The+French+Revolution

The French Revolution In the 1700’s France was a wonderful place to live, if you were part of the nobility. How people lived was determined by the status or class you belong to. This status could not be earned, you were born into it. If you were born to a poor family, your life would be one of poverty. No matter how hard you worked, it was impossible to change your lot in life. 97 percent of Europe’s people struggled to survive because they were not born into nobility. This caused great resentment between the poor and wealthy classes. Something needed to be done about it. The American Revolution gave hope to the poor. They were determined to knock down the powerful French Aristocracy. King Louis XIV was trying to solve France’s money problems so in 1783, he hired Charles de Calonne as the new controller of general finance. Calonne suggested that France start taxing the previously exempt nobility, but they refused. In a final act of desperation, King Louis XIV called upon the Estates General. French society was divided into three separate castes known as estates. All three estates needed to agree on a tax solution, but two of the three est ates were tax-exempt and representatives from the third estate were locked out because they out-numbered the other estates, so there was no agreement. Due to the lock-out representatives of the third estate called themselves The National Assembly and vowed to write a constitution for France. Fearing a revolt King Louis XIV stationed troops around the capital city and the palace. Seeing the extra troops, supporters of the National Assembly thought the King was trying to put an end to the National Assembly and the reforms they were making. It was a violent period of time,1789 to 1799. The revolution overthrew the monarchy and had created a republic. The Revolution changed modern history, it allowed all men to vote, not just those that could pay taxes. It was a violent time with politics and turmoil causing the rise of a new dictator named Napoleon Bonaparte, a revolutionary hero. The French Revolution started a wave of global problems that extended from the Caribbean to the middle east. The French Revolution reached many nations near and far, because of the ensuing wars caused by the French peasants example of overthrowing the throne.