FRENCH REVOLUTION: Causes 2.

Causes 2:

Tasks:

2) Why was the French Government bankrupt in 1787? (think of more than one or two reasons)

In 1787 the French Government was bankrupt because in the last decades the King had adopted a policy of spending too much money to finance wars. During the intervention in the Seven Years War and the American Revolution war, France had spent a huge amount of money. However the outcomes of those wars were not totally satisfactory for the French people. So people considered that having wasted so much money was nonsense People from the royalty were accused of spending too much money due to their luxurious lifestyle especially Queen Marie- Antoinette. Some people also believed that the tax system was corrupt and some tax-collectors did not hand all their taxes over to the government.

3) What effect did the poor harvest have on the ordinary people of France?

The bad weather conditions affected the crops and that led to peasants and farmers having smaller incomes, while food prices were higher and higher. The poor harvests also meant that many French farmers lost their employments. Many people were starving, but could not afford food and could not find a job. Meanwhile, the nobility, the clergy and King Louis and his family continued to live in their luxurious palaces and chateaux.

4) Why might members of the third estate have felt under-represented at the meeting of the Estates General in May 1789?

People from the third estate may have felt under-represented at the meeting of the Estates General in 1789 because they did not have enough representatives to defend their rights. Although the peasants and ordinary people represented 96% of the French population, they only contained half the deputies in the meeting (including some clever lawyers). So the amount of deputies was not enough to express their ideas and defend their principles.

5) What were the hopes of each of the parties involved?

During the meeting of the Estates General, the King hoped to be allowed to impose new taxes on people so as to improve the financial conditions of the country. The nobles and the clergy hoped to continue having their privileged lifestyles. The middle classes hoped that France would adopt a democracy similar to the one adopted en England. The peasants hoped for solutions to their problems and were asked by their representatives to draw up lists of complaints known as “cahiers de doleances”.