UPSC History Preparation: French Revolution

The French Revolution which took place in 1789 had many causes common to all the revolutions of the West at the end of the 18th century and certain causes explain why it was the most violent of these revolutions. The first of the causes was the social structure of the West. The feudal regime had been weakened step-by-step and had already disappeared in parts of Europe. The increasingly numerous and prosperous elite of wealthy commoners—merchants, manufacturers, and professionals, often called the bourgeoisie—aspired to political power in those countries where it did not already possess it.

The peasants, many of whom owned land, had attained an improved standard of living and education and wanted to get rid of the last vestiges of feudalism so as to acquire the full rights of landowners and to be free to increase their holdings. Furthermore, from about 1730, higher standards of living had reduced the mortality rate among adults to a great extent. This, combined with other factors, had led to an increase in the population of Europe unprecedented for several centuries: it doubled between 1715 and 1800. The problem was most acute for France which had 26 million inhabitants in 1789 making it the most populated country of Europe and hence, the problem was most acute.

 

A larger population created a greater demand for food and consumer goods. The discovery of new gold mines in Brazil had led to a general rise in prices throughout the West from about 1730, indicating a prosperous economic situation. Arguments for social reform began to be advanced. The intellectuals whose writings inspired these arguments—were certainly influenced by 17th-century theorists such as Descartes, Spinoza and Locke, but they came to very different conclusions about political, social, and economic matters. A revolution seemed necessary to apply the ideas of Montesquieu, Voltaire, or Rousseau. Watch the video below to learn more about the French Revolution.

In the video titled “Relive the past: World History 5.3 French Revolution IAS Preparation” by Dr. Roman Saini, various key points of the French Revolution have been discussed in detail. Dr. Roman deals with the blunders of Napoleon, evaluation of French Revolution, Vienna Congress and the important aspects of the French Revolution.

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