History of the French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of the French Revolution - Essay Example France as a country traditionally had a monarchy as its head of state. But just like most countries headed by royals at the time, the common citizens of the nation did not manage to get their fair share of the wealth that the country had. These masses lived in squalor and poverty. This discontentment led to the awakening of their consciousness in an era known as â€Å"The Enlightenment† which helped stoke the fire of independence in the people. This enlightenment was further fueled by the historical American war that saw the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The French people wished to be freed from the same perceived controlling regime of the monarchy at any cost because of the struggle for hegemony and the fact that the empire often times used up all of the fiscal resources of the country, leaving very little if at all for the peasants. Due to the rise of â€Å"The Enlightenment† among the social classes, political conflicts began to erupt which led the publ ic to wonder as to whether the current governance of their country could still be overthrown and a new type of government that would benefit all social classes in France could be set in its place. The political system of France at the time was also on very shaky ground since the there was a conflict between the monarchy and the aristocracy when it came to the perceived reforms of the tax system which often times led to a non-functioning state of government. The main problem with the French leadership at the time was the fact that the monarch, had been given absolute control over the country. Such type of power tends to make the monarch and his cohorts prone to abuse of authority among those they govern.