What were the circumstances leading to the outbreak of revolutionary protest in France?

Answer 1

answer:- The outbreak of revolutionary protest was the result of instability that was existed in the various accepts of human life before 14 July, 1789.

The social, political, economic, immediate factors influence this movement:

A. Social Causes

· The French society was divided into three estates:

Ø The Clergy

Ø The Nobility

Ø The Peasants

· The first two estates (clergy and the nobles) led a life of luxury and enjoyed numerous privileges while the peasants and workers lived a hard life.

· The middle-class comprising of lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc. also suffered humiliation at the hands of the clergy and the nobles.

· The social order of France was the replica of the feudal system which was marked by inequalities.

This shows that the people of France were socially not equal.

B. Economic Cause

· The third estate had to pay all the taxes imposed by the king as the other two estates were exempted from it.

· Clergy were allowed to collect the "Tithes".

· The 90% of population was the peasants and they hardly owned 40% of land. They were the unfortunate third class.

· Third estate had no political rights and social status.

· France had been continually involved in wars which had broken her economy.

· The luxurious life led by the French King Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette had made the matter still worse.

· Economic system was much in the favour of rich. The rich became richer and the poor became poorer.

· The prices of the bread rose which led to subsistence crisis.

This shows that the people of France were economically not equal.

C. Political Cause

· Louis XVI was the ruler of France at the time of French Revolution. He and his queen, Marie Antoinette, wasted money on their luxurious living. He was an autocratic ruler, lived the life of luxury and remained untouched to the needs of people.

· The whole administration was corrupt and each department had its own laws. In the absence of any uniform system there was confusion all around. The people were tired of such a rotten system of administration and wanted a change.

Thus politically also the people of France were not equal.

D. Immediate Cause

· The king had commanded troops to move into the city. Rumours spread that he would soon order the army to open fire upon the citizens. Some 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town hall and decided to form a peoples' militia.

E. Contribution of philosophers in the revolution

· In Two Treatises of Government Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.

· Rousseaucarried the idea forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.

· In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.

Answer 2

Actually France prior to 1789 was divided into three classes known as ESTATES in the descending order.The first two estates dominated the french society while 96% FRench population comprising of third estate were badly exploited by nobles and landlords.This created social unstability which ultimately led to French Revolution.The other reasons were political instabilty under the hands of LOUIS XVI,economic instability,worst social structure and corruption in judicial depatment and other departments.Actually France prior to 1789 was divided into three classes known as ESTATES in the descending order.The first two estates dominated the french society while 96% FRench population comprising of third estate were badly exploited by nobles and landlords.This created social unstability which ultimately led to French Revolution.The other reasons were political instabilty under the hands of LOUIS XVI,economic instability,worst social structure and corruption in judicial depatment and other departments.

Answer 3

Political, social, and economical conditions in France contributed to the discontent felt by many French people especially those of the third estate. The ideas of the intellectuals of the Enlightenment brought new views of government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the coming of the French Revolution. Three of the most important causes of the French Revolution included the lack of skill of Louis XVI, the vast gap between the rich and poor in France, and the revolutionary ideas of the Enlightenment in America.The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate wanting to obtain liberty and equality.

Answer 4

The large French National Debt, an unfair tax code, the lack of bread and hope and the lack of a responsive and representative government.