Topic > The Crisis in the French Revolution Era

There is no doubt that the French Revolution was not only the most famous revolution of all time, but also a seminal event in changing the history of humanity. It was a Tuesday morning when several Parisian peasants with the help of some soldiers took control of the Bastille. It was the beginning of a new era and a historic moment for all of us. However, the revolution did not happen or even spontaneously, but there were various causes that led to the revolution. In fact, several crises hit the country at once. The first was a social crisis, in which the majority of French people felt dissatisfied with the social system then reigning. Secondly, it was a political conflict, in which the government was useless and could not manage the crisis and anger that reigned in the French streets. Last but not least, the economic crisis that led France to be unable to repay its debt. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the era of Louis XVI, France was divided into three classes with specific jobs and privileges. Religious people, also called clergy, were the first classes. At that time, the church was able to control the king and the government, which gave them enormous power and weight in the country as they declared themselves representatives of God. After the clergy were the nobles, a people of noble birth who he came from the noble families of the town. The nobles, in fact, could own lands without paying any taxes and also had the power to arrest anyone without any objection. Which brings us to the last class that suffered the most. They called themselves peasants and did all the hard work for the other classes which made them unhappy. Furthermore, following the economic revolution, the bourgeoisie experienced a great increase in number and wealth. This growth upset the system and clashed with the upper classes, especially the nobles. This clash pushed the philosophers to raise awareness among the people, and to provoke a revolution against the system. Additionally, in 1788, Louis XVI granted freedom of the press, giving them the freedom to write about anything and publish whatever they wanted (Carlyle 882). Freedom of speech gave a great impetus to the revolution because it provided the philosophers of the time, such as Montesquieu and Juan-jack Rousseau, with the key to raising awareness among the working class (Cranston, “The philosopher may have laid the egg, but it was the bird born of a different race? Maurice Cranston discusses the intellectual origins and development of the French Revolution."), who were the majority of the people at that time, and traces the root of the revolution. The government, with the king as its head , he could not absorb anger and handle it smoothly. Unlike his grandfather, Louis XVI was not so much interested in ruling as in living a luxurious life. They enjoyed unlimited power since no one could oppose them and in that case they could be arrested without trial. As a matter of fact, Louis XVI was a kind person, yet he failed as a ruler. At the age of 19, Louis XVI found himself at the head of a powerful empire (Thompson et al “Louis XVI”). , he didn't know how to use that power and spend it on useless things like supporting the rebels in America. Which, in fact, have put the country in an economic crisis. To recover from bankruptcy, the king imposed several taxes on the peasants, which added heat to the fire and, therefore, made the people even more angry than before. The political crisis reached its peak when the king attempted, as a hopeless action, to convene the so-called States General in May 1789. This led to an opposite effect and, a few months later, the king lost his powers. The economic problems facing France had been the start of the fire...