French Revolution Causes

Overview

This lecture introduces the causes and background of the French Revolution, focusing on the structure and issues of the Old Regime, the fiscal crisis, and the events leading to the calling of the Estates General.

The Old Regime: Social Structure

• France was divided into three Estates: First (clergy), Second (nobility), and Third (everyone else).
• The First and Second Estates comprised the wealthiest 3% of the population and were exempt from taxes.
• The Third Estate made up 97% of the population and had no special privileges.

Fiscal Crisis of the Monarchy

• Tax exemptions for the wealthy reduced government revenue significantly.
• French support for the American Revolution increased the national debt.
• By the 1780s, half of France's budget was spent on debt payments.
• Only 25% of the national budget benefited the public; much was spent on Versailles and the military.
• The regime’s inability to raise new taxes created a severe financial crisis.

Aristocratic Resurgence and Failed Reforms

• Under Louis XV and XVI, nobles regained lost privileges including the power of the parlements (high courts).
• Louis XVI could not tax the nobility by decree and needed their cooperation.
• In 1787, Louis called an Assembly of Notables (high-ranking clergy and nobles) to approve tax reforms, but they refused.

Estates General and the Road to Revolution

• The Assembly of Notables demanded the calling of the Estates General, a representative body not convened since 1614.
• The failure of the Assembly of Notables left Louis XVI no choice but to call the Estates General in 1789.
• The Estates General became the catalyst for the French Revolution.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Old Regime — The political and social system of prerevolutionary France.
• Estates — The three traditional divisions of French society: clergy, nobility, and everyone else.
• Estates General — Representative assembly of all three estates.
• Tax exemptions — Legal relief from paying taxes, granted to the First and Second Estates.
• Fiscal crisis — Severe financial problems due to debt and inability to raise taxes.
• Assembly of Notables — Meeting of aristocrats and high clergy called by the king to approve reforms.
• Aristocratic Resurgence — Return of noble privileges and influence lost under earlier monarchs.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review the structure and privileges of the three Estates.
• Prepare for the next lecture on the Estates General and the Revolution’s outbreak.