the french revolution
...he Enlightenment, the French government was essentially unaffected by the age of reason. Many argue that the American Revolution tested the ideas of the Enlightenment, as America included many theories of government and the nature of man from Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Voltaire. Upon viewing the success of America's revolution, the citizens of France were inspired to mane changes in their own country and government. John Locke said that humans have rights at birth, namely life, liberty and property. Montesquieu believed in a division of power and a limited monarchy. Voltaire attacked the tradition of nobility and the corruption of the Church. Rousseau argued that society places too many restrictions on people and there should be an equal distribution of property. All of these ideas were combined by French Revolutionaries and these became their goals and reason to fight the French Revolutionary war. The financial crisis of the Old Regime was a major cause of the French Revolution. Over the twenty five years prior to the French Revolution, France had taken part in several wars, the two major ones being the Seven Years War and the American Revolutionary War. As is expected when a country goes to war, the country's debt soared. Out of the three estates that made up France's Estates-General, one was obliged to pay taxes to the monarchy. The profit from the taxation of the bourgeoisie, peasants and urban workers (who make up the Third Estate) alone could not bring France out of debt, so Louis XVI, leader of France at the time, proposed a tax on the first two Estates, which were the clergy and the Nobles. These two classes were so accustomed to being treated with special privileges that they both refused to pay any taxes to the monarchy. Louis XVI did not want to pursue his proposal; for fear that his wealthiest subjects would turn against him or move out of France if they were taxed. Unable to think of a solution to his economic woes, Louis called for a meeting of the Estates General meeting in May, 1789. Louis' decision to host this meeting was significant in that it undermined absolute monarchy. Fo...