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Cassia Sobers-816005133

Dr Christian Cwik

Continuities and Changes in 19th Century Europe- HIST2401

Department of History

Faculty of Humanities and Education

The University of the West Indies

St. Augustine Campus

The exogenous and the endogenous origins of the French Revolution.

The French Revolution is said to have started on July 14th, 1789 with the Destruction of the

Bastille prison in Paris, however some may argue it began long before in the minds of the ‘lower orders’

of French society. As most events, there is much that happens before to cause its commencement and the

French Revolution was no exception, as it was the effect of almost a decade long economic and

intellectual struggle. George Lefebvre coined it seamlessly as a series of interconnecting revolutions from

caste to caste, mindset to mindset. As a result, to understand the origins of the French revolution it must

be seen from an exogenous perspective, observing the events of the Seven Years War, and American

Revolution that went before in previous years. Additionally, the endogenous influences of enlighten

thinkers mostly within France dating a century prior, coupled with economic and political turmoil due to

an unstable monarch.

The French Indian war of 1654 - 1763 popularly known as the Seven Years War had a drastic

effect on the French Empire, not only economically, but also politically. During the seven years of

warfare in New World amongst the Spanish, French and British, commerce was greatly disrupted between

the colonies, James C Riley noted that the British navy prevented trade through blockades and raids of

both French and Spanish ships. This destroyed much of the supplies leaving to or from France. Therefore,

all commerce during these seven years was drastically impeached. Despite the war “battering the

economies of France’s maritime centres”, France was still obligated to furnish soldiers, pay wages,
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consistently provide supplies such as medicine, food and personnel. War was extremely expensive,

nonetheless, they still had France itself to run while, maintaining all the colonies. Subsequently, while

war waged in the New World Colonies war also waged in Europe although initially France remained

neutral, in 1756 due its alliance to Austria, France was also forced into war there. This stretched the

country’s resources rather thin. However, the most debilitating economic blow was the loss of colonies at

the end of the war in 1763. As Michael Streich stated,

“…excepting a few Caribbean islands, France was expelled from all of North America, as
well as loosing India to the British… they were completely depleted and far removed from the title of
Empire…” (Streich,1)
France had lost, in North America: all of Canada and in India: Pondicherry, Madras and

Chandalore, as well as their strong hold in the Philippines. This placed France in an extremely

humiliating position as an Empire supposedly ordained by Holy Roman church professing Christendom

and carrying all power. Therefore, the monarchy sought ways to restore its name as an absolute power

and regain respect in Europe after receiving such a crushing blow from Great Britain. Therefore,

although the Kingdom’s treasury was severely depleted the crown still entertained negotiations with

North American colonists in aiding their revolution that officially began in 1776. This decision further

drained the country’s finances and enraged the French people.

The American War of Independence was a double-edged sword as it was aimed at bringing about

political change in the 13 colonies however, it did the same in Parisian minds to the detriment of the

French Monarch. Heather Freund wrote,

“In Paris in 1790, the Marquis de Lafayette gave the key to the Bastille to Thomas Paine to
present to George Washington. Paine wrote to Washington that it was “an early trophy of the Spoils of
Despotism and the first ripe fruits of American principles transplanted into Europe...That the principles of
America opened the Bastile [sic] is not to be doubted, and therefore the Key comes to the right place.”
(Freund, 28)
General Lafayette was sent to North America to aid the Continental Army in 1778, his appearance to

many historians was the only reason the continental army could defeat the British. Without French naval

support the battles of port cities such as New Port or Chesapeake Bay would have been crushing defeats
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between 1781- 1783. The French Monarch however, having involved themselves in the removal of

another monarch was a form of suicide to their sovereignty, as it proved that the Crown was only as

strong as its subject believed it was. And by aiding in removing the illusion, King Louis XVI eradicated

the only protection he had from his people, the idea that he was absolute in everything and second only to

God. During the American War of Independence ambassadors were sent to France, first Benjamin

Franklin then Thomas Jefferson. Both men American by birth though at the time of their birth it hardly

meant anything, during the Revolution it was a statement to be of a colony and representing it in a

diplomatic setting in direct rebellion to that colony’s sovereign. Though at the time the French monarch

seeking revenge against Britain was blind to the message the crown was giving the people. Benjamin

Franklin while staying in France ardently perpetuated the ideas of ‘equality’ and ‘civil right’. As

postulated by Susan Dunn, between Benjamin Franklin amongst the French people and Lafayette back

and forth as commander of French forces, the people of France became extremely sympathetic to the

American cause, “rejoicing” at victories and “weeping” at defeats. By the end of the war in 1783,

American Patriots were brothers of France. And though this development should have alarmed the King,

somehow it did not.

