The French Revolution, spanning 1789-1799, marked the end of feudalism, the birth of the First French Republic, and the dawn of modern democracy.

 The meaning of a resolution.

It refers to the fundamental change that can either be political, social or 

economic in a society. Revolutions are either gradual which are often 

peaceful, or sudden / rapid where changes are realized with violence. In a 

revolutionary situation, two things are always visible:

The old features of society are changed either positively or negatively i.e. 

upside down new things/changes appear in a society either for better or 

worse.

Thus, French revolution refers to the social, political and economic changes 

that France experienced from 1789 up to the rise to power of Napoleon 

Bonaparte in 1799. It begun as a peaceful political reform movement on 

the 5th may 1789 but later took a violent dimension and involved the social 

and the economic structures as well. The Revolution was staged by the 

peasants and the middle class against the privileged nobles and the clergy. 

This is why the Marxist looked at it as a class struggle between the 

unprivileged peasants and the bourgeoisie (middle class) against the 

privileged nobles and the clergy.

The French revolution can be categorized into three main phases. The first 

stage was from May 1789 to 1791 (up to the death of Mirabeau) which was 

generally peaceful. The second stage was from 1792 to 1794 which was 

characterized by violence i.e. the reign of terror and the third stage wasfrom 1795 to 1799 led by the Directory of Government. These phases were 

marked by a number of events which aimed at solving political, social and 

economic problems that had sparked off the revolution in 1789.

Causes of the French Revolution

The revolution was a product of many forces or factors, which had different 

but important magnitudes / weights in causing the revolution. It was caused 

by both long term factors which can be traced down to the 17th century 

and the immediate factors that went up to the late 18th century. By 1789, 

the social, political and economic conditions in France had outlived its 

usefulness and the revolution was inevitable as peacock puts it; condition 

in society must be very bad before men in large numbers under take its 

over throw by violence. Although the revolution was caused by a number 

of factors, it is worth observing that the contribution of these factors varied 

in degree and magnitude. In other words no single factor however great it 

appears to be can adequately explain the occurrence of the revolution.

The causes of this most important event in the history of Europe can 

generally be grouped under social, political and economic problems that 

France faced by 1789. However this grouping is only for the purpose of 

simplifying them so that students as well as teachers find it easy to 

understand them. This is because it is very hard to differentiate between 

something that is political but not economic or social i.e. some factors can 

be considered political, asocial as well as economic.

1- Unfair political system (the nature of the ancient regime)

Despotism

By 1789 France was ruled by the Bourbon Monarchy whose administration 

was characterized by corruption, sectarianism, nepotism, human right 

abuses, lack of democracy and above all despotism. Power was absolutely 

in the hands of the king who was looked at as a demi-god. He was the law 

and the law was himself and that is why Louis xvi boasted that; ''The thing is 

legal because I wish it so." Even the king's ministers had unlimited powers 

that could not be checked. For instance through the Lettress-de- cachet 

(arrest warrant) the king and his minister could arrest and imprison anybody 

at any time. This inflicted a lot of sufferings to the French men most of whom 

were innocent who responded through the 1789 revolution.

NB. The ancient regime was the hereditary Bourbon monarchy that existed 

in France prior to 1789. From 1610-1643 it was under Louis xiii, 1643-1715 

under Louis xiv, 1715-1744 under the leadership of Louis XV and 1774-1792 

led by Louis xvi. It should be noted that despotism that was practiced by 

Louis xvi was inherited from Louis xiii.

Lack of a functional parliament.

There was no functional parliament upon which people's problems could 

be articulated. The estate general had not sat for a period of 175 years 

since 1614. The provincial and district assemblies were replaced by royal 

assemblies known as intendants under the King, Therefore the Frenchmen 

had nowhere to forward and settle the social evils, political discontents, 

and the economic hardship since there was no functional parliament. The 

only ugly way had to be a revolution.

It's of paramount importance to stress that it was the calling of estates 

general meeting on the 5th may 1789 and the hectic disagreement over 

the seating arrangement that sparked off the revolution. Louis xvi insisted 

on the undemocratic and archaic ancient system of voting by houses 

against the third estate interest of voting by individual show of hands. This 

forced the third estate representatives to turn themselves into the national 

assembly and this was the beginning of the revolution.

Unfair Judicial system

The French legal system made no small contribution to the 1789 revolution. 

There were no uniform codes ' of law and one could be tried as much as 

50 times for a single offence he or she committed. By 1789 there existed up 

to different feudal codes of law in different parts of France, which created 

judicial confusion and chaos within the judiciary. Besides, there were two 

different modes of appeal i.e. the Roman law in the South and the common 

law in the North, Worst of all there was no trial by jury and in most cases the 

nobles were the accusers as well as judges against the peasants and the 

middle class. Surely the peasants and the middle class could not expect a 

fair trial against the nobles and the clergy which conditioned them to revolt,

Lack of constitution

Apart from the chaotic judicial system, there was no constitution that could 

have guaranteed people s rights and provide equality of opportunity. This 

also meant that there Were lib checks and balances to the kings' excessive 

powers and unfair policies. The Frenchmen therefore resorted to a revolution in a bid to have a constitution to safeguard their rights and 

properties against the Kings' excessive powers.

The Grievances of the army

The only "messiah" for the unpopular and despotic French monarchy was 

the army. Unfortunately, the army had a lot of grievances and was 

dissatisfied with the government. For instance,they hated the unfair 

promotions where high ranks were reserved for the nobles. They were also 

irritated by the severe punishments for minor offences; poor feeding and 

low pay amongst others. This explains why they fraternized with the 

revolutionaries when they were ordered to suppress them. Henceforth, the 

success of the French revolution counted so much on the support of 

thearmy.

Administrative structure

Political unfairness in France was also characterized by unfair administrative 

structure, which favored the nobles and clergy at the expense of the 

peasants and the middle class. The nobles and clergy were dominant in 

key positions in the army and public offices yet they were incompetent and 

corrupt which created a lot of inefficiency. The middle class because of 

their high levels of qualification and wealth felt it was an insult to exclude 

them from top administrative positions. This made them to mobilize the 

peasants and spearhead the revolution.

However, the role of political unfairness in the French revolution should be 

handled with care. This is because it was part and parcel of the Bourbon 

monarchy and the French men had tolerated it for over 400years without 

violently protesting against it. This therefore suggests that political unfairness 

on its own could not have caused the revolution.

Nevertheless one should take extra care because whereas such political 

unfairness was fashionable in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was out of 

fashion in the 18th century since no society is static. In this respect Louis xvi 

should have reformed the French political system to suit the dynamic and 

revolutionary 18^ century Frenchmen. All the same whatever the 

arguments against political unfairness, it still remains a significant long-term 

factor that contributed to the 1789 French revolution.

