17 of 20

Write now Article Tools

There is a common misapprehension that revolutions occur when the poor overthrow the rich. Actually, revolutions usually result from the desire of a growing middle class for a greater political and economic voice.

Nations are made up of people and are as complex as individuals. We often can't fully explain why we do the things we do, so imagine how much more difficult it is to figure out why nations act the way they do. The best we can do is make some broad generalizations.

The basis of the French Revolution was laid a hundred years earlier with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The French Catholics had been in conflict with the French protestants, or Huguenots, since the 16th century, a time known as the Wars of Religion. The Edict of Nantes eased tensions by granting limited rights to the Huguenots. When the Edict was recinded, many Huguenots left France to escape persecution. Since many Huguenots were middle class merchants and skilled craftsmen, especially in weaving and cloth production, the economy suffered and France was plunged into a dark age of trade and industry. As domestic products weren't available, France had to depend on expensive imports.

In the hundred years between the revoking of the Edict of Nantes and the French Revoluton, a new middle class of merchants and tradesmen developed to fill the void left by the departing Huguenots. The new middle class wanted some of the same things the instigators of the American Revolution wanted, representative government and fair taxation. At the time, the French had to pay taxes to both the Catholic church and to the state. The government was highly irresponsible and arbitrary; taxation was inequitable - neither the nobility nor the Church paid tax - and the country was forced into crushing debt to support the aristocracy. While the middle classes were looking towards a democratic future, the King and the court were hopelessly stuck in the fuedal past.

Immediately before the revolution there was a general crop failure in France that caused a famine which brought about an economic depression. The middle class began to suffer because no one could afford to buy anything. When King Louis XVI failed to provide famine relief (illustrated by the phrase attributed to Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat cake"), it fuelled middle class opposition to the King. Several failed attempts were made to reform the government and finally public frustration erupted into violent demonstrations. All of these factors combined into a revolutionary brew that saw the overthrow of the French monarchy.

This is a simplistic overview, obviously the situation was much more complex than outlined here, but these are some of the main contributing factors.

Learn more about this author, J. Goodman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about French history: The causes of the French Revolution?
We want to hear your view. Write now!