american revolution review what were the causes of the american revolution? what were the causes of...
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American Revolution ReviewWhat were the causes of the
American Revolution?What was the Boston Tea Party?What is a boycott?How do the Declaration of
Independence, US Constitution, and Amendments reflect Enlightenment ideas?
The Causes
The French Revolution
EQ: What were the underlying
problems of France before the
Revolution?
Social Structure of French Society
French society was divided into three estates (much like rich, middle, and poor)–1st Estate – Clergy–2nd Estate – Nobility–3rd Estate – Everyone else
The Top: 1st and 2nd EstatesPrivileged, wealthy, influentialThese two groups owned
most of the land and paid few taxes.
Represented 2% of the population which is out of 26 million
The Bottom: The 3rd EstateThe 3rd Estate was 98 % of
society–1. Bourgeoisie – merchants, artisans, lawyers
–2. Urban Workers – worked small jobs in the city.
–3. Peasants – mostly farmers, very poor, 80% of population
The Government
Absolute MonarchyKing has total powerFew rights for people
King Louis XVI
Louis XVI is King–Weak, insecure leader
–Not good with people
Queen Marie Antoinette
Hated by the French people
Spent huge amounts of money
Nickname – “Madame Deficit”
Crop Problems
In the 1780s, France experienced an unprecedented amount of bad weather–Hurt crop production–Less crops = higher prices–Unhappy citizens
Economic Problems
French Government was bankrupt–Had a huge debt
Why this fiscal crisis?–Spent money on several wars–Bad tax policy (not tax the wealthy)
The Estates General
As a result of these issues, the King calls the Estates General to fix them