why did the french revolution happen?

Answer 1

Many of those who have answered seem to have the idea that the French Revolution was all about the peasants revolting against the King. Peasant unrest DID play a role, but what they are thinking of better represents the later, more extreme stages (esp. the "Reign of Terror"), several years after the Revolution began.

Also, note that "getting rid of the royals" was NOT an original goal of the Revolution, and many did not wish this. (Even many of those who did only came to that conclusion amidst later fear and confusion, and as the result of missteps by the King and by other European monarchs attempting to support him.)


"Causes" are complex, but much of it can be boiled down to "economic" and "ideological".

The PROBLEMS that allowed the Revolution to happen were mainly the result of a major financial crisis, when the crown could not find a way to pay off its DEBTS (mostly from war, esp. with England, including France's aid to the Americans in THEIR recent revolution). Major power struggles over a new TAX to resolve the debt problem, combined with a very untimely famine contributed to the tensions between the different French "estates" (roughly "classes").

In the midst of these crises, the political IDEAS of the day, and what the French had witnessed in the American Revolution and its aftermath, led many to seek major changes in the form of THEIR government, some wanted a British-type constitutional monarchy, others a more "Republican" system (as in the U.S.A) or something more extreme yet. So a central piece of the Revolution became the struggle of various groups to write a Constitution and form a government in which human rights --as the various groups conceived them-- would be recognized, and various groups would be fairly represented.

For a more detailed outline of these events see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution#Causes_of_the_French_Revolution
and the sections following it.

For even more on the causes mentioned above (esp. the economic ones), see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution

Answer 2

because the reality of their lives at that time was pretty awful, the rich were richer and the poor were very very poor and had enough and they had a revolution for the people!! chopped off the heads of their oppressors and became a country for the people!! yay! no more kings and queens, now if only we could do the same in the western world NOW and rise up against the corporate greed, the war mongers, the useless politicians - because sadly, the rich are still getting richer and the poor even more poorer! WE HAVE NOT LEARNED FROM THE ACTIONS OF THE PAST.

Answer 3

The Catholic church and the nobles had all the land, wealth and power of taxation. The peasants were being thrown off the land by the nobes and moving to the cities where there was too little work. As a result of poor crops food began to be scarce and the mobs rioted. As Thomas Jefferson saw it the cause was too many ordinary citizens without any means with which to support themselves such as a trade (the guilds tightly controlled the skilled trades) or land they could farm. Once the mobs got control of the government there was chaos. Napolean got control of the army and used it to bring order, but then developed megalomania and on and on and on...

Answer 4

The french revolution happened because the tax payers had enough of total rule by the monarchy. So the power was transfer ed to their members of Parliament and a democratic model.

Answer 5

It was a massive attempt to exterminate all members of the French aristocracy. It came about because of the obvious class and social gulf which existed in French society in this particular period of history. It was very bloody with many thousands of people being sent to the guillotine daily.Happened in the 18th century.

Answer 6

Because they saw how well revolution worked for the United States and wanted to get rid of their own royals.

Answer 7

The peasants didn't like the Monarchy, so they started chopping their heads off. Then however, they moved on to chopping off the heads of other peasants that they didn't like. It kind of developed a momentum of its own. There were far less Monarchists heads removed, than peasants heads. They succeeded in replacing the Monarchy with something even worse, 'NAPOLEON'. Anti Monarchists and republicans, take note.

Answer 8

Many different reasons but mainly because of bread lines, the price of the bread went up( there wasn't enough flour), and therefore they had to make lines in order to get bread, people in the line (mostly women) started talking about the situationand decided they had to do something, so they started to riot.

Answer 9

poor french were fed up of the royals

Answer 10

Because they're French!!!!!