State and explain 5 causes for the French revolution
Answers
Explanation:
French Revolution, also called Revolution of 1789, revolutionary movement that shook France between 1787 and 1799 and reached its first climax there in 1789—hence the conventional term “Revolution of 1789,” denoting the end of the ancien régime in France and serving also to distinguish that event from the later French revolutions of 1830 and 1848.

Louis XVI: execution by guillotine
The execution of Louis XVI in 1793.
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French Revolution
QUICK FACTS
DATE
1787 - 1799
LOCATION
France
PARTICIPANTS
Bourgeoisie
Montagnard
Peasant
Philosophe
Sansculotte
CAUSES
The growing popularity of the works of a number of intellectuals who argued for social reform
Crop failures in 1788 compounded existing economic restlessness
French participation in the American Revolution that drove the government to the brink of bankruptcy
Resentment among the bourgeoisie about being excluded from political power
The French monarchy, no longer seen as divinely ordained, was unable to adapt to the political and societal pressures being exerted on it
Widespread inequality between the rich and poor classes alongside growing dissatisfaction with the antiquated feudal system among the poor
OUTCOMES
Establishment of a republic in France
Establishment of civil equality in the country (but not in the French colonies) and radical social change
The Reign of Terror, during which the Revolutionary government arrested 300,000 suspects, resulting in at least 25,000 deaths
The abolition of feudalism in France
The abolition of the monarchy and the deaths of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette
The rise to power of Napoleon Bonaparte
Wars with a number of other countries, including Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain
KEY PEOPLE
Georges Danton
Jacques-Louis David
Marie-Thérèse-Louise de Savoie-Carignan, princess de Lamballe
Louis XVI
Marie-Antoinette
Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
Napoleon I
Maximilien Robespierre
Louis de Saint-Just
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent
RELATED TOPICS
Ancien régime
Aristocracy
Émigré
French republican calendar
Guillotine
DID YOU KNOW?
The storming of the Bastille is still honored in France as a national holiday.
The Jacobins attempted to eradicate Christianity in France.
When Louis XVI was executed in January 1793, his severed head was paraded around for the crowd and was met with exclamations of "Vive la République!"
The later Bolsheviks admired the French Revolution and especially the Jacobins, the extremist French revolutionaries who had instigated the Reign of Terror.
Origins Of The Revolution
The French Revolution had general causes common to all the revolutions of the West at the end of the 18th century and particular causes that explain why it was by far the most violent and the most universally significant of these revolutions. The first of the general causes was the social structure of the West. The feudal regime had been weakened step-by-step and had already disappeared in parts of Europe. The increasingly numerous and prosperous elite of wealthy commoners—merchants, manufacturers, and professionals, often called the bourgeoisie—aspired to political power in those countries where it did not already possess it. The peasants, many of whom owned land, had attained an improved standard of living and education and wanted to get rid of the last vestiges of feudalism so as to acquire the full rights of landowners and to be free to increase their holdings. Furthermore, from about 1730, higher standards of living had reduced the mortality rate among adults considerably. This, together with other factors, had led to an increase in the population of Europe unprecedented for several centuries: it doubled between 1715 and 1800. For France, which with 26 million inhabitants in 1789 was the most populated country of Europe, the problem was most acute.

Following were the social, economic, political and intellectual causes of the French Revolution:
Social - The social conditions in France in late 18th century were extremely unequal and exploitative. The clergy and the nobility formed the first two Estates and were the most privileged classes in the French society. They were exempt from payment of taxes to the State. On the other hand, the Third Estate that consisted of peasants and workers formed the majority of the population. They were burdened with excessive taxes with no political and social rights. As a result, they were extremely discontent.
Economic - As a result of a numerous wars waged by Louis XVI the State coffers were empty. The situation was made even more complex by France’s involvement in the American War of Independence and the faulty system of taxation. While the privileged classes were excused from paying taxes, the Third Estate was more and more burdened with them. The Third Estate also paid taxes to the Church known as 'tithes'.
Political - The Bourbon king of France, Louis XVI was an extremely autocratic and weak willed king who led a life of obscene luxury. This led to a lot of disenchantment among the masses who then were leading life of extreme poverty and widespread hunger.
Intellectual - The 18th century was marked by a conscious refusal by French thinkers of the ‘Divine Rights Theory’. Philosophers like Rousseau, rejected the theory of absolute monarchy and promulgated the doctrine of equality of man and sovereignty of people. They played a pivotal role in exposing the faultlines of old political system, i.e. the ancien regime, and articulated the popular discontent.