The French revolution, like the American revolution, was a very important event in history. Until the revolution, all decisions, power, and wealth were made and held by the King. In America in 1775, the common people revolted to overthrow to gain freedom. The same happened in France in 1789 when the King, the nobles and the clergy were overthrown. High taxes, food shortages and bad government led to the start of the revolution. After, came ten years of physical struggle which led to the overthrow of the absolute monarch and a new system of government. This new system was much the same as the English system in which a monarch had limited power and most decisions were made by a parliament. The peoples' demand for equality had been granted with the concept of a constitutional monarch.
             The Social, Political and Economic Conditions
             The French Revolution occurred as a result of four causes, the 'state of mind' of all social classes, the desperate plight of peasants and townspeople, the disorder of finances and the character of the King.
             During the reign of Louis XVI, the French nobles had no political power but retained their wealth and social position. The nobles were allocated an amount of land where peasants worked. The peasants were forced to pay taxes, up to 80% with their income, to three parties, the church, the king, and the local nobleman. This made the nobles quite wealthy and the fact that they paid no tax, boosted their wealth. Only the noble families were able to obtain important positions in society. The common people were providing food and services and paying taxes but had no representation in the decision making.
             France's government was an absolute monarchy, where all decisions were made by the king. The monarch at the time was King Louis XVI. He lacked strength and intelligence and wasted a lot of time trying to make decisions. His weakness and indecision contributed...