2. THE ROLE OF PHILOSOPHERS, ENCYCLOPAEDISTS AND OTHER WRITERS.

Philosophers are great thinkers who are highly educated about world 

affairs. They are intellectual giants who had put their ideas into writing. Intheir writings, they condemned the social, political and economic situations 

in France and created more awareness of the grievances/problems of 

France. This sharpened the minds of the Frenchmen and created in them a 

revolutionary spirit. The four most outstanding philosophers who made 

significant contributions to the French revolution were; Voltaire, 

Montesquieu, J.J Rousseau and John Lock.

Francois-markarovet-voltaire, 1694-1778

Voltaire was a historian and a poet who attacked and exposed the 

traditions, beliefs and abuses of the ancient regime i.e. its shortcomings. For 

25 years he flooded France with plays, poems, philosophical tales, histories, 

essays, drama, pamphlets and won for himself the reputation of "the 

intellectual ruler of his age". He was most particularly against the Catholic 

Church, its corrupt clergy and nobles, heavy taxation, the tithe and the 

system of Lettres-de-cachet. He denounced religious intolerance and

advocated for freedom of worship. He projected the British-political system 

with religious freedom as the best forFrance. In the "Letters on the English 

"he wrote; An Englishman goes to heaven by the way he pleases. There are 

no arbitrary taxes, a noble or priest is not exempted from paying tax. In 

other words Voltaire was preaching for religious freedom, fair taxation and 

abolition, of social class privileges. All these incited the peasants and the 

middle class to revolt by 1789.

Although Voltaire attacked the church and critically undermined the 

throne on which it rested (government), he was neither a democrat nor a 

republican. He only wanted reforms within the monarchy and not its 

destruction. This is why he remarked that, I would rather be ruled by one 

Lion than by a hundred rats. This was because a violent change would 

destroy his wealth.

Apart from being a strong believer in the Bourbon monarchy, Voltaire was 

a very faithful religious believer. He was not an atheist; his views were that; 

If God did not exist, it would be necessary to create him. He was against 

the Catholic Church because of its interference on state affairs.

Baronde-Montesquiev, 1689-1755

Montesquieu was a great traveler, and while in Britain, he had studied the 

British political system, which he advocated for in France. In his book “The 

spirit of the laws, 1748'' he criticized the Devine rights of Kings and 

compared despotism to cutting down a tree in order to get its fruits. He 

praised the British political system of equality as the best for France. To limit absolutism of the ancient regime, he advocated for a constitutional 

monarchy with an independent judiciary, executive and legislature. Each 

of these was to check the powers of the other and this would bring justice 

and liberty to the people.

Montesquieu's political philosophy became more pronounced in France 

after the successful American war of independence of 1776-1783. From 

1783, America adopted an elected government with a legislative 

assembly, an executive, a constitution and an independent judiciary. The 

success of Montesquieu's ideas in America provoked the Frenchmen to 

revolt against the Bourbon monarchy. That is why they demanded for the 

reduction of the King's despotic powers and equal political representation 

in the estates-general meeting (according to Montesquieu's ideas) on the 

eve of the revolution in the cashiers (list of grievances). In short, 

Montesquieu contributed revolutionary ideas that made the Frenchmen 

more revolutionary than ever before.

Jean Jacquesroussea U, 1712-1778

J.J Rousseau was the most democratic philosopher whose ideas were most 

prominent to the French revolution of1789-1799. His book, "The social 

contract became the bible of diehard revolutionaries and, Robespierre 

was its high priest. In this book, he explained that a government is a 

contract between the ruler and the ruled and that the ruled has the right 

to rev. At if the rulers fail to protect, promote and defend their social, 

political and economic rights as was the case with the Bourbon monarchy.

Rousseau's theory of the "general will of the people" called for a 

democratically elected government of the people, by the people and for 

the people. By the people, he meant the majority French peasants and the 

middle class who were oppressed. He therefore instilled in them, the spirit 

of questioning and doubting the worthiness of the nobles, clergy and 

above all the bourbon monarchy. In short, Rousseau contributed to the

revolution by inciting the majority French peasants and middle class against 

the minority clergy and nobles

Rousseau's most memorable and revered statement was that man is born 

free but everywhere in chains. He continues that; the surroundings of the 

society destroy the natural simplicity of man, tainted his virtues and were 

responsible for his sufferings and sins. In this way, he shows how the Bourbon 

monarchy was responsible for problems in France through political 

unfairness, economic hardships and social discrimination. All in all,Rousseau contributed revolutionary ideas of equality, liberty, and 

democracy which made the French revolution inevitable.

NB. Rousseau's views were that in the initial stages man was not barbaric 

but was a liberal wild animal. He called people to end artificial social 

structure that had enslaved and restricted man's freedom. He says man 

should adopt the primitive simplicity when he was ruled by natural laws, 

when he was ignorant and innocent, as nature had made him.

Paradoxically, Rousseau was not even in favor of constitutional monarchy 

of the British type. He wrote that the British were mistaken to consider 

themselves to be free. He says they were free only during elections, after 

elections they were forgotten by their elected representatives. However, 

Rousseau like his counterparts believed that it was better to reform the 

monarchy than to abolish it. Nevertheless, his views were very instrumental 

during the course of the revolution.

John Lock (1632-1704)

John Lock was one of the classical philosophers whose ideas contributed 

to the outbreak of the French revolution of 1789. He observes that people 

freely enter into a social contract to create a government in order to 

protect their freedom, properties and lives. He argues that if a government 

fails to promote and protect the natural rights and security of itscitizens, 

then it's in a state of rebellion against its own people and violated the terms 

of the social contract. The people in such a situation have the right to rebel 

against it and establish a new one. He also castigated absolute monarchy 

as an illegitimate form of government. He argues that the powers of a 

government come from the people rather than God, which helped to 

undermine divine rights of King Louis Xvi. Consequently, Lock advocated 

for a democratic government where the parliament, executive and 

judiciary have powers that are not absolute but are given in trust by the 

people. People are free to withdraw such powers in case a government 

fails to effectively perform responsibilities entrusted to it. All these were 

viable options for the French peasants and middle class to revolt because 

of nonfunctional parliament, judicial and administrative in justice that 

favored the nobles and the clergy.

