In looking throughout history revolution has been a common theme. Revolutions sprung up throughout history for various reasons. Some have been based in politics, others were based on social reasons, still others were based on economic reasons and some have been the combination of all these things. Some have involved the independence of nations, some have involved industries, and others have involved the rise of the middle and lower classes. Revolutions are thing that have the potential to totally change the face of society, but at the same time that potential can back fire and cause even more problems. The reasons for each individual revolution are very distinct. There is not one universal principle that guides a revolution, but each revolution throughout history has been influence by the lower and middle classes.
             No revolution was more impacted by the influence of the lower class and middle class than in the French Revolution. The French Revolution was the ultimate example of how and why the under class struck up against the old views of society. Prior to the revolution France was under the control of the Old Regime. The Old Regime was a period of time often considered by many to be representative of a crashed society. Under the old regime, the king was the absolute monarchy. Under the rule of Louis XIV France's bureaucracy was centralized. Louis had absolute power to rule as he pleased. His rule was basically unchallenged. He had complete control over the system of finance. Louis was a very extravagant king. His extravagance caused the treasury to be burdened heavily. However, because Louis had control the finances of the country he was able to create taxes to fund his royal treasury. He created a tax system that only benefited those who were wealthy.
             During the time that Louis reigned as king society was broken down into three orders or classes. The first group was known as the First Estate. The first estate consisted...