Causes and Beginning of the French Revolution
Ever wonder what makes people rise up against their government? The French Revolution erupted from several powerful forces converging at once. Enlightenment ideas from thinkers like Locke (who opposed absolutism) and Montesquieu (who advocated separation of powers) gave people new ways to question authority.
Inside France, economic crisis and weak leadership created the perfect storm. The poor suffered from heavy taxation, poverty, and food shortages while the wealthy lived in luxury. Additionally, French participation in the American Revolution exposed soldiers like Lafayette to revolutionary ideas and drained the French treasury further.
The revolution officially began with the Storming of the Bastille in 1789, when citizens attacked a political prison that symbolized royal authority. This event (celebrated annually on July 14th, France's equivalent to America's July 4th) led to the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen" establishing new principles of equality.
Did you know? During the revolution's "Reign of Terror," thousands of people considered enemies of the revolution were executed. This violent period was actually an attempt to create equality, as everyone was viewed as equal before the law, noble titles were eliminated, and all people became "citizens."