The Encyclopaedists in their encyclopedia (book of knowledge about 

politics, religion, history and economics) exposed the social, political and 

economic evils of the ancient regime that needed reforms. Their editor was 

Denis Diderot who compiled the writings of other writers in one big volume 

(encyclopedia).The encyclopedia was widely circulated and read inFrance and the whole Europe. It gave more enlightenment and inspiration 

to the French peasants and the middle class that dragged them to revolt.

The economists like Adam Smith, Diderot, D'Alambert, etc denounced the 

unfair taxation system, corruption, embezzlement of public funds and royal 

extravagancy. They also called for universal education and an end to state 

injustice. Their spokesmen were Quesney and Turgot. The economic reforms 

that were advocated by the physiocrats were later adapted by Necker, 

Turgot and Brienne. However, these were ignored and rejected by Louis xvi 

with his poor advisors, which accelerated France into the revolution of 1789.

Generally, philosophers, encyclopaedists and other writers awakened the 

oppressed Frenchmen to demand for a change of government. They were 

also the authors of the French revolutionary ideas of equality, liberty, 

fraternity and democracy. These ideas created a class of elites like Mira 

beau, Robespierre and Napoleon I who became revolutionary leaders.

Nevertheless the significance of philosophers should be treated with 

reservations due to the following considerations:

They had criticized the French political system since the reign of King Louis 

xv without causing any revolution. If their ideas counted so much, then the 

revolution would have started during the reign of Louis XV.

By 1789, the re-known philosophers were all dead. If their writings were very 

significant, then the revolution would have started during their lifetime and 

they would have been the leaders of the revolution.

Even if what survived their death (writings) implied a revolution, the 

majorities of the Frenchmen were illiterate and could not understand their 

works. Even the few liberates could not properly grasp the abstract and 

logical writings of the philosophers which were in big vocabularies, poems 

and parables amongst others.

(iv) None of the philosophers wanted a violent revolution of the French 

type since it would destroy their wealth. They simply wanted a peaceful 

reform of the monarchy. This could mean that the contributions of the 

political philosophers were accidental since they never wanted a violent 

revolution.

(v) The writings of the philosophers were widely circulated and read 

throughout Europe. The fact that it caused a revolution only in France shows 

that France had specific problems that called for a revolution. 

evils within France were so conspicuous (open) that even if the philosophers 

had not exposed them, a revolution would still have taken place in France.

In summary, it was mostly the role of other factors other than the influence 

of the philosophers that contributed to the great French revolution. It was 

the social, political and economic evils that the philosophers criticized, 

otherwise without these problems they would have had nothing to criticize 

and write about. Nevertheless, the critical influence of the philosophers 

magnified such problems to a revolutionary level. In short, the role of 

philosophers complemented other factors in causing the French revolution 

of 1789.

3. SOCIAL CLASS DIVISION (CLASS STRUGGLE).

The Marxist interpretation of the French revolution is that it was a product of 

class struggle between the unprivileged and privileged classes. The 1789 

French population was partitioned into three discriminative and rival 

estates. The first estate was composed of the clergy and royalists, the 

second was for the nobles and die third estate was composed of peasants 

and the bourgeoisie (middleclass).

Generally, the 1st and the 2nd estates were called the privileged class. 

Although the privileged class numbered about 300,000 out of25 million, they 

enjoyed a lot of unjustifiable privileges. This includes owning 1/5 of the 

whole property in France, domination of key government posts, exemption 

from taxation, forced labour and conscription into the army. These 

widespread privileges were seriously opposed by the peasants and middle 

class, which provoked them to revolt.

The influence of the Catholic Church and the clergy in the social, political, 

economic and religious affairs of France made the outbreak of the 

revolution inevitable. The church arid the Pope had a lot of influence on 

politics and administration of France. The clergy who dominated key 

government positions were not only incompetent but messed up the 

country through corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds. 

They enjoyed a yearly income of500 million Francs and exploited peasants 

through feudalism and serfdom. They also denied the Frenchmen freedom 

of worship and made the church tithe to be compulsory to everybody in 

France yet they were exempted from all forms of taxes. Thus, the church 

pursued worldly interest more than spiritual interest, which provided philosophers with issues to criticize and incite the Frenchmen to revolt.

However, even within the privileged class, there existed contradictions and 

sharp divisions. The 1st estate (clergy) was subdivided into upper clergy who 

enjoyed the highest pay and key positions in government yet they did little 

pastoral work and the lower clergy who were overworked with little 

payments. The salary of an upper clergy was 10times more than that of a 

lower clergy. The nobles were also subdivided into the upper nobility, the 

lower nobility arid the nobility of the robe (those who brought their noble 

status). The upper nobility were more privileged than the lower nobility. They 

(the upper nobility) were very arrogant and despised the other two nobles 

and this why the French developed a maxim that; that the nobles fight the 

clergy prays and the people pay. This discrimination within the privileged 

class boosted the revolution because some of such nobles and the clergy 

joined the peasants and the middle class during the revolution.

The third estate was for the peasants and the middle class. The peasants 

were about 23 million out of a total population of 25 million. However, they 

were denied all sorts of freedom and subjected to unjust practices like 

taxation, denial of land, forced labour etc. By 1789, they were in a very 

desperate condition that made them to flock the streets of Paris where they 

ended up becoming revolutionary mobs, this greatly led to the success of 

the revolution.

The Bourgeoisie (middle class) was composed of businessmen and 

professionals like teachers, lawyers, doctors, scientists, philosophers, 

industrialists and merchants. In spite of their economic strength (wealth) 

and education, the middle class was unprivileged and deprived of political 

rights. For instance, they were excluded from top positions in the church, 

army, education and the judiciary. A number of them had lent huge chunks 

of money to the government and were not sure of recovering their money 

due to financial crisis. By 1789, they had read and interpreted the writings 

of political philosophers to the peasants and urban dwellers, making them 

more aware and conscious of the need for change. It is important to stress 

that revolutionary leaders like Mirabeau, Dalton, Herbert and Robespierre 

were middle class men. Moreover, political philosophers who made 

remarkable contributions to the revolution were also middle class men.

Nevertheless like political unfairness, social class division was not anew thing 

in the history of France. It existed during the reigns of Louis xvi and Louis xv 

without causing any revolution. One can therefore argue that maintaining 

social class system without other grievances could have caused discontent 

but not a revolution. But this kind of argument should not be over 

emphasized because unfairness in France was the outcome of social class.

divisions. Even financial crisis was due to the fact that the privileged class 

who were most wealthy was exempted from taxation. From this point of 

view, one can conclude that social stratification is one of the paramount 

long term causes of the French revolution.

