The French Revolution

The French Revolution was a time of great significance to France. It officially lasted from 1789 to 1795. Long before then, however, problems had been building up in France. The most significant cause was the oppression of the lower class. They rebelled against the higher classes. This oppression was caused by several different factors.
Before the Revolution, France was divided into three states.
The first estate was made of clergy and numbered only 100,000. The second estate was the nobility and had around 400,000 people. The majority of the population was in the third estate. These were the wage earners, or peasantry. The first and second estates were exempt from taxes leaving only the poorest people to pay the wealthy.
There was a great debt in France. It had been started by King Louis the 14th and continued through the reign of Louis the 16th. Their courts were extravagant and cost more money than they had. France’s supplies had been drained by their assistance to th...