Paper Topic:

Western Civ / History

Grounds of the French Revolution

Were economic reasons more important than political causes

2005

Outline

Introduction

Economic factors behind the French Revolution

Intellectual causes

Social causes

Political causes

Conclusion

Introduction

The French Revolution , like any major event in the history of mankind was caused by an interwoven complex of factors , including social political and economic reasons for the outbreak . As political causes that led to the Revolution were more on the surface ' and much more visible than the economic factors , it seems plausible to suppose

that they were not primary reasons that caused the Revolution . Out of these diverse grounds economic factors are of special importance as they are the main reason for the collapse of the French monarchy

Economic factors behind the French Revolution

On the eve of the Revolution the French monarchy found itself on the verge of bankruptcy . The government debt was mounting , threatening to lead to the depletion of the Treasury . The only hope of the sovereign was to raise money through the introduction of new taxes that could help to fill the emptied fund . The king 's officials tried to replenish the Treasury through the introduction of the land tax , yet were unable to put this measure into effect . The King was even forced to abolish the Parliament , yet later brought the Parliament bask into the nation 's political life in search for strengthening faltering public support

This intention conflicted with the distrust the public had in the monarchy . An attempt to remedy the situation by imposing new taxes and boosting the level of existing ones collided with the opposition from the aristocracy

The real power had long been in the hands of the bourgeoisie , a class that virtually controlled the nation 's economic riches . It was no longer possible to squeeze the class that controlled the country 's economic life from political power

Mr . R . McNair Wilson in his The Mind of Napoleon wrote about the power of the oligarchs "This oligarchy . controlled money it controlled the Press it controlled the funds of both the great political parties Thus it was in command of the whole patronage of the Crown on the one hand , and of the whole body of political patronage on the other (Economics of the French Revolution

It cannot be said however that the French Revolution was precipitated solely by economic causes . Rather , economical background was the foundation for other processes in other spheres , such as intellectual social and political realm . Economic factors were the driving force behind other processes and led up to the events that later triggered the revolutionary outbreak

Intellectual causes

On the intellectual plane , France in late 18th century had a much broader educated class , with liberal ideas gaining popularity among all classes , especially the so-called "Third Estate " that included bourgeoisie and common people , such as artisans and peasants . Liberal ideas laid the framework for the contemporary capitalist ethic : liberals insisted on the sanctity of private property , independence of business from the state control , equality of every...

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