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There were many different events that led to the French Revolution. One reason was the deficit spending done by the government. This is when more money is spent then taken in. Louis XIV had left France deeply in debt. Wars like to American Revolution and the Seven Years War strained the treasury even more. To bridge the gap between the expenses and income, the government borrowed more and more money.
To solve this financial crisis, the government wanted increased taxes, reduced expenses, or both. The clergy and nobles, however, did not want to end their exemption from taxes to end. An economic woe also had risen in France. Then, in the late 1780 s, bad harvests sent food prices soaring and brought hunger to pooper peasants and city dwellers. This made many people furious. Many people rioted in towns demanding bread.
In the countryside, peasants began to attack the homes of nobles. As the crisis deepened, the king had no choice but to call for the Estates General for assistance. He had the three estates keep lists of their grievances. Members of the Third Estate were very angry about the fact that the First and Second Estates were able to meet separately and vote together, always outnumbering the Third Estate. The Third Estate wanted the orders to meet together. After weeks of silence, delegates of the Third Estate represented the people of France by transforming themselves into the National Assembly.
They then invited members of the other Estates to help them write a constitution. A few days later, the National Assembly was locked out of the Estate General meeting. They then took the Tennis Court Oath, pledging not to disband until they had drawn up a constitution for France. When the reform-minded clergy and nobles joined the National Assembly, King Louis XVI had to accept the constitution.
At the same time, royal troops gathered around where the king and National Assembly were to meet. Rumor had it that the king was going to dissolve the National Assembly. Conditions worsened more at this time as the food stoppages of the 1788 harvest were a disaster. More than 800 Parisians assembled outside the Bastille, a grim medieval fortress used as a prison for political and other prisoners.
The commander of the Bastille refused to open the gates and opened fire on the crowd. In the battle that followed, many people were killed. Finally, the enraged crowd broke through the gate, killing the commander and five other generals. The storm of Bastille became a symbol of the French Revolution. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on French Revolution National Assembly
