1. Causes of the French Revolution
The “Ancien Regime” crumbles

2. 3 Estates 1st Estate- Clergy 2nd Estate- Nobility
3rd Estate- Everyone else

5. Inequality amongst the estates
3rd Estate pays almost half of their income in taxes
1st and 2nd pay almost none
Land ownership is also skewed towards 1st and 2nd estates
Economic hardship does not affect 1st and 2nd estate as much

6. Estates General French Congress Each estate gets 1 vote
Has not been called since (Absolute Monarchy)
3% of the population can outvote the other 97%

7. Which enlightenment thinker does this relate to?
Rousseau- inequality causes strife

8. France’s Bankruptcy Louis XIV and XV spend a lot of money on wars
7 years war
American Revolution
Population explosion in the 3rd estate
Bigger middle class
France’s government is very poor and the burden increasingly falls on the 3rd estate to pay the bill through high taxes

9. Hardship
Due to crop failure, inflation and government debt, the cost of living skyrockets
Bread is no longer affordable for the 3rd estate
King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette continue to live lavishly
“Madame Deficit”

10. Louis XVI All these problems may have been solvable by a strong leader
But Louis XVI is NOT Louis XIV; he is weak and uncertain
Cannot stop the tide of change

11. 1789
In 1789, King Louis XVI calls the Estates General to meeting to find a way to pay off France’s debts
First two estates keep outvoting the 3rd
3rd Estate decides to create the “National Assembly”- a new governing body for France
Considered the start of the Revolution

12. Tennis Court Oath