Chapter 3

The French Revolution – Causes

THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

There was no single cause of the French

Revolution. France had many long-term
problems, but few people in the 1780s
imagined the fall of the monarchy and the
complete change that would occur in France
in the years after 1789.
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

1. France’s absolute monarchy

Louis XVI ruled France in the late eighteenth century
as an ABSOLUTE MONARCH. This meant he had total
power over the country and claimed he had a divine
(Godgiven) right to rule, so could do whatever he
wanted. This system could work when the king was a
strong and competent ruler.
An absolute monarch is a
king who has total power
over the country and
claims a divine
(God-given) right to rule.
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

1. France’s absolute monarchy

However, Louis was weak and incompetent. His
Austrian wife, Marie Antoinette, was unpopular with
the French people. The couple lived a very
extravagant and expensive lifestyle at their huge
palace at Versailles. As the French economy
worsened and the government’s debts grew, people
began to criticise the royal family.
` Louis XVI
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

2. The Enlightenment
During the eighteenth century, a movement called
the ENLIGHTENMENT emerged in Europe. It was a
movement of thinkers who valued reason and
science above faith or authority as a basis for society.
Many of these writers were French, like Voltaire,
Rousseau and Montesquieu.
The Enlightenment was a
movement of eighteenth-
century thinkers who
valued reason and science
over faith or authority as
a basis for society.
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

3. Social divisions in France

The French people were divided into ‘Three Estates’
or groups:
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

3. Social divisions in France

The Third Estate, especially its wealthy and educated
members, fiercely resented paying taxes when the
other estates did not. The Third Estate had to pay all
the taxes for the country. These included:
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

3. Social divisions in France

• The taille: a land tax
• The gabelle: a salt tax
• The corvée: members of the Third Estate had to
work for free repairing roads
• The tithe: one-tenth of earnings or produce went
to the Catholic Church
They also resented having to pay taxes while they
had no say in running the country.
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

4. The impact of the American Revolution

In 1776, Britain’s colonies in North America declared
their independence. In 1778 France joined the war in
support of American independence. The success of
the American Revolution influenced France in two
major ways:
• Firstly, many French people were inspired by the
American achievements of overthrowing British
rule in the name of freedom and equality.
THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

4. The impact of the American Revolution

Secondly, France had incurred great debt by
supporting the Americans during the war. By the end
of the 1780s, the government’s finances were in crisis
and Louis urgently needed to raise taxes. When the
nobility refused to pay any of the existing taxes, the
king was left with no choice but to call a meeting of
the Estates General.
` Uniformed French solider in the American
Revolution