The Impact of War and Internal Conflict

The Impact of War

War debt: The financial strain from supporting the American War of Independence left France heavily in debt, providing the spark for the financial crisis of 1788-89.
Inflation and taxation: War expenditures led to inflation and increased land taxes which impacted the peasantry and lower bourgeoisie most heavily, contributing to societal unrest.
Military success and Enlightenment ideals: France’s victory over Britain in the American War fuelled French national prestige and spread Enlightenment ideals, encouraging revolution at home.
Role of the French military: The military’s exposure to revolutionary ideals in America contributed to its eventual refusal to support the monarchy against the citizens during the Revolution.

Internal Conflict

The Estates General: The conflict over the role and structure of the Estates-General led to the convening of the Estates-General in 1789 which ignited the revolutionary process.
Privilege and inequality: The disparity in wealth and privilege between the nobility and the other estates was a source of internal conflict, leading to wider political argument about the nature of sovereignty and the purpose of the monarchy.
Discontent among the Third Estate: Internal conflict resulted from the widespread dissatisfaction among the bourgeoise and peasantry, who bore the greatest economic burden but had the least political representation.
The impact of the 1788-89 financial crisis: The crisis exacerbated internal conflict by highlighting administrative inefficiencies and the failings of the monarchy, thereby catalyzing demands for reform.
Bread Riots and the Women’s March: Economic difficulties led to food shortages, resulting in bread riots and the Women’s March on Versailles in 1789, pressuring the monarchy for change.
The Paris Commune: The formation of the Paris Commune exemplified how internal conflict between different political and social factions fermented into revolution at a local level.
Dissent in the provinces: Conflict was not isolated to Paris. Provinces also witnessed major uprisings such as the Great Fear, highlighting the widespread nature of revolutionary fervour.
The National Assembly: The establishment of the National Assembly marked a seismic shift in political control and was the direct result of escalating internal conflicts involving all three estates.