.
Long term causes leading to the French Revolution were essentially the considerable differences among the three contemporary existing estates. The first estate, consisted of the clergy, however there were vast differences in wealth within the estate, in particular among the upper clergy such as cardinals and ordinary priest. The second estate consisted of the nobility to whom many landholdings belonged; they enjoyed tax exemption likewise the first estate. The nobilities’ landholdings were cultivated by the third estate which made up nearly 96% of France’s population. The third estate itself was divided into the peasantry, which were kind of serves and the bourgeoisie who were wealthier merchants. Unlike the other estates, the third estates did not enjoy any privileges at all neither tax exemption (had to pay direct tax) nor any political rights under the rule of absolutism and King Louis XVI. As the bourgeoisie became wealthier they claimed participation in government decisions and more political rights which they were not granted. Even more upheavals occurred among the bourgeoisie and the second estate due to the right of being noble by birth. Simultaneously upheavals within the first estate occurred as priest claimed a rise in wages and more budgets available moreover peasant revolts against the church were a daily given in 1789. The peasantry revolted against the bourgeoisie,...
The French July revolution is often regarded as to be the most significant revolution from beneath imposing democratic principles onto a prior autocratic government during the past 300 years due to the impact of Enlightenment. July 14th is officially the day the revolution got going. Not only long- and short-term causes let to the overthrow of the French monarch Louis XVI but also social, economic, government and fiscal problems caused the so called third estate to upheaval against the “ancient regime”.
Long term causes leading to the French Revolution were essentially the considerable differences among the three contemporary existing estates. The first estate, consisted of the clergy, however there were vast differences in wealth within the estate, in particular among the upper clergy such as cardinals and ordinary priest. The second estate consisted of the nobility to whom many landholdings belonged; they enjoyed tax exemption likewise the first estate. The nobilities’ landholdings were cultivated by the third estate which made up nearly 96% of France’s population. The third estate itself was divided into the peasantry, which were kind of serves and the bourgeoisie who were wealthier merchants. Unlike the other estates, the third estates did not enjoy any privileges at all neither tax exemption (had to pay direct tax) nor any political rights under the rule of absolutism and King Louis XVI. As the bourgeoisie became wealthier they claimed participation in government decisions and more political rights which they were not granted. Even more upheavals occurred among the bourgeoisie and the second estate due to the right of being noble by birth. Simultaneously upheavals within the first estate occurred as priest claimed a rise in wages and more budgets available moreover peasant revolts against the church were a daily given in 1789. The peasantry revolted against the bourgeoisie,...