Emphasis must be made that class system led to the failure of the Estates 

General meeting of5th may 1789 through which the revolution emerged. It 

must be noted that the French revolution was sparked off by disagreement 

over the seating arrangement, when the representatives of the privileged 

classes insisted on the ancient system of voting based on class system. This 

was resisted by the representatives of the unprivileged class who wanted 

voting by universal suffrage i.e. individual show of hands. This is why class 

struggle is considered one of the immediate causes of the 1789 French 

revolution.

4. ECONOMIC FACTORS

Land

The feudal system of land ownership was important in bringing about the 

French revolution of1789. Land Was unfairly distributed amongst the nobles 

and the clergy at the expense of the majority peasants. For instance they 

owned up to 3/5 of the land yet they formed only 1/8 of the total 

population. The church had 1/5 of the fertile state land on top of a yearly 

income of 500 million Francs. The 23 million peasants (majority) in spite of 

being producing agents and taxpayers were landless and survived as 

tenants or serfs on their landlords' estates. The conditions of the peasants 

could better be felt than described. They suffered constant harassment 

and exploitation from their landlords and that is why they demanded for 

land reforms during the revolution.

Taxation

By 1789, the taxation system of France had made the ancient regime "very 

sick" and no wonder that it was referred to as” the cancer of the ancient 

regime” The poor peasants and them idle class, who were least able to 

pay, were forced to pay while the wealthy nobles and the clergy were 

exempted from all forms of taxes. The tax system was particularly so 

burdensome to the peasants that it claimed over 80% of their annual 

income. This left them under a very miserable socio-economic condition, 

which can be better felt than described. Worst of all, the taxation system 

was privatized and the tax farmers (tax collectors) were so brutal that they 

often killed or inflicted physical injuries like mutilation of tax defaulters.

Besides, the profits of the Bourgeoisie were seriously reduced by heavy 

taxation. All these dragged-the peasants and the middle class in the 

revolution in a bid to bring an end to unfair taxation system

Financial crisis/Bankruptcy

By 1789, France was bankrupt with a heavy debt burden mostly from the 

middle class. Financial crisis was brought about by corruption, 

embezzlement of government funds, financial mismanagement, 

extravagancy of court nobles and Marie Antoinette which constituted 1/12 

of government revenue leave alone the wastage of state resources on 

useless and expensive wars like the 7years war with Britain in India (1656-

1663), the American war of independence (1776-1783). The roles of 

financial crisis/bankruptcy in the French revolution were as below:

(a) The government resorted to internal borrowing from the middle class in 

a desperate attempt to service .the heavy debt burden and meets the cost 

of administration. However, Louis xvi resoled to drastic measures of 

reducing interest on small loans and refusing to pay back huge loans. By 

1789, it was abundantly clear that the Bourbon monarchy under Louis xvi's 

leadership could not repay the debts of the middle class. Thus, the middle 

class decided to "do away" with the monarchy and establish a new 

government that would clear their debts, hence the revolution.

b) It undermined people's confidence in the government and exposed the 

dangers of financial mismanagement and extravagancy. This made the 

monarchy unpopular and vulnerable to the revolution of 1789.

c). It made the government very inefficient in providing basic necessities 

and state enterprises like education, health, agriculture, industry, and 

transport. Besides, the government failed to pay civil servants, the army and 

resorted to unpopular policies such as retrenchment, excessive taxation, 

and free trade treaty with Britain etc. All these led to inflation, 

unemployment, general poverty and starvation, which forced the masses 

into the revolution.

d) Financial crisis made the government incompetent in combating the 

effects of natural disasters especially winter. There was no money to stock 

food and provide relief to the people. This worsened famine leading to the 

creation of mobs like those of Paris that cheered the revolution.

e) Financial crisis forced Louis xvi to call the estate general from where the 

French revolution exploded. He wanted to consult the representatives on 

the solutions to financial bankruptcy. Otherwise, if France was not in an awkward financial situation, it would probably not have been called after 

all, I had never been called for 175 years (since 1614).

(f) Financial crisis lead to the dismissal of reform oriented financial ministers 

i.e. Turgot (1774 -1776), Necker (1776-1781), Colonne (1781-1787) and 

Bishop Brienne (I787-l78.8), They had suggested reforms like the scrapping 

of privileges in France and taxing the wealth of the nobles and the clergy. 

However, these reforms made them very unpopular to the Queen and the 

court nobles. Consequently, the strong-minded queen and the court 

nobles engineered their dismissal and replacement.

Introduction

An attempt to explain why a revolution broke out in France alone in 1789 

inspite of the generally parallel (similar) conditions between France and the 

rest of Europe. The question of ail questions is that if the conditions in France 

were generally parallel (similar) to many states in Europe, why then did 

France experience a revolution alone in 1789. Again, if the condition in 

France was better in some instances considering the peasants and middle 

class, why then did she host a revolution alone in 1789? In other words, why 

were the peasants and middle class at the fore front of the revolution in 

spite of the irrelatively better conditions when compared to their 

counterparts elsewhere?

By 1789, the social, political and economic conditions between France and 

the rest of Europe were generally the same. With the exception of Britain 

(to some extent), Europe was ruled by despotic rulers, the society was 

divided into classes and the masses lived in poor economic conditions. 

Although these conditions were favourable to revolutions throughout 

Europe, a revolution broke out in France alone in 1789 because of the extra-

ordinary conditions in France. Even when the conditions in France were 

better than the rest of Europe, such better conditions acted as a catalyst 

leading to the revolution.

As already noted, France like Austria, Prussia, Russia and Spain were under 

despotic rulers. Whereas despotism in France was still absolute, the rest of 

Europe had enlightened despots who had improved the conditions of their 

people. For example, in Spain Charles III had eliminated corruption and 

reformed the taxation system while in Prussia Fredrick the great had 

codified the Prussian law. These reforms sharply contrast with France that 

was infested with corruption, unfair taxation system and absence of the law. This difference explains why a revolution first broke out in France and 

not in any other state of Europe.

Whereas the church influence and privileges in France was still maintained 

by 1789, this was reduced and abolished in other parts of Europe. For 

instance, Joseph II of Austria had granted religious freedom, dismissed the 

church's influence in state affairs and confiscated its land. Even in Spain the 

church was under state control. The Frenchmen therefore wanted a 

revolution to destroy the church's influence in the social, political and 

economic affairs of France and have religious freedom that was already 

put right elsewhere in Europe.

Enlightened despots in other parts of Europe had also reformed the tax 

department while France still maintained the ancient system of taxation. In 

Austria, the privileges of the aristocracy were abolished and everybody 

who owned land was taxed. In France the tax burden was heaviest on the 

peasants while the nobles and the clergy who had a lot of land were 

exempted. This rigidity in the social class system is what made France to 

raise little revenue leading to the financial crisis that became one of 

immediate causes of the 1789 revolution.

