What caused the French Revolution?

The European movement presented society with an awakening of ideas, including God, reason, nature, and overall humanity. The movement allowed individuals to rationalize their role in government.

This position holds that international affairs caused the French Revolution. It argues that France's costly foreign involvements — above all bankrolling the American Revolution — drained the economy into debt, breeding the discontent that erupted into revolution.

This position holds that social revolt drove the French Revolution. It points to the grievances of the Third Estate, which bore the tax burden while clergy and nobility paid none, and to flashpoints like the storming of the Bastille, where hardship and inequality erupted into rebellion.