Essay About Economic Crisis And Financial Problems

French Revolution
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The Economic Crisis and the Outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789
All the sources carry some opinions on the causes of the French
Revolution with many indeed suggesting that the economic crisis was a
key factor. However, we must not ignore the other factors suggested
and there undoubted contribution the beginnings of the French
Revolution.
Source one suggests “confusion in the finances great” however this
does not necessarily correspond to an economic crisis. There could
though be economic reasons for the confusion and certainly this could
lead to a crisis if there is little control over spending, inflation
and so on. Written by Arthur Young, well known for his negative view
on France, the source is based on a conversation over dinner. Young
clearly states that the party are sure “they are on the eve of a
revolution.” Financial problems are greatly discussed yet there is
little evidential basis to link this to a full-blown economic crisis.
We must also be wary of Youngs British affiliation, he is likely to
have picked out things that would put France in a bad light compared
with that of Britain.
Source two is likely to have been written by a member of the
Bourgeoisie, an increasing restless sect of society similar to the
modern day middle class, and is taken from the “cahier of Pleurs.”
This document was written in hope of change, it lists the most potent
problems and many of them seem to be economy related. It speaks of
immense poverty and a decline in the prosperity of the country. It
also tells of the increasing burden of taxes being places on the 3rd
Estate. These things, we can assume ultimately led to an economic
crisis and the fact that the 3rd Estate wrote them in a document
asking for change shows they were noticing the impact and that
something could be done. This is a key indicator that the economic
crisis led to the French Revolution.
Source three, an article in a traditionally royalist newspaper, shows
clearly actions that are characteristic of an economic crisis. It
tells of a rise in bread prices, the staple food for the urban
peasant, and how workshops are deserted as men and women queue for
food. The source shows how an economic crisis had escalated from a bad
harvest, as there are now no workers; that means no production and
effectively puts the economy to a standstill. We must be careful
however; at the time this article was printed (late 1789) anyone
associated with the monarchy was nervous. This article may have been
exaggerated so that it appears to be on the side of the people to
avoid later conflict.
Source five has large evidence of a financial crisis. The figures show
how real wages have decreased by 15-20% over the 18th century yet
rents and tax have all risen substantially. This means the common man
has little disposable income and consequently cannot afford to buy
many goods. Therefore even though production has increased the
population cannot sustain it and this leads to economic decline. The
largest development had been due to trade, on average about a 700%
increase across the world. This shows the huge amounts of money spent
abroad in comparison to home. This source demonstrates huge inflation,
which inevitably damages the economy as the primary industry workers
profit margin disappears. Although this source shows huge evidence for
an economic crisis any conclusive statement based on such a vague
source as far as its link to the Revolution goes, would be
unsustainable.
Many of the sources note how it was not just the economic crisis that