Causes of the French Revolution

• Philosophers


  Able writers and thinkers who criticized the undemocratic features of French society in the 18th century
• Voltaire


  • Most brilliant of the philosophers
  • Attacked the abuses of the Old Regime in letters, plays, histories, poems and books
  • Condemned the divine-right rule and attacked restrictions on free speech
• Rousseau- Book, The Social Contract 


  • Did much to inspire the French Revolution by preaching his democratic ideas
  • Stated that government should rest on the consent of the governed
  • Believed all men had natural rights ("Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity")
  • Said people might justly revolt when the ruler broke this promise ("contract") to rule for their benefit
  • Said "man is born free yet everywhere he is in chains"
• The undemocratic feature of the French society were criticized in the 18th century by able writers and thinkers
• They wanted governments to be arranged so that each citizen would receive fair treatment and equal opportunity
• Immediate Causes of the French Revolution

  • Bankrupt condition of the French treasury brought about in part by the extravagant expenditures and the inefficiency of Louis XVI and his predecessor
  • Aid to the American colonies during their revolution had also helped to drain the French treasury
  • Louis XVI called in, one finance minister after another to raise money
  • His most able minister was dismissed for recommending sweeping tax reforms
  • The Estate General (French Parliament) was called in the hope of getting it to raise funds for the treasury
  • The members of the Third Estate came with lists of grievances and declared themselves the National Assembly of France
  • The harvest of 1788 had been almost ruined by a combination of drought and hail, resulting in famine-stricken peasants drifting to Paris
  • Rumours that the king was going to break up the National Assembly led to rioting and uprisings throughout France
  • Paris mobs stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789
  • Peasants in the provinces plundered and burned castles
  • Government in France broke down as loyal officials fled and the people stopped paying taxes