The Political Crisis

The French Revolution had a political crisis because France suffered under an
Absolute Monarchy and most people were denied basic rights. The third estate
had the fewest rights but was 98% of the population, they also had the heaviest
tax burden. France also faced a severe financial crisis due to overspending of the
King.
Political Revolutions n.d., Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center,
accessed 5 March 2015,
<http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/global/themes/change/pol.cfm>.

The Economic Crisis

Participation in the American Revolution and after King Louis XIVs and Louis
XVIs enormous spending, the country fell in to debt in the late 18 th century. The
effect was left obviously on the people. The upper class set up large taxes to get
them out of debt. Then Louis XVI called on the Estates General for help to save
France from Bankruptcy. The Estates General was made up of the First, Second
and Third Estates.

Estate-General
The Estates-General was the France of the pre-Revolutionary monarchy, the
representative assembly of the three estates. The first national assembly of
representatives of the three estates met in April 1302 to aid Philip IV the fair
against pope Boniface VIII. By the end of the 15 th century the Estates-General
was said to have obtained it main Characteristics but would never become an
institution. The last meeting of the Estates-General was held at eh beginning of
the French Revolution in the face of a financial crisis and the weakening power of
the king.

Storming of the Bastille

The 14th July 1789 saw the state prison on the east side of Paris, known as the
Bastille, fall by being attacked by an angry and aggressive mob. The Bastille had
become a symbol of the monarchys dictatorial rule and the event became one of
the defining moments in the Revolution. The Bastille was an eight tower building
that stood 30-meters high and was dominated by the Parisian skyline. When it
was attacked it only held seven prisoners but the mob hadnt gathered for them.
They had come to demand huge amounts of ammunition which was held in
stores within the prison walls. The storming of the Bastille is celebrated each
year as a national holiday.

The French Revolution

The French Revolution started in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the
ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this, the French citizens redesigned their
countrys political landscape and uprooted centuries-old institutions such as
absolute Monarchy and the feudal system. Like the American Revolution, the
French Revolution was influenced by the Enlightenment ideals. It failed to
achieve all of its goals and at times degenerated into a chaotic bloodbath, the
movement played a critical role in shaping modern nations by showing the world
the power inn the will of the people.