The Real Reasons The French Revolution Began

The Real Reasons The French Revolution Began

By Molly M.
Grunge
May 7, 2021

 

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By Molly M./May 7, 2021 11:20 am EDT

The dispossessed and the oppressed have been raging against the rich and powerful for centuries. The French Revolution, which spanned most of the 1790s, is a prime example of this.

At the time the French Revolution began in 1789, many were unhappy with the monarchy, and particularly the damage inflicted upon France's economy during the rule of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. According to History, France was near bankruptcy at the time due to the country's "costly involvement in the American Revolution, and extravagant spending by King Louis XVI and his predecessor."

 

While the French Revolution "failed to achieve all of its goals and at times degenerated into a chaotic bloodbath," per History, it was still a remarkable — and genuinely revolutionary — period in the history of not only that nation, but also that of the world. In pushing back against the monarchy, the French people proved their power by demolishing ancient institutions and rebuilding the country's political system.

The French Revolution was triggered by discontent with the monarchy and economic issues

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Along with the economic devastation that came after the American Revolution and King Louis XVI's irresponsible spending, France faced major agricultural challenges near the end of the 18th century. According to History, "two decades of poor harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled unrest among peasants and the urban poor."

 

On top of these issues, the monarchy heavily taxed the masses and offered no economic support to those in need. Those affected by economic issues began to protest the king's authoritarian regime with increasing fervor by "rioting, looting, and striking."

Around 1786, conflicting conversations began to take shape on the issue of political reform. Many different groups joined the conversations, but each had a different idea of what the reform should entail. The privileged classes were reluctant to listen to the so-called lower classes, and didn't want to pay land taxes or give up any of their privileges.

Near the end of the 1780s, the "Third Estate," those not of the aristocracy and representing 98% of the population, began preparing to make their stance known: They wanted the weight of a vote to be measured per person, rather than by a person's financial status.

Bastille Day is widely considered to mark the start of the French Revolution

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The discontent that had been bubbling under France's surface came to a boil on July 14, 1789. A large group of rioters and revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, a prison fortress in Paris, at dawn. According to History, the crowd was "armed with muskets, swords, and various makeshift weapons" and began the insurgency with intent to seize the 250 barrels of gunpowder that had been delivered to the fortress two days prior.

 

The revolutionary energy behind the storming of the Bastille swiftly spread throughout France. The poorer classes throughout the country began to revolt against years of tyranny, as they "looted and burned the homes of tax collectors, landlords and the seigniorial elite," per History. This energy became known as "The Great Fear," which pushed nobles out of the country in fear of their lives. Ultimately, it led to the executions of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in 1793 (according to Biography, on January 21 and October 16, respectively) and abolishing the feudal system.

The Storming of the Bastille — now honored each year as Fête nationale, or Bastille Day — is widely considered the official start of the French Revolution, a historic event that changed the structure of France and reinforced the power of the people.

Myths You Believe About Marie Antoinette

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By Benito Cereno/May 26, 2020 2:11 pm EDT/Updated: Dec. 23, 2020 12:48 am EDT

Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France before the French Revolution, and for more than 200 years she has stood as the ultimate example of a cold, careless aristocrat, living a life of luxury as thousands starved to death around her. She, perhaps even more than her husband, King Louis XVI, is associated with losing her head at the guillotine for her heartless disregard of the suffering of the impoverished people of France. The image of a powdered wig-wearing, bonbon-chomping, fainting couch sprawling libertine in an enormous dress has clung to Marie Antoinette since her final days. But how much of it is true?

 

Setting aside the question of whether monarchy as an institution is good or not (it's not), let's take a look at some of the more pervasive charges laid against Marie Antoinette both by the revolutionary tribunal and by history at large. Here are some false things you might believe about the last queen of France.

'Let them eat cake'

Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun/Wikipedia

Let's take a look at the most obvious myth about Marie Antoinette. Even if you're barely aware of the last queen of France, chances are good that you've heard two things about her: her last dance on this Earth was with Madame Guillotine and she said, "Let them eat cake." You might be unsure of what this phrase even means, devoid of context. Was she officiating at a child's birthday party or a wedding? Well, as the story goes, someone informed the queen that the peasants of France were starving because they had no bread. The famous quote is supposed to have been her oblivious and privilege-clouded response.

