CBSE Class 9 Answered

Following are the social, economic, political and intellectual causes of the French Revolution:

Social -  In France, the clergy and the nobility formed the first two Estates and were the most privileged classes in the French society. They were exempt from payment of taxes to the State. On the other hand, the Third Estate that consisted of peasants and workers burdened with excessive taxes with no political and social rights. As a result, they were full of discontent.

Economic - As a result of a numerous wars waged by Louis XVI the State coffers were empty. The situation was made even more complex by France’s involvement in the American War of Independence and the faulty system of taxation.

Political - The Bourbon king of France, Louis XVI was an extremely autocratic and weak willed king who led a life of obscene luxury. This led to a lot of disenchantment among the masses who then were leading life of extreme poverty and widespread hunger.

Intellectual - The 18^th century was marked by a conscious refusal by French thinkers of the ‘Divine Rights Theory’. Philosophers like Rousseau, rejected the paradigm of absolute monarchy and promulgated the doctrine of equality of man and sovereignty of people.