The French Revolution had many causes. Here, in summary form, is a list of the most
important causes and events that led to the revolution.
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The Middle Class
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It was a small, wealthy, and educated part of the Third Estate.
It wanted a higher position in society.
It wanted the right to participate in government.
It wanted more economic freedom.
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New Ideas
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New ideas about democracy became very popular.
Political decisions based on the will of the majority were seen as an alternative to
decisions made by an absolute monarch.
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Economic Conditions
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France was heavily in debt.
Money in France’s treasury was spent foolishly on expensive life-styles for the
nobility at court.
Large amounts of money were spent fighting wars against England.
The tax load on the Third Estate (peasants) increased.
More tax money was needed to pay off debts.
An attempt was made to tax the nobility (the Second Estate), but they refused.
It was suggested that the Estates-General be called to deal with the problem.
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Calling of the Estates-General (1788)
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To raise money, Louis XVI asked representatives of all three estates to meet
together.
The three estates could not agree on the method for voting.
The Third Estate became frustrated and decided to meet on their own.
Because the Third Estate (peasants) represented about 97 percent of the
population of France, they called their meeting the National Assembly.
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National Assembly (1789)
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The Third Estate was locked out of the meeting room so they met on an indoor
tennis court.
They swore the Tennis Court Oath to stay together until France had a new, fair
constitution.
Eventually Louis XVI ordered the First and Second Estates to join the National
Assembly as well.
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The Storming of the Bastille (1789)
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– Rumours spread that Louis XVI was going to close the National Assembly.
– Uprisings broke out in the countryside.
– Further rumours were spread that guns and troops were being gathered at the
Bastille, a fortress in Paris in which people were imprisoned without trial.
– The guns, it was rumoured, were to be used against the people of Paris to stop
the movement toward change.
– A mob gathered outside the Bastille, demanding that the guns be turned over to
the people.
– The soldiers fired on the people.
– A mob of dissatisfied people stormed the Bastille. With the defeat of the King’s
troops at the Bastille, the revolution had begun. This act even today symbolizes
the success of the French people in their fight against injustice.
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1. Earlier in this section, underlying cause was defined as a potentially explosive
situation. Immediate cause was defined as an event that sets off the spark that leads to the
actual revolt.
Read over the list of causes and decide which are underlying causes and which are
immediate causes. List three underlying and three immediate causes of the French
Revolution.
a. Three underlying causes of the French Revolution were
b. Three immediate causes of the French Revolution were
2. Indicate if the statements that follow are T (true) or F (false).
a. ____King Louis XVI’s troops were defeated at the Bastille.
b. ____The middle class in the 1700s was a small, wealthy, and educated part of the
Second Estate.
c. ____The National Assembly was originally made up of the three Estates.
d. ____France was heavily in debt because of foolish spending by the nobility and
fighting wars against England.
e. ____The Bastille was a famous museum in Paris.
f. ____The Tennis Court Oath was declared by the Estates-General.
g. ____The Estates-General was made up of the three Estates.
This activity gave you an opportunity to look at the actual causes of the French
Revolution and figure out how each contributed to the revolution. Next, you will take a
brief look at the class system as it existed in prerevolutionary France.
Absolute monarch: the theory of government that gives all power to the ruler
Estates-General: ancient French lawmaking body made up of the three classes of society
Constitution: a set of rules adopted by a state for its government
Answer
1. Answers may vary but should include some of the following information.
a. Any three of these underlying causes of the French Revolution could be mentioned:
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A middle class grew up who were wealthy, educated, and who wanted a higher
position in society.
New ideas, spread by the philosophers, increased people’s desire for change.
The lavish spending habits of the monarchy were hard for the poor peasant to
accept.
Increases in taxes, along with more privileges for the nobility, were also causes
for complaint among the already-overburdened peasantry.
b. Three immediate causes of the French Revolution were
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The calling of the Estates-General was the push that set the wheels of change in
motion.
The failure of the First and Second Estates to accept and work with the Third
Estate resulted in the Tennis Court Oath and the creation of the National
Assembly. This caused even more rapid change.
The troops firing on the people outside the Bastille and the storming of the
Bastille meant that the people had passed the point of no return and the French
Revolution had begun.
2.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
t
f
f
t
f
f
t