Why Did The French Revolution Break Out In 1789?

In the following essay, the factors which caused the French Revolution will be examined in order to best understand why revolution broke out in 1789. The French Revolution, a social, economic, and political upheaval with worldwide significance, established a ‘purely bourgeois’ government in France . The causes behind the outbreak of revolution have been widely debated; whilst some, such as John Shovlin, believe economic reasons were the most crucial factor , others have emphasised the role of the Enlightenment in the spread of public opinion , or argued that it was political and social inequality that was to blame . This essay will argue that the short-term economic crises acted as a catalyst to emphasise the longer-term issues in society,
However, there was overlap between these groups, and these Estates did not exactly reflect the divisions in French society. Instead, Rude describes society as a pyramid: the apex was the Court and the aristocracy, the centre was the bourgeoisie, and the base was peasants, tradesmen, and craftsmen . Peter McPhee therefore argues that the French Revolution was caused by tensions between these social groups, due to the political and social inequality that the lower classes, or the Third Estate, especially faced . In particular, there was inequality with taxation between the classes as the nobility were exempt , as well as problems with accessing power. The nobility, bourgeoisie and the lower classes had no access to power, however the Third Estate bore heavy taxes and all the burdens of supporting the state . However, the nobility were not willing to give up their privileges in order to achieve social equality because they insisted on their rights , which caused resentment amongst the bourgeois and the peasants as they felt excluded, burdened, and over-taxed . They also felt resentment towards the monarchy: Louis XVI and his court lived lavish lifestyles; because of this, he lost the respect of the middling elites who felt like they were paying for his luxurious way of life but were
John Shovlin argues that ‘it is a truism that the French Revolution was touched off by the near bankruptcy of the state, a predicament exacerbated by a sharp economic slump’ , meaning that, whilst the financial situation in France had been poor for a while, it was the short-term economic impact that was the real catalyst for revolution. Certainly, the French economy had its problems. For example, taxation was vastly unequal: the Third Estate was heavily taxed whilst the nobility was exempt . Therefore, ‘under the Old Regime, the richer a man was, the less he paid’ , which bred resentment amongst the bourgeoisie and commoners, who had to pay more taxes despite having less money, leading to the nobility becoming extremely unpopular. Furthermore, the Seven Years’ War and France’s participation in the American Revolutionary war left France in major debt , and the latter caused a recession . This debt was then further exacerbated by Louis XVI and the nobility’s extravagant spending . Therefore, there was, Shovlin argues, there was a need for a regeneration of the French economy in order to ease France’s debt and prevent sections of society from being alienated from the monarchy . However, it was the short-term economic factors that sparked revolution. The Agrarian Crisis of 1788-1789 led to the deregulation of the grain market by Turgot, Louis XVI's