| The French RevolutionWhat were the causes and the effects of ?  The
 major cause of  was the disputes between the different
 types of social classes in French society.   of 1789-
 1799 was one of the most important events in the history of the world. The
 Revolution led to many changes in France, which at the time of the
 Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe.  The Revolution led to
 the development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism.
 It questioned the authority of kings, priests, and nobles.  The Revolution
 also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political ideas of the people.
 
 The French Revolution was spread over the ten year period between 1789
 and 1799.  The primary ...
 
 
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  The writings of the philosophes such as Voltaire andDiderot, were critical of the government. They said that not one official
 in power was corrupt, but that the whole system of government needed some
 change. Eventually, when the royal finances were expended in the 1780's,
 there began a time of greater criticism.  This sparked the peasants notion
 of wanting change.
 
 Under the Old Regime in France, the king was the absolute monarch.
 Louis XIV had centralized power in the royal bureaucracy, the government
 departments which administered his policies.  Together, Louis XIV and the
 bureaucracy worked to preserve royal authority and to maintain the social
 structure of the Old Regime.
 
 At this time in French history, the social classes played an important
 role in the lives of the people.  The social structure of France was
 divided among three groups: the First Estate, the Second Estate, and the
 Third Estate. Each social group had a varied type of people within their
 structure, ...
 
 
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 |   Third Estate consisted of the commoners.  It included thebourgeoisie, peasants and city workers.  The bourgeoisie, or the middle
 class, were by far, the wealthiest.  In the bourgeoisie, there were the
 merchants and manufacturers, lawyers, doctors and others similar to those
 types of professions.  Peasants made up the largest group within the Third
 Estate.  They were forced to pay hefty taxes, tithes to the church, and
 rents to their landlords for the land that they lived on.  The last group
 within the Third Estate were the city workers.  They were servants,
 apprentices, and household maids.
 
 The major cause of the Revolution were the differences these three
 groups had.  However, ...
 
 
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"The French Revolution." Essayworld.com. February 8, 2008. Accessed October 31, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-French-Revolution/78708.
 
"The French Revolution." Essayworld.com. February 8, 2008. Accessed October 31, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-French-Revolution/78708.
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