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Why did France have a revolution in 1789
country could be run.
Social causes were one of the most important factors in the French revolution. The poor were angry because they were being forced to pay ridiculous amounts of tax, while the rich were not asked to pay anything at all. Also the middle classes, or beurgoise, were becoming angry because they had more and more wealth but absolutely no power. Essentially both the middle classes and the peasants/working classes were looking out for their own interests but the aims were similar. I think that social causes were one of the most important factors in the French revolution because the peasants were angered so greatly by the gross unfairness that existed in French society and that drove them to revolt and form a democracy. Social causes also helped ensure enduring change because the French peasants and to and extent the middle classes wanted to make sure that power would stay in the hands of the people rather than just go to another dictator.
One of the other main factors in the French revolution was long-term economic causes. Peasants were being forced to pay more and more in feudal dues, in a bid to free France of its debts, but they were earning less and less as greedy factory owners and land owners cut wages, this meant that peasants had less and less money. Between August 1788 and July 1789 peasants went from spending just 50% of their income on bread (the French staple food) to spending 75% of it on bread. This was one of the principal causes of the French revolution because for many it was a question of where the next meal was coming from, they did not have any long term vision but were driven to revolution by the severity of the situation. The revolution did benefit the poor, but the poorest, while not having to pay any taxes, where denied the right to vote, they were referred to as passive citizens. I think that if the situation had not been so dire, and people were not starving, the revolution may not have happened.
One of the short-term triggers of the French revolution was the economic slump in France. For the years preceding 1789 France had a series of poor harvests, which, combined with the long-term economic weakness, made the situation desperate for many peasants, not only were waging being reduced and taxes increased, but the price of bread was increasing. This affected every one, even those who may have been un-affected by the long term economic problems, both self-sufficient farmers and town workers were affected by the poor harvests. It also led to a reduction in the exportation of products like silk in those years, which meant France found it even harder to repay debts and so increased taxes, in a vicious circle. I think that this was an important trigger because it pushed many over the edge. It was the last [next page]