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I was thinking about the French Revolution today, and here's what I think: France, in the late 1700’s, was in an unfavorable situation due to its lack of economical control and this lack of control was a significant cause of the French Revolution. The economical problems for France began as early as the Seven Years War. During this war, France lost many of its previously owned territories especially in North America. This, in addition, with the massive debts caused by excessive use of resources caused them huge financial problems. These problems were worsened by the American Revolution. Because France, at this stage, French had lost most of its power to Britain and wanted to regain control, it looked to contribute to the American war of Independence, particularly in 1775. However, this caused huge financial burdens for them and placed them in a bankrupt state by August 1788. At this stage, the French revenue totaled 503 million Livres in comparison to 629 million Livres of expenditure. These financial problems had been mounting up since Louis XIV but failed to be addressed by any of the leaders of France. Finally, when Louis XVI came into power, though he was told of the massive economic problems being faced, he continued to spend excessively and disregard any financial plan. This bankruptcy that had been created by the leaders of France caused hatred against the regime because now, they could not support the people. Another big economical factor that contributed to the French Revolution was the tax system. In order to solve this problem, the French leaders tried to get as much money as possible out of the established tax system. This system particularly targeted the third estate, referring to the middle class and peasants, while the second estate, the clergy, and the first estate, the nobility, were exempt from the tax system. The problem with this was that those bankers and traders, in the third estate, who were paying the majority of the wealth for France, had other ambitions to get enough wealth to buy office and join the second estate. This would thus make leave the nation in a weaker and weaker position as time passed. Eventually, as the economical problems amassed, further political problems created the outbreak of the French Revolution.
