French Revolution

13 Pages 3248 Words

s made worse by the Nobles non-cooperation when it came to Taxation. The nobles were determined not to give up their tax concessions. This proved to be a great problem for Louis and his advisers. The peasants and bourgeoisie were also unhappy due to the large taxes that they had to pay. Due to over ambitious wars and extravagant spending on courts, Louis XIV and Louis XV had been successful in helping to bankrupt France. Their extravagant spending on courts could be seen by the beauty and sheer size of Versailles. The cost of the wars was great in two ways. The French had suffered big defeats and therefore had lost men and supplies. They also had failed to gain any territory; in fact they often lost it. The worst war was the Seven Years War as this economically drained France and saw France lose most of her colonies to Britain.( http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/)
The peasants had many grievances. One of the main grievances was the seigniorial system. This system allowed for greater income disparity in France and a real separation of classes. This often left peasants almost isolated compared to the rest of society. All peasants within France felt this at the time. The peasants were burdened with huge amounts of taxation that were nearly impossible for them to pay. This led to a rather discontented peasantry within France.( http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/)
Growth of new ideas amongst the Bourgeoisie reflected their high education levels. It also was prompted by the new ‘Age of Enlightenment’ that was taking place in France. Revolutionary thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and the Encyclopedists combined with economic theorists combined with new theories. They presented an idea of a liberal society that flourished with free commerce. This appealed especially to the businessman in the ranks of the Bourgeoisie. The thinkers also challenged the absolute right to rule and presented ideas of equal rights and the abolition of the class ...