Nobility and the French Revolution

Paper Summary:

It is impossible to assign to any group--nobility, monarchy, bourgeoisie, peasantry, urban commoners, clergy, or philosophers--sole responsibility for creating the conditions that ended in the French Revolution of 1789. The paper shows, however, that in any of the dominant historical explanations, the role of the nobility remains the strongest element in setting the scene for the Revolution. This is true whether one considers the passive or active nature of its influence. A review of some common theories of the origins of the Revolution in this paper demonstrate that the nobility always bore major, and often primary, responsibility for setting the scene of Revolution.

From the Paper:

"The popular image of the French Revolution is that of the haughty, remote, untalented Louis XVI and the spendthrift, irresponsible Marie Antoinette driving the country to near-bankruptcy and causing a general reaction against the selfishness and autocratic ways of the absolute monarchy. There is, of course, some truth in the claim that the royal couple's ineptitude was the major cause of the Revolution. Bernier holds, for instance, that when, on the day Louis XV died, the new king dismissed the old ministers, because "Marie Antoinette insisted," the "seeds of the Revolution were sown" (52). Louis XV had started to change the tax system so that the rich would assume a more proportionate share of the burden. The nobility objected strongly and Louis XVI, to gain popularity with them, rejected the ministers and the reforms that might have saved his throne."

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