NB. The taxation department in France was privatized. This made the 

contractors to overtax and mistreat the Frenchmen in order to make profits. 

This is why taxation was referred to as the cancer of the ancient regime.

The repercussions of natural disaster were worst in France due to economic 

rigidities created by tax farmers’ collectors). The numerous taxes and road 

toll made it difficult to ration goods from where it was plenty to areas of 

scarcity. This made economic hardship to hit France hardest by 1789 

leading to a revolution. Besides France was still relying on agriculture, which 

is more vulnerable to devastations by natural disasters. Other states like 

England, Belgium and Prussia were investing heavily in industries, which 

reduced the impact of natural disasters.

Although the conditions of the French peasants were better than any other 

country in Europe, it instead morale boosted their determination to struggle 

for better conditions. This is in line with Denis Richards's argument that; It 

tends to be people with something to loose and not merely something to 

gain who think most eagerly of improving the existing state of society. 

Actually the French peasants were relatively better and were able to pay 

taxes to the nobles, clergy and the state. They were therefore very 

disappointed by the diversion of their taxes to the luxuries of the unproductive minorities-the clergy and nobles. This is why they participated 

in mobs and mob actions that made the French revolution inevitable.

Even in Russia where the conditions of the peasants were worst a revolution 

was avoided by 1789. Infact, there was little difference between a slave 

and a peasant but she survived a revolution because of the ability of the 

iron lady Tsar Catherine II who used force timely and promptly. For example 

she brutally suppressed the peasant revolt of1773 and 1775. This contrasts 

with Louis XVI who failed to use force as the third estate declared 

themselves the national assembly and took the Tennis court oath which 

made the revolution of 1789 to progress.

NB. Louis xvi's inability to use force appropriately was partly due to the fact 

that he had lost the control over the army. By 1789 the French army were 

divided into two i.e. those who were still loyal to him and those who had lost 

trust to him (and therefore disloyal). This is why when things turned hot, he 

tried to flee to Austria and get foreign troops to suppress the revolution that 

only made the revolution to progress. It's important to stress those other 

despotic leaders like Joseph II of Austria, Tsar Catherine of Russia, and 

Fredrick the great of Prussia had firm control over the army and there was 

no disloyal element within the army. It's partly why Catherine was able to 

crush the peasant's revolt before it could spread throughout Russia.

Like the peasants (with the exception of Britain), France had also 

developed a highly enlightened middle class who nursed bitterness at 

being excluded from top political jobs. Indeed it is France where the middle 

class was most numerous, most prosperous and most desirous of change. 

Such were learned men and professionals like Robespierre, Desmoulin, 

Camille and Stanislus who championed the revolution during its course. 

One can therefore argue that whereas the oppressed masses of Europe 

desired change, they did not have the leaders to mobilize them hence an 

insight as to why a revolution occurred in France than elsewhere in Europe.

Apart from Britain, France by 1789 had a centralized administration. Paris 

was the locus (centre) of .administration with a population of over half a 

million people. These became the Paris revolutionary mob that cheered 

and supported the revolution when it began. Centralization also explains 

why the effects of natural disasters forced the masses to flock to Paris yet in 

other parts of Europe centralization was either still rudimentary or entirely 

lacking. In these areas unrest in the villages does not necessarily disturb the 

Centre (capital) and disorder in the Centre had little impact m the  

countryside unlike France.

The influence of England has also been advanced' to explain the unique 

occurrence of the French revolution. The British political system was 

reformed long time by the revolution of 1668. The Frenchmen therefore had 

to struggle to attain what the British had successfully achieved more than 

a century ago. On the other hand, whereas other despotic powers like 

Russia, Austria and Prussia were also vulnerable to the English influence like 

France, they were (and are) geographically far from England than France. 

This made France to have more of the English influence and hence the 

revolution of1789.

The American war of independence of 1776-1783 also explains why France 

experienced a revolution single handedly. It contributed to bankruptcy 

which forced Louis xvi to summon the estate general meeting. Besides there 

was no foresight and proper planning for the war. Spain and Britain had a 

sound economy and financed the war using state funds but France 

borrowed from the Bourgeoisie (because of financial bankruptcy) who

spear headed the revolution to recover their money, which Louis had failed 

to repay.

NB. Although Britain lost in the America war of independence and France 

succeeded in assisting the Americans to regain their independence, Britain 

could not experience a revolution since she had a genuine reason of 

defending her Imperial interest in America. France had no proper 

justification in the war. Moreover Louis xvi's myopia made him fail to realize 

that the oppression and injustice he was fighting in America needed to be 

stopped in France. This is why veteran soldiers of American war of 

independence led by Lafayette supported the French revolution when it 

started in 1789.

The weaknesses and character of Louis xvii shield high in explaining why 

France hosted a revolution alone in 1789. He was physically weak, 

undecided and a non-reformist leader. This is what made the estates 

General meeting of May 1789 to explode into a revolution. Even after the 

explosion, he failed to use force at the right time since he had even lost 

control over the army. If Louis xvi had the ability and determination of Tzar 

Catherine II who ruthlessly suppressed the peasants revolts of 1795 (at 

Pugachev), the French revolution would have been averted.

Louis xvi's administration was very loose. He was either a sleep or hunting 

during crucial state meetings. He was therefore not well versed with the 

problems of his people. This made him an isolated king to be ejected by 

the revolution of 1789. This was not the case in Prussia where FredriCHURCH. great made tours and regular inspection throughout the country. He was in 

touch with the common man that many times he physically ploughed the 

field as an exemplary leader. This increased' his popularity that averted a 

revolution of the French type.

Russia, Austria and France had the influence of women in the state affairs 

before the French revolution. However out of all of them, the influence of 

Marie Antoinette in France was negative while those of Catherine II of 

Russia and Marie Theresa of Austria were positive. For instance while Marie 

Theresa (Antoinette's mother) of Austria was a reformer who was very 

popular, Marie Antoinette was so unsympathetic to the Frenchmen, a non-

reformer and thus very unpopular. This also added to the unpopularity of 

Louis xvi which caused the 1789 revolution.

NB. Marie Theresa who ruled Austria from 1740-1780 was the mother of 

Marie Antoinette, the queen of ice. Joseph II who succeeded her was her 

son and a brother of Marie Antoinette. Joseph tried to advice sister not to 

over involve herself in French politics and at one time wrote a lengthy letter 

in which he warned her to have nothing to do with public affairs and think 

only in deserving the king’s affection and confidence.

