American Revolution ReviewWhat were the causes of the

American Revolution?What was the Boston Tea Party?What is a boycott?How do the Declaration of

Independence, US Constitution, and Amendments reflect Enlightenment ideas?

The Causes

The French Revolution

EQ: What were the underlying

problems of France before the

Revolution?

Social Structure of French Society

French society was divided into three estates (much like rich, middle, and poor)–1st Estate – Clergy–2nd Estate – Nobility–3rd Estate – Everyone else

The Top: 1st and 2nd EstatesPrivileged, wealthy, influentialThese two groups owned

most of the land and paid few taxes.

Represented 2% of the population which is out of 26 million

The Bottom: The 3rd EstateThe 3rd Estate was 98 % of

society–1. Bourgeoisie – merchants, artisans, lawyers

–2. Urban Workers – worked small jobs in the city.

–3. Peasants – mostly farmers, very poor, 80% of population

The Government

Absolute MonarchyKing has total powerFew rights for people

King Louis XVI

Louis XVI is King–Weak, insecure leader

–Not good with people

Queen Marie Antoinette

Hated by the French people

Spent huge amounts of money

Nickname – “Madame Deficit”

Crop Problems

In the 1780s, France experienced an unprecedented amount of bad weather–Hurt crop production–Less crops = higher prices–Unhappy citizens

Economic Problems

French Government was bankrupt–Had a huge debt

Why this fiscal crisis?–Spent money on several wars–Bad tax policy (not tax the wealthy)

The Estates General

As a result of these issues, the King calls the Estates General to fix them