What were the social and political causes that led to the French Revolution
Answers
♡ ғʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ɪɴ ʟᴀᴛᴇ 18ᴛʜ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇxᴛʀᴇᴍᴇʟʏ ᴜɴᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘʟᴏɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴇʀɢʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴏʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ғᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴇsᴛᴀᴛᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴘʀɪᴠɪʟᴇɢᴇᴅ ᴄʟᴀssᴇs ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғʀᴇɴᴄʜ sᴏᴄɪᴇᴛʏ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇxᴇᴍᴘᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴘᴀʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛᴀxᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ.♡
♡ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ 18ᴛʜ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴜʀʏ, ғʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴄʀᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴏɴᴀʀᴄʜʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴜʟᴇʀs ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴜɴʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ғʀᴇɴᴄʜ ᴍᴏɴᴀʀᴄʜs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʀɪᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴀᴠɪsʜɴᴇss ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀsᴀɪʟʟᴇs. ... ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛᴏᴄʀᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴏɴᴀʀᴄʜʏ, ᴘᴏᴏʀ ᴀᴅᴍɪɴɪsᴛʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴇxᴘᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴇxᴘᴇɴᴅɪᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏʟɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғʀᴇɴᴄʜ ʀᴇᴠᴏʟᴜᴛɪᴏɴ.♡
Social Causes
The French society before 1789 is referred to as the Ancien Régime. The society was strongly divided by the status of the individuals and groups. There were 3 orders in the society.
On top, the nobility. The king could give to someone a title of nobility but this status was usually acquired by birth.
The nobles had all kind of privileges. The most important are that they would not pay taxes and they were given top-jobs in the army, the administration and the royal courtyard.
The nobles usually felt superior to the commoners and would let them know it.The other privileged order was the clergy. The Catholic church was the official religion and occasionally persecuted religious minorities or deviant individuals.
There was the secular clergy in contact with the rest of the population and the regular clergy, the monks living in autonomy and quite secluded. Both were financed by a religious tax imposed on the commoners.
The clergy did not pay taxes while the church was the main landowner of the country. Each year, the church gave a financial gift to the state. The church chose the amount which was small compared to its richness.
The clergymen themselves were very divided between the high-clergy, whose members were coming from the nobility and the low-clergy, whose financial situation and everyday occupation made them feel close from the commoners.
Political Causes
In theory, France lived in what was called an absolute monarchy. There was no Constitution or deputies to limit the power of the king. Louis XVI and the governments he chose were the only law-makers.In practice, Louis XVI was expected to conform to Christian values and to respect the political traditions and privileges of the many separated territories that constituted the kingdom of France.
More importantly for him, Louis XVI had to deal with some rebellious local Parliaments. The parliamentarians were not elected deputies but judges belonging to the nobility. They were meant to assist and advise the king as his delegates and to register his bills, transforming them into laws.
These Parliaments turned into the only places where the policies of the government could be contested. The advices of the parliamentarians turned into reproaches and they refused to register the financial reforms decided by the king.
The parliamentarians presented themselves as the spokespersons of the nation and managed to obtain the support of many people. However, they were assemblies of nobles that defended their privileges and blocked the necessary financial reforms of Louis XVI.