The works /writings of philosophers were widely read throughout Europe. 

Suffice to note is that philosophers never wanted a revolution of the French 

type since it would jeopardize their wealth. Voltaire stood for a reformed 

despotism that was practiced in Prussia, Russia and Austria but not in 

France. For instance Tsar Catherine of Russia had improved the economy 

using ideas of the philosophers. She even invited Diderot and discussed her 

economic reform programs with him. These moves were contrary in France 

because Louis dismissed the financial reforms proposed by Turgot and 

Necker which were based on Diderot's writings. Thus, much as it appears 

parallel that philosophers wrote for the whole Europe, France experienced 

a revolution alone in 1789 due to neglect of philosophical ideas, contrary 

to other states.

Lastly, philosophers enjoyed a wider and public reception in France than 

elsewhere because she had the widest middle class who wanted change. 

Secondly, in spite of censorship there were many ways and media through 

which their ideas circulated in France. These were liberal pamphlets, 

journals, shops, Lodges, saloons and recreational places. In these places 

the ideas of philosophers were analyzed and interpreted by the middle 

class to the peasants.

5. ROLE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

t should be noted that the privileged class (clergy and nobles) indirectly 

contributed to the revolution since their privileges were at the expense of 

the peasants and middle class. The role of the unprivileged Clarks i.e. 

peasants and middle class were direct since they actively participated in 

the revolution due to the numerous grievances they had against the 

privileged class and the ancient regime.

Role of the Clergy/Catholic Church

1. The clergy fostered religious intolerance where Catholicism was the state 

religion yet there were Protestants and Moslems in France. Protestants and 

Moslems were not allowed to worship publicly and were often subjected to 

intimidation, Imprisonment, torture and exile. These robbed the church and 

the government of support from the anti-Catholic elements in Prance and 

forced them to revolt in 1789.

2. The Catholic Church had unjustifiable influences on State affairs and 

state policies. Most of the clergy including the pope were very poor advisors 

who made Louis xvi to mess up with state affairs.

3. The Catholic Church was the most privileged institution in France. The 

clergy enjoyed a yearly income of500 million francs and dominated Land 

at the expense of the peasants. They exploited peasants on such land 

through Feudalism and serfdom. This made the peasants who were the 

producing agents to revolt for redistribution of Land.

4. Inspite of the vast resources it had, the Catholic Church was exempted 

from all forms of taxes, clergy made "a free' gift" to the government than 

contribute appropriate revenue to the nation treasury from its wealth. This 

contributed to financial crisis since they should have been the best 

contributors to the government revenue.

5. While the Catholic Church was exempted from all forms of taxes, the 

church tithe was compulsory for everybody in France. The church therefore 

fostered economic motives more than religious objectives in the 

exploitation of the common man. This dragged the non-Catholics to the 

revolution of1789.

6. The French education system prior to 1789 was controlled by the clergy 

other than the state. Education policies were manipulated to indoctrinate 

the Frenchmen with ideas favourable to the state in an attempt to frustrate 

anti-government critics. This made the French men to revolt in order to 

reinstate education under state control.

7. Besides education, the Catholic Church controlled the press. It censored 

all newspapers, journals, pamphlets and other publications that were 

against the king and the monarchy. Liberal books and ideas were 

prohibited with a false hope that it would keep the Frenchmen ignorant. 

However, this boomeranged and made the Frenchmen more conscious of 

the need for changes, hence the revolution.

8. The clergy were a corrupt, embezzlers and extravagant group of people. 

They lived a parasitic life at the expense of the poor peasants. This led to 

economic hardship and the revolution of1789.

9. The dominant position of the Catholic Church and the clergy provided 

the philosophers with something to criticize and incite the Frenchmen to 

revolt. Voltaire for instance condemned the catholic religious intolerance 

and its privileges at the expense of the oppressed peasants.

10. The representatives of the clergy together with the nobles provoked the 

third estate into the revolution by insisting on the ancient system of voting 

and deliberations during the estates general meeting of5 many 1789.This 

brought a very chaotic disagreement which forced the third class to form 

the national assembly, take the tennis court oath and progress with the 

revolution. NB. By 1789, the Catholic Church was badly in needs of reforms. 

Its role provoked hostility, hatred and criticism from liberals and philosophers 

because it was corrupt, oppressive, exploitative and conservative to forces 

and demands of reforms.

However, some section of the clergy betrayed the king and supported the 

revolution at the eleventh hour. These were the lower clergy who were less 

privileged like their counter parts the upper clergy. For instance the salary 

of a Bishop was about 100 times that of a parish priest and much more than 

that of a catechist. Sortie clergy fell out with the monarchy because of its 

too much concern with economic motives other than religious objectives

6. THE ROLE OF THE NOBILITY

1. Like the clergy, the nobility were a privileged minority who were favored 

by virtue 'of their birth. They were a parasitic group of people who survived 

on the sweats of the peasants and middle class and this is why they were 

nicknamed the "the spoilt child of France". They monopolized Land and 

exploited the peasants on such Land as serfs. This forced the peasants to 

take a revolutionary stand in 1789.

 2. The nobility were also exempted from taxation and conscription in the 

army. On top of these, they had the right to levy unnecessary taxes like 

feudal dues and toll taxes that made the peasants miserable and frustrated 

the middlemen's profit. This prompted the peasants to ally with the middle 

class to cause the revolution in 1789.

3. The nobility monopolized key and important government posts at the 

expense of even the suitably qualified middle class. For instance, they were 

ambassadors, top civil servants, army and naval commanders not on merit 

but by virtue of their birth right. This greatly annoyed the middle class who 

felt it was an insult to them since they were better educated than the 

nobles hence they had to mobilize the peasants for the revolution.

4. Like the clergy, the nobility were very corrupt, extravagant and 

mismanaged state resources, which brought financial crisis and economic 

hardship. For example, the court-nobles lived luxuriously at the royal palace 

and the Bastilles and that is why the revolutionaries could not spare these 

places during the revolution.

5. The incompetent nobles who monopolized key positions in the 

government gave poor and often fatal advice to the king. For instance 

they advised the king to insist on the ancient system of sitting during the 5^ 

May 1789 estates general meeting that triggered off the revolution. They 

also advised Louis to dismiss Necker and Turgot which dismissal caused 

wide spread political discontent to the king and the monarchy.

6. The greater nobility were too influential as court nobles from where they 

administered severe punishments to the unfortunate peasants and middle 

class. They were very biased in their judgment, which called for a revolution 

to end such French society.

7. The nobility were arrogant and had developed a superiority complex 

over the common man in France. They collected their feudal dues and 

products (food crops) from the peasants with a lot of brutality. They even 

demanded strict obedience to their decisions and failure to comply means 

heavy punishment.

