The French Revolution - 1436 Words

Jeremy Sorem Mrs. Blomme Honors I 1 October 2014 The French Revolution In the late eighteenth century one thing was very clear; the world was drastically changing. Inspired by the efforts of the American revolutionist, and fed up with the poverty and injustice, the common people of France made the noble decision to band together and fight for freedom and equality. While this did come eventually, it came with many sacrifices, upwards of 17,000 were executed in a chaotic time known as the reign of terror (History.com). When the French peasants gained equality in 1799 Europe was never the same again (Emerson Kent.com). It showed neighboring countries that liberty is not only obtainable but also is a right that everyone should have, and soon†¦show more content†¦Calonne called for an Estates-General or a meeting of all three social classes to reach an agreement. At this point it is important to state that the three social classes the people of France were divided into were the clergy or powerful people in the Catholic Church, the nobles or the aristocratic families, and the middle class or the common people. At this time in the year of 1789, nearly 98% of France’s population made up the middle class, in spite of this, they could still be out voted by the other two classes(History and Heritage). So during the Estates-General when they decided they wanted the nobles and churches to have to pay a federal tax, the peasants were easily outvoted. This lead to public outcry and created much hostility between classes. But another key factor in the start of the war were the ideals that came with the Enlightenment of this period. The Enlightenment, as well as the Colonist’s victory in the American Revolution, inspired the public with thoughts of what they could be; equal men with economic freedoms. These two causes influenced angry French citizens to revolt and so began the war. The first conflict that marked the beginning of this rebellion was the civilians in Paris storming a large, strategic milit ary fort, the Bastille. They busted its walls and raided the base of weapons and ammunition to aid them in their fight later on. When King Louis returned from a hunting trip to find the Bastille going