The French Revolution :: essays research papers

The French Revolution had many causes. According to the historian, French people revolted because they were, â€Å"intelligent, free, and prosperous to be critical of the existing conditions.† In other words, this historian is saying that the people of France knew what was going on in their country. I agree with this historian and this quote. There were conditions that existed in France the people were aware of. The ideas of the Enlightenment, social classes, and tax system contributed to the French Revolution. The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate’s desire to obtain liberty and equality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third estate (made up ninety-eight percent of the population) was the people who wanted to be equal to the nobles and clergy. The clergy and nobles made up the First and Second Estate. They first two estates had overruling power in the government than the Third Estate. This was one of the reasons of the Storm of Bastille. They were knowledgeable of the ‘existing conditions.’ The social class was the main thing separating the people of France. There was a lack of social mobility also, causing people to be based on lineage, rather than wealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people of the Third Estate were also being treated unfairly and unjustly. The tax system was another contribution of the revolution. The nobles and clergy would tax the rest of the people by voting. Since the people were divided into sections, each section would count as one vote, despite the fact that the First and Second Estate was only made up of two percent of the population. Also, the nobles and clergy were usually exempt from paying the taxes. This made the people angry. The tax system resulted in the Tennis Court Oath. Members of the Third Estates met there to gather and talk about the problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last contribution to the French Revolution was the ideas of the Enlightenment. The bourgeoisie had learned to read and write about the teachings of Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. Most of them had the basic idea, to have a limited or constitutional monarchy.