History can be seen as a series of changes people put upon one another. Throughout the years, these changes have had affected society significantly resulting in more or less conflicts. The French Revolution was one of the many changes that affected society resulting in both conflicts beginning and others being resolved.
The French Revolution began in 1789 due to the inequality of French society. The French society was divided into three estates. The first two consisted of clergy and nobility respectively. The third was made up of merchants, businessmen, lawyers, and peasants. They had the least rights and privileges compared with the other estates. The third estate had to pay all the taxes imposed by the king, King Louis XVI, whereas the other estates were excused from it. This made life harder for the peasants, but also sparked the French revolution when the Third Estate began to demand more rights.
Tinted etching of Louis XVI of France, 1792, with ...
Portrait of Louis XVI
The National Assembly taking the Tennis Court Oath...King Louis XVI ignored the demands of the Third Estate. When the Third Estate wanted to form the National Assembly, this exposed Kind Louis XIV's abuse of power. The Estates General was unfair due to the Third Estates constantly being outvoting by the first and second estates. This resulted in the Tennis Court Oath which said they wouldn't give up. Instead, the people of the Third Estate turned to rioting like when they stormed the Bastille to free political prisoners.
After the revolution, the peasants made sure they were heard. They started killing nobles; the guillotine was made making the death sentence faster and cheaper. Thousands were killed with the guillotine including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, his wife. The time after this was known as the Reign of Terror, when Maximilien Robespierre took over. During this period of famine and panic, the peasants were finally heard and released...