The French Revolution began in 1789 and brought about the end of the monarchy in France. It was spurred by an economic crisis because the wars fought by King Louis XIV had created huge debts which bankrupted the country. Crop failures in the 1780s had also caused food scarcity which threatened the population's survival.
To try and solve these problems, the king called on his Estates-General in May 1789. This committee represented the three estates...
The French Revolution began in 1789 and brought about the end of the monarchy in France. It was spurred by an economic crisis because the wars fought by King Louis XIV had created huge debts which bankrupted the country. Crop failures in the 1780s had also caused food scarcity which threatened the population's survival.
To try and solve these problems, the king called on his Estates-General in May 1789. This committee represented the three estates of French society: the nobles, the clergy and the common people, and met to discuss France's economic problems. Instead of talking about taxes, however, they spent weeks discussing the process of decision-making in France. The Third Class (of common people) came together to form an Assembly and swore that they would not break up until France had a new constitution. In response, the king sent troops to try and disperse the Assembly but the people of Paris saw this as an act of provocation and retaliated by storming the Bastille prison. Today, French people commemorate this as Bastille Day and this marked the beginning of France's revolution.
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