Essay on Social Effects of the French Revolution

Source A is highly valuable when discussing how economic factors helped lead to the French Revolution as it portrays the unfair distribution of money among the French population. The source is a cartoon created by Isaac Cruikshank, a British artist known for his use of social and political satire in his works. Cruikshank produced the source on 12th November 1788, shortly after payments from the treasury were suspended in France. This meant that France was in great financial difficulty and could not afford to pay back the many debts she owed. The source was published in London but was given a French title and has French text written on it. This suggests Cruikshank produced the cartoon with the intention of it being sold in France. The source is valuable when looking at the economic factors influencing the French Revolution because it shows characters representing the nobility and the clergy sneaking out a door with sacks of money over their shoulders. This makes the source valuable as both the clergy and the nobility took money from the kingdom but neither paid any direct taxes, whereas the rest of the population was burdened with a range of taxes they struggled to pay. The source also portrays King Louis XVI as rather large and almost bursting out of his clothes which suggests that Louis XVI lived very comfortably. This makes the source valuable as the King often spent his money extravagantly, as did his wife Marie-Antoinette, rather than using the kingdom’s money to pay for food or better housing for the people. The source also shows Louis XVI as saying, ‘The funds are no longer there.’ and the finance minister, Jacques Necker, replying ‘I left them there’. This suggests that France’s money was slipping away incredibly quickly but the government did not realise until it was too late. This makes the source valuable as from 1778 to 1783, the French supported the American Revolution by sending them money and supplies, draining the treasury. Shortly after, in 1786, there was a financial crisis. This was a result of France aiding the Revolution, as well as the government maintaining both their army and navy. Cruikshank produced the source on 12th November 1788, shortly after payments from the treasury were suspended in France.

Between 1689 and 1789, social factors had a big impact in causing the French Revolution. One social factor leading to the French Revolution was the death of Louis XIV on 1st September 1715. The King’s death led to a ‘Golden Age’ of culture as it allowed for the emergence of great playwrights such as Corneille; philosophers such as Pascal; and painters such as Claude. Another social factor leading to the French Revolution was the increase in literacy levels from around a fifth at the start of the century, to almost a third. This then led to an increase in the demand for literacy and reading materials and book production greatly increased. Although Louis XVI and the government doubled their efforts to increase censorship by blocking certain literary materials from being published, they were overall unable to control what the French population was reading. Furthermore, taxation was another social issue leading to the French Revolution. The entire French population believed they were over-taxed, even though the majority of taxes were paid by those who greatly struggled to pay them. For example, the 1st Estate paid no direct taxes but did take a tenth of the revenues of the kingdom’s land. This was due to the belief that the clergy’s service to society was interacting with God. The 2nd Estate didn’t pay direct taxes either as their service to society was fighting for the kingdom, however many of the nobility never fought for their country. In 1749, the parliament introduced a new levy of a twentieth on income from real estate. This levy was later doubled in 1756 and then tripled in 1760. The French population did not like taxation, so this new levy created more social unrest which helped bring about the French Revolution.

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However, social factors were not the cause of the French Revolution. For example, the levy on income from real estate lapsed in 1763 when the Seven Years' War ended, meaning the people were paying less tax.

Source B is useful when discussing how social factors influenced the French Revolution between 1689 and 1789 as it is taken from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s book, The Social Contract which was published in 1762. Around this time it was harder for the French population to be controlled as there was an increase in literacy rates and education. This meant that people were more likely to be influenced by texts, such as the Social Contract, arguing against the authoritarian ways of the government. Although the Social Contract did become very influential in bringing about the French Revolution, it was initially met with outrage and censorship when it was first published. In this political essay, Rousseau argues that laws should only be binding if they are supported by the people, whom he refers to as the ‘sovereign’. Rousseau believed that only the sovereign should have the right to create laws, not the monarchs and that the general will of the people should be accepted by the minority. Rousseau was a French writer and philosopher who believed in the Enlightenment. In the 1740s, Rousseau founded an intellectual group named the ‘Philosophes’ alongside Denis Diderot, another writer who helped edit the Encyclopédie. Rousseau was very influential in causing the French Revolution as his work inspired the leaders of the French Revolution. His essay is useful when looking at the social factors influencing the French Revolution because he begins with the famous quote ‘Man is born free, and yet is everywhere in chains’. With this phrase, Rousseau said that people should be free, but are instead confined by the society they live in. This is useful because pre-revolutionary France was an absolute monarchy and there were very definitive boundaries between the different social classes. The nobility and the clergy only represented 3% of the population but had all the power, whereas the ordinary people had no power even though they represented 97% of the population. The source is useful because the rigid boundaries meant that it was very difficult to move up a class, however, in the 18th century, there was an expansion of the bourgeoise, showing that not everyone was confined to their class.