 

However, as National Geographic points out, she never actually said this. This specific anecdote of an uncaring queen not understanding common people's hardships predates Marie Antoinette's time by decades and was attributed to a number of foreign queens before her. In fact, the original phrase comes from a probably fictional anecdote recounted by philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, though some believe he may have been referring to Maria Theresa, the Spanish-born queen married to King Louis XIV. Also, the original phrase was "qu'ils mangent de la brioche," or "let them eat brioche," an egg-based bread, not cake. As with most myths about Marie Antoinette, this one was fabricated by one of her many political enemies to worsen her reputation among the impoverished people of France.

Marie Antoinette was heartless toward the poor

Jean-Baptiste Andre Gautier-Dagoty/Wikipedia

The point of the famous "let them eat cake" story is to illustrate Marie Antoinette's alleged disdain for the poor. The popular image of the queen among revolutionaries–and, indeed, even today–is that she was an uncaring aristocrat, more powdered wig than brain or heart, whose view from the ivory tower of Versailles kept her from seeing, understanding, or caring about the suffering of the downtrodden. By all actual historical accounts, however, this couldn't be further from the truth. Despite the fact that she did have something of a spendthrift nature, as Mental Floss explains, she was also exceedingly kind and generous.

 

For example, she established a home for unwed mothers and gave food to the starving (presumably including the bread she was supposed to be unconcerned about). When a famine hit in 1787, she sold her own royal flatware to buy grain for those in need. At another time, when a man was accidentally struck by her carriage, she paid for his medical care and supported his family until he was in good health again. Other accounts attest to her taking care of a peasant who had been wounded by a wild animal, as well as taking in a young boy who had been orphaned. Even without the objective evidence that Marie Antoinette was not the origin of the "cake" sentiment, actions like these make it clear such a statement wasn't in her nature.

She was an ice queen

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The image of Marie Antoinette as disdainful of and apathetic toward the suffering of the poor is just part of a larger trend among the queen's enemies to portray her as an unfeeling, luxuriant aristocrat who expressed no concern over the feelings of others. This view was made particularly popular in the various pamphlets distributed in Antoinette's lifetime. These depicted her as having a voracious sexual appetite, which led her to use a long string of lovers for carnal pleasure and then disposing of them without a thought. One such pamphlet told of her conceiving a child from one of her affairs, which she subsequently murdered without mercy.

 

The York Historian says this depiction of Marie Antoinette as a heartless ice queen who exploits and then disposes of people for pleasure could not be further from the truth. Antoinette's personal letters show a person who feels emotion very strongly and is in fact incredibly concerned for the people around her. It was, perhaps, this very capacity for empathy that made her such an easy target for persecution from those who wanted to discredit her. Despite the fact that Antoinette was constantly accused of heinous crimes she hadn't committed, her final letter, smudged and stained with her own tears, is full of passionate pleading for forgiveness, both for herself and for those who so falsely and vehemently accused her.

Marie Antoinette was blonde

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While it is perhaps most common for modern portrayals of Marie Antoinette to show her with her hair powdered white or wearing a white powdered wig, many popular depictions of the queen in film or on book covers tend to show her natural hair as being a golden blonde color. This is probably most notable in her portrayal by Kirsten Dunst in the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, but can also be seen in Joely Richardson's performance as Antoinette in 2001's The Affair of the Necklace or numerous modern mass market book covers, like 2011's Becoming Marie Antoinette. But while the powdered hair and ludicrous wigs might be accurate to history, evidence suggests the blonde part probably isn't.

As HuffPost explains, Madame du Barry, the mistress of King Louis XV and venerable foe of Antoinette at court, was known to refer to Marie Antoinette derisively as la petite rousse, "the little redhead." Other evidence seems to support a redheaded (or at least strawberry blonde) Marie Antoinette, including a locket-sized portrait of Antoinette by miniaturist Francois Dumont that depicts the queen with unambiguously ginger locks. While the deep redness in that portrait may have been exaggerated due to its tiny size, other portraits of the queen depict her with varying shades of gingery blonde hair, and samples of her locks such as an alleged example at the British Museum seem to support the "strawberry blonde" interpretation.