France had been ruled both socially and politically by The Ancient Regime. This regime consisted of social inequalities and a primitive privilege system. However these factors were not what caused conflict in the 1700’s, the conflicts were caused by numerous social, economic and political factors. The people of France were being influenced by the various radical ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers and France’s involvement in The American War of Independence enabled the French troops to be exposed to the enlightenment ideas and furthermore allowed the spread of the Revolutionary ideas across France. France was also struggling with major economic problems such as bankruptcy and the first public account of France’s financial situation, known as the Compte Rendu, included exceeding expenditure but did not record the real cost of the war, which allowed King Louis XVII to borrow more money from the banks, eventually causing even greater conflict within France.
Before the revolution began and even further conflicts had aroused, France was built upon, what was known as the Ancient Regime- France was governed by an absolute monarchy, meaning that the king was the nation. Under this regime, there were many social disparities. The Social Structure in France was split up into three social categories- The first, second and third estates. The first and second estate, made up of both nobility and clergy, were both exempt from taxes and had various privileges. However the third estate, also known as the commoners, who made up 99% of France’s population, did not have privileges and bore the burden of the first and second estates, by paying all the taxes and fees directly to the monarch. Prior to the revolution, tension was beginning to brew within the third estate.
The Enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, brought new ways of thinking in regards to religion, social structures and politics. These Enlightenment ideas...