8. Lastly, the nobility also had internal wrangles which arose from 

discrimination within their rank and file. The greater nobility were more 

privileged than the lesser nobility and the nobility of the robe. They were 

entitled to the best promotions, pensions, appointments and other states 

favors. This caused internal jealousy and hatred, which made  nobility and the nobility of the robe to jump on the revolutionary vehicle in 

order to reform the monarchy.

7. GRIEVIENCES AND ROLE OF THE BOURGEOISI.

Although the Bourgeoisie were considerably wealthy and enjoyed some 

exemptions like conscription, feudal rural taxes and owned most of France's 

non-agricultural Wealth, they had serious causes of discontent. They were 

prominent on the French revolution because they provided ideas and 

words of encouragement to the oppressed peasants.

1. The elite Bourgeoisie had the ambitions of achieving political and social 

prestige, which was monopolized by the unqualified nobles and clergy. This 

was because they were excluded from politics. Inspite of their wealth and 

education they even had no prospect of promotion in the army because 

all commissioned ranks were reserved for the children of the nobility. These 

made them to be critical of the Bourbon monarchy and spear head the 

revolution.

2. Besides political grievances, the Bourgeoisies had economic grievances 

as well. They were opposed to unfair taxation system which reduced their 

profit margins and benefited the “unproductive nobles and clergy”. The 

middle class were frustrated by Louis xvi's free commercial treaty with 

England in 1786 that made them to be out competed by the British 

merchants. The greatest grievance was that by 1789 they had lent huge 

chunks of money to the government. However, with the financial crisis in 

France, the Bourgeoisies had no prospect of recovering their money. They 

therefore advocated for a change of government in order to establish one 

that would improve the economy and pay their debts.

3. The philosophers whose critical analysis contributed to the revolution 

belonged to the intellectual Bourgeoisies. Even after the death of 

philosophers, it was the middle class who interpreted the writings of the 

philosophers to the oppressed peasants and urban dwellers. This made the 

peasants and urban dwellers politically conscious and it's what partly made 

them to participate in the revolution.

4. Similarly, most of the revolutionary leaders came from the middle class. 

Compared to other European states, France had the greatest number of

prosperous middle class who were eager for change. They financed and 

provided leadership to the revolution of 1789. The middle classmen were 

the master brains behind the tennis court oath and the formation by the 

national assembly.

5. The middle class recruited and financed the revolutionary army (National 

Guard). The role of the National Guard was very significant in defending 

the revolution from internal and external enemies.

6. It was the middle class that provided the tri-colour flag of the revolution 

which manifested that France was in a revolutionary state. The tri-colour 

flag replaced the white flag of the Bourbon monarchy. It was therefore a 

symbol of change in France.

7. The middle class was the architect of reforms and changes in France 

during the revolution. They were at the forefront of the civil constitution of 

the clergy declaration of rights of man and citizens, nationalization of land, 

storming of Bastilles, march of' women and the reign of terror

8. it’s a general belief that the French revolution was a Bourgeoisie 

revolution. This is so because the Directory government which Napoleon 

succeeded was dominated by file middle class and Napoleon himself had 

become a middle class man by 1799.

8. GRIEVANCES AND ROLE OF THE PEASANTS

1. By 1789, the French peasants were in serious demand for Land, abolition 

of uniform tax system, forced Labour, conscription in to the army, feudalism, 

and serfdom and wanted Law and order to prevail. While the peasants in 

other despotic states like Prussia, Austria and Russia had given up the 

struggle for change and accepted their status as sufferers, the conditions 

of the French peasants were relatively better and this motivated them to 

struggle for better conditions. This is because change can always be 

caused by people who have something to sacrifice in order to achieve 

such desired changes.

2. The peasants formed the Paris revolutionary mob that greatly cheered 

and supported the revolution. This forced Louis xvi to summon the estates 

general meeting partly to find a way of handling the chaos caused by the 

mobs. Otherwise, had it not been because of the disorder and Lawlessness 

caused by peasants, possibly the estates general meeting would not have 

been called and there would be no mobs to cheer and support the 

revolution.

3. Beside the peasants were active in revolutionary events such as the reign 

of terror, storming of Bastilles, March of women, confiscation of property 

and setting up barricades against government troops.

4. The peasants participated in the election of representatives to the 

chamber of deputies. Their representatives stood against the old order of 

sitting arrangement and joined the middle class in the declaration of the 

national assembly.

5. The peasants dominated the National Guard that protected the French 

revolution from internal and external threats. They were not afraid of losing 

their life for they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

6. Lastly, it was the peasants who aborted Luis attempt to flee to Austria (to 

seek foreign support against the French revolutionaries). They arrested him 

and his family members at varrenes (150 kms from Paris) and brought him 

back as an enemy of the revolution. This frustrated the hopes of foreign 

assistance that Louis had wished to use against the revolutionaries.

9. THE ROLE/CONTRIBUTIONS OF PERSONALITIES

1. Predecessors of King Louis XVI i.e. Louis XV, Louis XIV, Louis XIII etc

The previous French kings (Louis XV, Louis XIV, Louis XIII etc) from whom king 

Louis XVI inherited the throne laid foundation that contributed to the 

outbreak of the French Revolution of 1789. They are blamed for introducing 

and perpetuating extravagancy, unfair; political, social and economic 

system that favored the privileged class (clergy & nobles) against the 

unprivileged class (peasants and middle class) in the history of France. Louis 

XV for instance caused financial crisis in France when he wasted huge 

chunks of state money inthe7years war with Britain in India (1656-1663). The 

humiliating defeat of the French troops in the war is what partly made Louis 

XVI to venture in the American war of independence that worsened 

financial crisis and caused the 1789 revolution. Thus, the weakness and 

unfair system of King Louis Xvi's predecessors had already antagonized the 

Bourbon monarchy from the French peasants and middle class, thereby 

becoming a long term factor that caused the 1789 revolution in France.

2. General Lafayette.

Lafayette was a general in the French army and a veteran of the American 

war of independence. He was influenced by the democratic, constitutional 

and liberal ideas of the Americans which he assisted them to attain against 

the British. This experience inspired him with a revolutionary attitude against 

the oppressive, exploitative, dictatorial and undemocratic French 

government. It's this attitude that made him to turn round and support the 

revolution when he was ordered to suppress the revolutionaries. He is blamed for being one of the ring leaders of the revolution against the 

Bourbon monarchy.