Between 1689 and 1789, the Enlightenment played a large role in bringing about the French Revolution. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement that took place primarily in Europe throughout the 18th century. Around the 1710s intellectuals began to embrace the Enlightenment, also known as the ‘Age of Reason’, which involved the skepticism of religion and the rise of reason and science. The Enlightenment came about as a result of political inaction, a severely damaged economy, and unrest in society. For example, due to the political, public debate over how the Estates-General should be organized, Abbe Sieyès issued his pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate?’.

Source C is highly valuable when looking at how social factors influenced the French Revolution because it shows the French population’s view of the Third Estate. It is a political essay taken from a pamphlet by Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès called ‘Qu’est-ce que le tiers état?’ (‘What is the Third Estate?’). It was published in January 1789 and said the Third Estate formed the majority of the nation and did the work of the nation, so was therefore entitled to political representation. Sieyès wrote this because in September 1788 the Paris parlement ruled that the Estates General must conduct voting by order rather than head. This meant that the Third Estate could be outvoted even though it was made up of 97% of the population. This makes the source useful because it reflects how the Third Estate was being undermined even though it represented the majority of the population. Government censorship was also relaxed at the time which allowed people to write extensively about the Estates General and their views on it. It also meant that people were free to discuss the politics of the different classes and for the first time since the beginning of the crisis in 1787 ‘the politics of social antagonism began to dominate public debate’. Sieyès pamphlet is also useful because it showed the grievances of ordinary people logically and rationally. Furthermore, this pamphlet was used to try and influence the common people into challenging the traditional view of the nation and the government. This can be seen through Sieyès’ use of three rhetorical questions with simple, concise answers. He then states ‘We shall see if these are the right answers’ and proceeds to provide the ‘supporting evidence’. Sieyès methodical approach was very influential and led to him gaining huge popularity and, soon after, his election to become a representative of the Third Estate. The ideas in the pamphlet also helped lead to the formation of the National Assembly and Sieyès himself persuaded delegates from the Third Estate to stand against King Louis XVI when he refused to recognize the National Assembly. The source is also valuable when explaining the causes of the French Revolution because Sieyès was interested in liberal political philosophy, for example, John Locke. Furthermore, he had a list of all the Enlightenment texts he wished to buy if he had enough money. This shows that the Enlightenment played a big part in Sieyès deciding to write his pamphlet which in turn helped lead to the Revolution.

However, the source is not useful because it gives a limited view of the population’s beliefs. For example, Sieyès was very much in favor of a new constitution and he used this pamphlet to assert his views and influence others into thinking his views were correct. This makes the source less valuable because other members of the Third Estate didn’t think that the Third Estate should draft a new constitution. For example on 20th June at Versailles one of the ‘foundational events’ of the French Revolution took place, the Tennis Court Oath. The Tennis Court Oath was where the members of the Third Estate pledged never to separate until a constitution was written. Joseph Martin-Dauch, a member of the Third Estate, didn’t vote in favor of the Tennis Court Oath as he said he could not faithfully execute any decisions that were not sanctioned by the king. This makes the source less valuable because it only shows one perspective.

The Enlightenment was also brought about by social change/unrest. More knowledge, literature, and reason meant that there was beginning to be a shift, challenging traditional social classes, and Albert Soboul referred to the Enlightenment as undermining ‘the ideological foundations of the established order’. This new way of thinking paved the way for the beginning of the French Revolution.

Another reason that the Enlightenment played a part in causing the French Revolution was the influence of Madame de Pompadour. On 14th September 1745 Madame de Pompadour made her formal entry before King Louis XV and she soon became influential at court. Pompadour was a great supporter of the philosophes of the Enlightenment and a ‘protector of most of the authors and the editor of the Encyclopédie’ (Nancy Mitford). The Encyclopédie was a series of volumes dedicated to philosophy and science. Between 1751 and 1765, seventeen volumes of the Encyclopédie were published. The Encyclopédie was widely influential in the progression of Enlightenment thinking and this meant the Enlightenment helped lead to the French Revolution.

There were several factors contributing to the French Revolution between 1689 and 1789 including the Enlightenment, economic issues, and social unrest. Overall, however, the main cause for the Revolution was political factors as each factor originates from the actions of the French government. For example, social unrest arose from the political inaction of the government and the resentment the people felt toward their rulers, which also helped lead to the Enlightenment, a philosophical movement encouraging people to challenge traditional ways of thinking.