There are several factors that led to the Revolution. King Louis XV and King Louis XVI both led extremely extravagant lives. They spent a lot of the government's money on luxuries even while the government had some financial problems. One of the government's main jobs back then was to protect their country from, and manage wars. In the Seven Years War against England, France spent large sums of money on the war effort but they still lost the war and had to give up their colonies in North America. Many French citizens regarded this loss as a major humiliation.

The population was divided into three estates. The Third Estate, also known as the commoners was made up of the bourgeoisie, wage earners and the peasantry. They were the majority of the population. The Second Estate was for the nobility. The First Estate was composed of the clergy. The Upper Clergy were very wealthy and powerful and therefore they related to the First Estate. The

By the late1780s the people of France were fed up and began speaking out against the monarchy. Assemblies were held and people demanded a constitution. Inefficient methods of government led to major financial difficulties. The French government had to borrow heavily which increased the debt. The government continued to spend more than it received in taxes. Eventually the government went bankrupt. "This was made worse by the Nobles non-cooperation when it came to Taxation. The nobles were determined not to give up their tax concessions" (www.members.aol.com). When King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, tried to quiet the unrest the people rebelled.

The First Republic was established in 1792. This period is known as the

In 18th Century the peasant population increased dramatically. This growth in population increased the demand for more land. Land was being divided into smaller and smaller sections to cope with this problem. Eventually some sections of land were not even enough for a peasant to support his own family. The wars in America left France in huge debt. To try and pay this debt the nobility increased taxes on the peasants, which further increased their resentment towards the nobility. Poor harvests in 1787 and 1788 led to a food shortage. The peasants could barely feed themselves let alone pay taxes. The peasants started to threaten violence if their situation wasn't improved. There was an increased competition from British textile manufacturers. This left many people without jobs, and a huge increase in unemployment.

The Revolution lead to the tricolor flag of blue, red, and white. Blue and

To solve the government's financial crisis the assembly sold all of the church lands in France. The Catholic Church came under the control of the State. The Pope could no longer appoint French Bishops; they were now elected by the people. The Clergy were forced to take an oath to fully support the constitution, which created anger among Catholic leaders all over Europe. The Assembly desired a limited monarchy. When the constitution was finished France became a constitutional monarchy. This government followed the pr

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Approximate Word count = 1450
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)