3. Count Mirabeau

Mirabeau was a noble who unlike other nobles had passion/zeal for 

equality, liberty, fraternity and democracy. It's this sentiment that made him 

to be elected to represent the third estate in the French parliament of 5th 

May 1789. The same sentiment explains why he easily became the leader 

and president of the national assembly. Under his leadership, the third 

estate representatives rejected the ancient system of separate meetings of 

the 3estates in favour of a single assembly. When King Louis XVI ruled 

against the idea of a single assembly and ordered the third estate 

delegates to leave the parliament, Mirabeau confronted the master of 

ceremonies that; Go tell your master that we are here by the will of the 

people And that we shall not leave except at the point of the bayonet!

It was this tough stand under Mirabeau's guidance that forced King Louis 

Xvi to allow the three estates to sit debate and vote in a single assembly. 

This was a fundamental change because it was the first of its' kind in the 

political history of France during the ancient regime.

4.Turgot

He was a senior economist who was appointed a financial controller by 

King Louis XVI in 1774.He had greatly improved the economy of the 

province of Limousin and the king expected him to do the same for the 

French economy. Turgot summarized his reform agenda in the following 

words. No increase in taxation, no bankruptcy, no more borrowing. 

Consequently, he proposed an end to tax exemption of nobles and clergy. 

He also stopped wastage of public money on unnecessary expenses and 

saved millions of money. However, these reforms made him very unpopular 

to the Queen, upper clergy and nobles who pressurized King Louis XVI to 

dismiss him in 1776. His dismissal was a big disappointment to the French 

masses to which Voltaire lamented in these words;

I see nothing before me now but death; I am struck to the heart by this blow 

and shall never be consoled for having seen the beginning and the end of 

the golden age that Turgot was preparing for us. % Turgot's dismissal 

became one of the long term grievances that made the French masses to 

lose hope in the ancient regime's prospect of addressing the ever 

worsening financial crisis and led to the outbreak of the 1789 revolution.

5. Necker.

He was an accountant from Switzerland who was appointed by King Louis 

XVI to replace Turgot in 1776. He used his experience to persuade the king 

to reduce court expenses at Versailles and privileges of the nobles and 

clergy such as tax exemptions. However, he worsened French financial 

bankruptcy by borrowing heavy loans to meet Frances' expenses in the 

American war of independence. In 1781, Necker published a financial 

report of income and expenditure in which he dubiously tried to show that 

the financial situation was better than it actually was. His aim was to 

maintain some public confidence in the government.

However, the published statement exposed serious issues that antagonized 

the Frenchmen with the ancient regime. For instance, it shows the 

governments' continuous yearly payment to the hair dresser of Princess 

D'Artois who had died long before the age of 3years. It also exposed huge 

figures that were paid as pensions to court favourites. Like Turgot, these 

made Necker to bed is missed by King Louis XVI on the advice of Marie 

Antoinette, court nobles and clergy. His dismissal was disastrous as he was 

replaced by Calonne who misused the little money in the treasury, hence 

worsening the financial awkwardness of the French treasury. The failure of 

Calonne and later Bishop De Brienne forced Louis XVI to recall Necker in 

1788 who reaffirmed De -Brienne,s earlier advice to the king to call the 

estates general meeting of 5th may1789 that triggered off the revolution.

6. Calonne

Calonne was a court favourite who replaced Necker in 1781 as a financial 

controller. He proposed to tax exemptions of the nobles and clergies. He 

also suggested imposition of new land owners in order to raise money to 

address financial crisis. He contradicted himself by excessively borrowing 

money to the extent of 300 million dollars within 3years. This worsened the 

problem due to the debt he had and undermined the popularity of the 

Bourbon monarchy. Although he was dismissed' the situation nevertheless 

worsened financial bankruptcy and indirectly prepared ground for the 

revolution by 1789.

7. Arch-Bishopde-Brienne.

He was a cleric appointed to replace Calonne as a financial minister. He 

persuaded the notables (nobles, clergy, state officials etc) to accept the 

financial reforms proposed by previous financial ministers like Turgot and 

Necker. De-Brienne advised King Louis XVI to use his powers to tax the 

nobles, which resulted into a noble rebellion of 1788. He advised the King 

to call the estates general meeting which provoked hostile opposition from the privileged class and caused Louis XVI to recall back Necker. His idea 

was however emphasized by Necker and Louis could no longer object to 

call the estates general meeting from where the great revolution of1789 

emerged.

Other Personalities

8. The contributions of King Louis XVI (see point 6 on causes of the revolution)

9. The role of Marie Antoinette (see point 7 on causes of the revolution)

10. The role of Voltaire (point2 (a)

11. The role of Montesquieu (point2(b)

12. The role of J.J Rousseau (point 2 (c)

13. The role of John Lock (point 2 (d)

14. The role of Encyclopaedists like Diderot (page 6)

15. The role of Economists like Adams Smith and D'Alambert

Introduction

The French revolution can generally be categorized in to three major 

phases/stages. The first stage 1789 - 1791 begins with the estates general 

meeting of 5th May 1789 and ends with the death of Mirabeau in 1791. It 

involved a number of events and resolutions passed by the National 

Assembly over;

The clergy

The nobility

Judicial and Administrative structures,

The Bourbon monarchy.

The second stage 1792 - 1794 was characterized by violence, where the 

peaceful revolution turned into terror, deviating to dictatorship and 

anarchy. It began after the death of Mira beau in April 1791 and ended 

with the death of Robespierre in July 1794. The leadership of the revolution 

at this stage was under the lower class people and political parties that had 

sprung up.

Las stage was when the spread of the revolution by 1799 was under the 

directory government ruled by five directors. It was marked by the spread 

of revolutionary ideas from France to the rest of Europe. It also witnessed 

the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte where he staged a coup against the 

directory government and assumed power in France. Although the French 

revolution was considered to have ended in 1799, this should not obstruct 

us from the fact that Napoleon continued with the revolutionary principles 

up to his downfall in 1815.

It should be noted that by 17.89, France was a rotten society and a 

revolution of any nature inevitable. Denis Richards summarizes that

“ All the materials for a great combustion was now present, an outworn, 

inefficient, unfair and bankrupt system of government, a strong body of 

reforming opinion created by philosophers, the successful example of the 

Americans, a weak king and unpopular queen, wide spread economic 

distress, and desperate mob of an exceptional size in Paris. It needed only 

a spark to set it ablaze, to turn the smoldering of 1787-1789 into fire”.

In other words, the Frenchmen were only waiting for an opportune moment 

to revolt which came through the estates general meeting of 5th may1789.

Online Recommend Resources.

1. History.com: French Revolution (www.history.com/topics/french-revolution)