The French Revolution

The French Revolution started in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s. During this time, the citizens redesigned the French political structure by uprooting absolute monarchy and feudalism. The Revolution was fueled by Enlightenment ideals (Popkin, 22). It started after a meeting that was held in Versailles by the Estates General and King Louis XVI on May 5th, 1789. The Estates General consisted of representatives from the clergy, the nobility, and the middle class (Acemoglu, 4).
France was almost getting bankrupt at the end of the 18th century, which was brought about by its involvement in the American Revolution, low crop yields from consecutive harvests, as well as King Louis XVI’s extravagant spending. The meeting was called to discuss how they could avert a possible bankruptcy crisis. The middle class, represented by the third estate, was a representative of about 98% of the population. However, it could still be out-voted by the other two estates. At the time of the meeting, the third estate started mobilizing voting by numbers as opposed to status (Acemoglu, 4).
The demands created a power struggle with the third estate declaring itself a ‘National Assembly.’ The nobles could not give up their position as this meant giving up the privileges they enjoyed. The King threatened to shut down the National Assembly. They, however, remained adamant. Tension increased within the country, and on July 14, the mob stormed Bastille in attack and fear that the King would retaliate.
Peasants were protesting against years of oppression and exploitation, burning down homes of tax collectors and the elite (Acemoglu, 5).

However, the movement failed to accomplish all its goals, and resulted in the chaotic bloodbath and saw the uprooting of a century old political landscape. The attack led to the destruction of the monarchial system of government, and King Louis XVI’s execution. The revolution ended at the late 1790s with Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power (Sutherland, 238).
Works cited
Acemoglu, Daron, et al. The consequences of radical reform: The French Revolution. No. w14831. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2009.
Sutherland, Donald MG. The French revolution and empire: The quest for a civic order. John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
Popkin, Jeremy D. A history of modern France. Routledge, 2016.