In 1789, the French Revolution broke out. During the course of the revolution, various classes of French society became involved. The nobility, who had had their political power diminished prior to 1789 under Louis XIV's reign, yearned to have increased political power, and amongst them were also the liberal-minded who subscribed to the philosophes' schools of thoughts, and harboured revolutionary ideas; the bourgeoisie were not only resentful of the heavy taxation, but were also contemptuous of their lack of political say and the extravagant lifestyles of the privileged orders which they were progressively denied of, and were thus driven towards a course of revolution; the peasants were pressured into revolution by the onerous tax burdens, the increasing bread prices and cost of living, and the decrease in living standards. In my opinion, though, the real revolutionaries in France in 1789 were the bourgeoisie, that is to say, they were the ones who initiated, caused, spearheaded, and brought through the French Revolution, a fundamental upheaval or change in French society, in 1789. The nobility and the peasantry, on the other hand, were revolutionaries made by the revolution; they only caught up with the revolutionary fervour later.
In 1789, many bourgeois were dissatisfied with the French system of government and their place in society and they wanted change. Prior to 1789 (and even Louis XVI's reign), the French monarchy had found itself in a financial crisis, due mainly to the funding of such wars as the American War of Independence (1776-83), and loans that accumulated with interest.
[...] Furthermore, the formation of the National Assembly on the 17th June 1789 was led by the bourgeoisie. This reflected two things: firstly, that they were really politicised by this time, and were keen on more then reforms; secondly, that they were actually willing to act on these intentions, even if it meant to blatantly undermine the authority of the French monarchy and government and thus bring about such a change in French society. On the 20th June when Louis XVI refused to accept the National Assembly, they even swore by the Tennis Court Oath, unwilling to disperse until a new constitution was introduced. [...]
[...] Undoubtedly they resented this, and were keen to enhance their political positions and recapture their former political power, especially during the meeting of the Estates-General on 4th May 1789, as can be seen in their cahiers de doléances. Thus this may be the basis whereby one concludes that they had a motive for revolution. However, upon analysing the nature of events that happened not only in1789, but prior to 1789, one realises that the nobility were not the real revolutionaries in France in 1789. During the revolt of the Notables in 1787-88, for example, the nobility demanded for an Estates-General. Under pressure to raise taxes to settle the financial crisis, Louis XVI agreed. [...]
[...] Furthermore, the bourgeoisie longed for a say in the political affairs of the country. As historian Thomson has said, ‘political power was concentrated in very few hands. This was one of the bitterest grievances of the growing and wealthy class of [bourgeois]'; or, as Danton has expressed, Old Regime drove us [the bourgeois] to revolution by giving us a good education, without opening any opportunity for our talents'. Thus, when the government and king Louis XVI were in a state of crisis that year, they seized the opportunity to win for themselves a say in politics. [...]
[...] 3rd edition, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. [...]
[...] Who were the real revolutionaries in France in 1789: the nobility, the bourgeoisie or the peasantry? In 1789, the French Revolution broke out. During the course of the revolution, various classes of French society became involved. The nobility, who had had their political power diminished prior to 1789 under Louis XIV's reign, yearned to have increased political power, and amongst them were also the liberal-minded who subscribed to the philosophes' schools of thoughts, and harboured revolutionary ideas; the bourgeoisie were not only resentful of the heavy taxation, but were also contemptuous of their lack of political say and the extravagant lifestyles of the privileged orders which they were progressively denied of, and were thus driven towards a course of revolution; the peasants were pressured into revolution by the onerous tax burdens, the increasing bread prices and cost of living, and the decrease in living standards. [...]
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