Kelly Martin Kelly Martin AP Euro DBQ -French Revolution 10/30/09 The French Revolution was an uprising against

the corrupt political and social environment of France. There were numerous reasons for the revolt of the French people, many merging with others. The first was that to the majority of the French people tailles were unjust. The second reason was the inequality of the Estates General. The final reason is that new ideas from the Enlightenment were pooling into France, making the people question their surroundings. Tailles in France were mainly used to support wars and the standing army. Louis XVI put money into a war against the Britain that was in America. In the United States this called the French and Indian War. Five percent of the taxes from the people were put into the lavish palace of Versailles. Versailles was put forth by Louis XIV; the main reason for this palace was to keep nobles from revolting. At Versailles there were 32 course meals and much of the food went to waste. Louis XIVs wife, Marie Antoinette bought ostentatious items like a diamond necklace that cost millions of dollars. All the money wasted at Versailles could have fed the many starving people outside the palaces gates. The citizens of France were starving because the price of bread increased. (Document 1) The French people ate two pounds of bread a day. To combat with the new price of bread it would take a month worth of wages to buy. On top of being starving and having no money, the commoners were taxed heavily. The nobility and clergy were tax exempt. (Document 1) Instead of paying tailles, both the nobility and clergy gave a gift to the monarchy.

The Estates General last met in 1614. It did not meet again until the reign of Louis XVI. Napier, a physiocrat of that time, influenced Louis XVI into calling the Estates General. (Document 2)The First Estate was the clergy. The clergy was one percent of the population and owned ten percent of the land in France. The Second Estate was the nobility. The nobility was two percent of the population and it owned thirty-five percent of the land in France. The Third Estate was the bourgeois which was the middle class, peasants, and city workers. The bourgeois populated ninety-seven percent of France and owned only fifty-five percent of the land in France. (Document 2) Taxes were granted by the Estates General. However, the Estates General had to vote on it first. The nobility and the clergy would not choose to tax themselves. (Document 3) This left the Third Estate which voted to tax the nobility and clergy. The votes would always side with the First and Second Estates because it was a two to one vote. In my opinion I believe the Enlightenment severely impacted the French Revolution. The heart of the Enlightenment was Paris, France. The middle class became familiar with the new ideas of the Enlightenment. (Document 4) In The French Revolution, by historian Albert Mathiez he states the middle class was sensitive to their inferior legal position. An enlightened thinker, John Locke, influenced the American Revolution. His theory of devolution was that the people must take back their sovereignty or power when there is an unjust ruler. The Americans took power away from Britain and put it into their own hands. (Document 5) The American Revolution spread this idea throughout the world, and it showed an example of how to take power away from a tyrant. There were so many problems and corrupt actions going on in France at that time. The Revolution rose from the taxes, to the disparity of the Estates General, and finally to

the new ideas flooding Paris. The only probably ending would eventually be the French Revolution. Nevertheless, these troubles could have been prevented. France would have to go through turmoil and disaster to reach a final goal.