Discuss the origins of the French Revolution – economically, politically, socially, and ideologically
Résumé de l'exposé
?Great revolutions which succeed make the causes which produced them disappear, and thus become incomprehensible because of their own success? (1), wrote Alexis de Tocqueville one hundred and fifty years ago. Yet, we will try all the same to understand what the origins of the French Revolution were: economically, politically, socially and also ideologically. Many historians explain the Revolution by the economic and financial crisis which the Old Regime faced during its last years. Let us remember that, in Louis XVI's time, French economy was based above all on agriculture; more than eighty-one percent of France's global population of twenty-eight million being peasants in 1789. Therefore, it is not surprising at all that an agricultural crisis would have repercussions on every other branch of the whole economy. That's what happens in 1788. A very cold winter, in addition to the archaism of the French agricultural system, provokes a quite bad harvest. So the price of grain reaches heights. Consequences? The peasant class gets poorer, buys less industrial goods and both agriculture and industry becomes the victim of this subsistence crisis, which causes a drop in wages, an increase in prices and general unemployment and leads therefore to popular discontent.
...
Sommaire de l'exposé
Introduction.
Financial crisis of the kingdom.
Public deficit .
Expenditure in huge participation in the American war of independence.
Political crisis.
Instability of French administration.
Social crisis.
Lack of uniformity and inequality in the society.
The problems that the Third Estate faced.
Changes in the lifestyle of the civilians.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.
Extraits de l'exposé
[...] Of course, nobody is even thinking of complete democracy and entire abolition of privileges. The feudal society has been built on the very notion of privilege (there are not only privileged groups of people, but also privileged territories, cities like Marseille, towns, provinces), that is to say many particular laws (the word ?privilege' comes from the Latin ?privata lex'). In a word: no uniformity. Yet, what is new is the fact abuses of privilege have kept increasing. Inequalities of birth, of social condition, inequalities before tax and justice do not constitute a serious problem in themselves, but the situation has become intolerable for the Third Estate. [...]
[...] There is a conflict between the monarch and the parliaments about reforms of taxation (Calonne's project of a ?subvension territoriale' is very unpopular among the privileged orders). Ideologically, the influence of the Enlightenment is undoubtedly huge. The main ideas of the philosophers, such as individual liberties, freedom of speech, social equality, separation of powers have to be taken into account. Philosophical concepts, through the medium of newspapers (the ?gazettes'), ?salons' (of Mme Geoffrin, Mme du Deffand or Mme Necker) and ?cafés' have indeed reached a great number of people among the French population. [...]
[...] The press, though a privilege of bourgeois and noblemen (newspapers are expensive enough and only thirty-eight percent of France's total population can read and write in 1789), is experiencing a great development: in 1788, thirty-seven newspapers are created, which has never been seen before. Twelve thousand people are subscribers of Gazette de France' in 1780; twenty thousand French regularly read Mercure'. In 1777, Journal de Paris' appears. The philosophy of the Enlightenment, which criticizes many institutions (particularly the Church) in the light of Reason, spreads among the different social strata. The mankind is no longer condemned to live as a blind on Earth: people can understand and conquer the Earth. [...]
[...] On the eve of the Revolution, the economic, political, social and ideological situation is so critical that it provides an adequate ground for one of the most radical, innovative and irreversible changes in French history. We have just seen the main origins and major causes of the French Revolutions. Yet, let us not forget Tocqueville's words: hate these absolute systems which make all events of history depend on great first causes by a chain of fatality, and which, as it were, exclude man from the history of mankind. [ . [...]
