Gradually after the American Revolution, France had its own Revolution in 1789. The French were very unhappy with their current status, jobs, and living conditions. They saw what the Americans did to achieve liberty, and how successful they were. Many of them had also read the writings of the philosophers and believed that change was necessary - they could no longer handle their problems, such as debt, competition between social classes, and the unlawful conduct of the king. This led them to their revolution.France was badly in debt after participating in the American Revolution and after Kings Louis XIVs and Louis XVIs enormous expenses. In an attempt to save France from bankruptcy, Louis XVI called on the Estates General for help. The Estates General was made up of the First, Second, and Third Estate. However there was a lot of conflict within the Third Estate, because it was made up of everyone who was not part of the royal family, clergy, or nobility. The Third Estate was very unsatisfied and ended up re-naming itself the National Assembly in June of 1789 and claimed itself the representative body of the people. They did not aid the King in his financial troubles, but demanded to make many changes to Frances absolute monarchy and legislative system. Many of the laws that were passed in France had also become extremely burdensome to the common people because they excluded the clergy and nobility from paying taxes. Louis XVI tried to help the economy, by raising taxes in 1786, but this only made matters worse because peasants were unable to pay. Harvest was also poor and food very expensive. The demand for manufactured goods fell, and many artisans, traders and farmers were without work. People were angry and began to revolt. In July of 1789, they stormed the Bastille, killing many people, and in October of 1789 angry middleclass women marched to Versailles demanding that the royal family move to Paris and action be taken to help fe...
