Causes And Impacts Of The French Revolution (1789 – 1799) (Essay Sample)

CAUSES AND IMPACTS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
(1789 – 1799)
George Wagaka
HIST: France History.
June 9, 2017
CAUSES AND IMPACT OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Revolution is an abrupt change of ideas, governance, or perceptions of certain things that affect the human race. It can lead to an uprising against an institution(s) of authority. It is mostly witnessed in the political arena around the world. In the past, revolutions have culminated in the forceful or democratic change of undemocratic and dictatorial governments. An example of recent political revolutions includes the Arab Springs which toppled Egyptian, Libya, Tunisia, and Iraqi presidents.
In the late 19th century, France witnessed unparalleled revolution which led to the toppling of its monarchy. The French populace was not happy with social and economic policies adopted by their government. Those policies impacted on them negatively, leading to great resentment, fury, and general apathy. Most of the negative policies were due to poor decisions on the institution of the nobility, indecisiveness, blatant disregard of public opinions, and indifference shown to the populace by the monarchy.[. Timothy Blanning, The Origins of the French Revolutionary Wars (London: Longman, 1986).]
Various reasons can be attributed to the French revolution; Involvement in the American Independence war against the British government, financial crisis, food crisis brought about by crop failure, non-payment of taxes by the clergy and the nobles, curtailing of the press freedom, land ownership by the nobility and the clergy, non- involvement of the citizenry in governance, and extravagance of Queen Marie Antoinette.
The aftermath of the revolution brought enormous changes in France; abolition of the monarchy, execution of the noble’s first family, financial crisis leading to budgetary deficits in the Exchequer, nationalization of both public and private lands, writing and adoption of a new Republican Constitution, free press, payment of salaries for nobles and clergy from the national treasury, and restoration of civil liberties. It is good to point out that poor governance by the monarchy coupled by another myriad of factors contributed immensely to the French revolution.
Causes of the French Revolution
The French government supported the Americans against the British government militarily and contributed resources during the American War of Independence. This led to the draining of French exchequer, consequently, slowing down the growth of the French economy. After the war, the France financial coffers were drained dry. The King Louis XVI and his government were unable to plug the budgetary deficit on time.
The food crisis was brought about by drought which had earlier on engulfed the monarchical kingdom, leading to a poor harvest. Peasant farmers counted farm losses as a result of the unfavorable weather conditions. Poor harvest resulted in higher food prices, high inflation, and inability to pay punitive taxes to the government. Therefore, prices of basic commodities rose astronomically and the populace was unable to purchase their staple food: bread.
The French monarchical government was controlled by the nobles and the clergy. The society was segregated into three categories: First, Second and Third Estates. The First Estate encompassed the clergy, the Second Estate; the nobles, and the Third Estate, the ordinary citizenry. The first two estates were the privileged class: paid no taxes to the government and held huge chunks of untaxed land.[. Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1970).] [. Esdaile, Charles, The French Wars, 1792-1815. (New York: Routledge, 2001).]
Failure to pay taxes had huge financial implications on the government. This meant that the ordinary citizens bore the brunt of huge taxation. Suppression of civil liberties like curtailing of a free press and failure to involve ordinary citizens in the political governance agitated the French. They did not have a body to articulate their pressing issues and had to rely on the “wisdom” of the clergy and the nobles. Queen Marie Antoinette lived an extravagant life which angered most French nationals at this particularly...