Many long-term and short-term causes led up to the French Revolution; we will now look at some of the main ones to better understand Louis XVIs situation and analyze his actions. Long-term factors include the deteriorating economic situation at the time, the rising population in France, and the new ideas of the Enlightenment that influenced the French peoples thinking. All of these had led to the peoples discontent, especially with the economic crisis, as they could barely support their families in face of the rising food costs and unemployment. Riots such as the Reveillon riot broke out (Hetherton 1992, pg. 24). Some of the short-term causes include the wars with Britain from 1756 to 1763 and from 1778 to 1783 (Lavelle, 2008), the meeting of the Estates General and the failure of the King to secure support from the church and the aristocrats, especially on financial and political matters (Waugh 2002, pg. 89). There were also two major events that triggered the start of the French revolution: the Tennis Court Oath and the Storming of the Bastille. These were important events that marked the peoples first actions to take matters into their own hands.
At the time when King Louis XVI succeeded his father to the throne on 10th