- Position‹3 of 3
Social revolt caused the French 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.
Supporting arguments · 2
- The rise of the Third Estate caused the French RevolutionThe French regime imposed heavy taxes on the Third Estate, the commoners, but exempted the clergy and nobles from taxes. The only taxpayers were the peasants, wage-earners, the professionals, and business people, known as the Third Estate.
- The storming of the Bastille was the first violent act against the monarchyThe storming of the bastille was the first significant act of aggression by the revolutionaries against Louis XVI and the French Empire in the French Revolution.