France was an absolute monarchy. Louis XIV was the greatest of all other rulers in Europe. While Louis XIV held the throne he encouraged trade and centralized government. Louis XIV successors, Louis XV and Louis XVI, all shared one common mistake, they all participated in lengthy and costly wars. France was defeated in Seven Years War against Britain. France was then crushed by the Prussians. The fatal weakness in France's monarchy system was its inability to produce a strong dictator. The people began to see Louis XVI as being weak, and they doubted the king as being divine. The events that occurred next will lead us to France's great Revolution. These following paragraphs will answer the famous question, "What caused the French Revolution and made it possible?"
             France was an absolute monarchy before the French Revolution. Absolutism, "king is divine", states that king was put on the throne by god. The Ancien Regime, the old order in France until the Revolution had large powers over society. They controlled the system of justice, the military; they influenced the Catholic Church, and had the right of taxation. To keep absolutism strong your dictator must be strong and stable, Louis the XVI was neither strong nor stable, the people would doubt the divined and thus start "The Age of Enlightenment," a growth of new critical ideas. These would greatly clash with the ideas of Absolutism.
             Growth of new ideas amongst the Bourgeoisie, the majority population in France, reflected their high education levels. The New Age of Enlightenment was now taking place in France. Revolutionists Voltaire, Rousseau, combined with economic philosophers came up with new theories. They presented ideas of liberal society, and free trade. This strongly favored the businessman. The Revolutionists also challenged the absolute rule of the king, they believed god wasn't the reason the king held the...