Thomas Jefferson replaced an aging Benjamin Franklin in France in 1784 and he was a far more

bold and ardent advocate for French Revolt than either Franklin or Lafayette. Jefferson first completed

and published work was the Notes on the State of Virginia which he later had translated to French in 1787

and circulated to the public. In the words of Steven J. Schroeppel it was for “those who shared his

devotion to such things as representative republican government and mankind’s natural rights,”

(Schroeppel, 11). These open acts within a monarchical state were bold indeed, however due to the

King’s preoccupation and the protection of wealthy and influential nobles such as Marquis de Lafayette,

Jefferson continued, until the very beginning of the Revolution in 1789, where he promptly returned to

America.
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The Age of Enlightenment had begun approximately 200 hundred years before in the 17th century

however, the ideas were extremely relevant to the French Revolution. The Enlightenment age can be

coined as both an exogenous and endogenous factor as not all influential enlightened thinkers were

French though the major intellectuals were. One prolific enlightened writer was Thomas Hobbs who was

British. Nonetheless, as noted by, Williams F. Church, some of the greatest names of that era were French

men, like Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu and Diderot. Church further explained that this movement

made France the intellectual epicentre of the Western World. The Age of Enlightenment, brought about a

period of new thinking amongst the bourgeoisie people and begun a revolution of the mind. As postulated

by, William Church, “… the Enlightenment increasingly questioned the traditional legal, moral and

religious foundations of French society...” (Church, vii) The ideas perpetuated by the intellectuals in

salons and coffee houses were critical of all institutions of society. They no longer simply believed the

words of others but, sought their own form of understanding of the world around them. Religion was no

longer the centre of society as science, logic and reason became popular in everyday society and practical

explanations were being given to replace superstition. According to Daniel Mornet, “The critical spirit

shown in destroying the respect for religion was lessoning the respect for every other type of institution,

and particularly the monarchy,” (Mornet, 74) Therefore, a revolution took place in the minds of the

people long before 1789, as a result though it was not the first time they were faced with a less than

satisfactory King, or economic struggle due to bad financial management. However, the people were not

of the same mindset as generations before hence the outcome was much different to the small

insurrections that most monarchs were accustomed to.

The Economic climate in France was a major internal factor for the French Revolution, as it was a

source of civil dissatisfaction with monarchical rule. France during the early 18th century was faced with a

series of famines due to failed crops. David Garrioch note that between 1710 and 1711 there were tens of

thousands of French peasants either dead of nutritional diseases, such as scurvy or that simply starved to

death. As the rural areas were largely agrarian they depended on successful harvests however, if winter
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lasted to long or summer did, they would fail and ideally the starving peasantry turned to the crown for

aid however, the government was practically bankrupt and immersed in dept. Therefore, things escalated

to an alarming degree, by 1729 bread had moved from 8sous per 4lb to 14 sous per 4lb 1and the people

were openly looting bakeries and grocers for food leaving commissaires clueless as to how to calm the

people. The merchants were finding every opportunity to practice profiteering and it is in this climate that

Louis XVI inherited the throne in 1774, however as his predecessor had managed before he could also

but, King Louis made some key political mistakes. As observed by George Lefebvre, “The government

crisis went back to the American War. The revolt of the English colonies may in fact be considered the

principal direct cause of the French Revolution…” (Lefebvre, 21). By 1787 methods of alleviating the

economic crisis became vital as the crown was losing control of all assets, this was done through the

suspension of pensions on October 13th. On August 18th, 1788, the Bank of Discount was enabled to

advance a hundred million to the state while accepting state bills as legal tenure, which resulted in

inflation and still pensions had remained suspended. In March 1788, the King called for a Budget forecast

to be made and according to Lefebvre, it went as followed, Expenses 629,000,000 livres while, Revenues

503,000,000 livres. This left a deficit of 126,000,000 livres which accounted for 20% of all expenses.

After a, thorough breakdown court expenses only accounted for 6%, civil expenses for 19%, army and

navy for 26%, while debt repayment for 50%. This meant the crown was borrowing from other sources to

repay older loans leaving them consistently in debt. To this there was the Revolution of the Peasants,

periodic Bread riots where no merchant selling any pastry was safe to peddle in peace.

King Louis XVI in exemption to the economic issue was not exactly loved by his society,

because, he was fond of eating, drinking and hunting more than actual conversation or human company.

To further expound his peculiar situation as King, he was not a very wise tactician and made horrible

1
1 Livre = 20 sous
1 livre= 1lb sterling silver
1lb sterling silver =233 USD
1 Sous= 11.65 USD (today)
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economic choices consistently. Additionally, his wife Marie Antoinette was despised by the lower orders

of the 3rd Estate and lower, they likened her to Valarie Messalina, the controlling, devious and

promiscuous wife of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus (Known as the Stammering Emperor). King

Louis’ children were rumoured not belong to him, because of his antisocial tendencies and her rumoured

open sexuality; to many it seemed unlikely that he could seer children at all. The King and Queen’s lack

of popularity amongst the people in a time of economic uncertainty worked to their detriment as there was

no sympathy for their lives. Therefore, despite the King not being directly linked to the people’s suffering

he was blamed for every aspect of it. The Local gazette companies did the monarch no favours either as

the ‘public’ developed an ‘educated’ opinion, publishing companies like the Parisian Journal de Paris or

Gazette de France by 1785 there were over 85 periodicals circulating throughout France. As perpetuated

by David Garrioch, an imagined public developed where the opinions of these select authors, were

circulated into popularity and pushed into being everyone’s opinions, either as pamphlets, essays,

newspapers or journals. Garrioch went on to explain the development of a new form of politics where

journalists would shadow the lives of nobles and politicians and sell information to their rivals in attempts

to discredit them in parliament or court. These same methods were later employed against the monarch,

just that the court was the streets of Paris, as every aspect of the Queen’s extravagance was shown, from

her extreme love of fashion to her absurd gambling habits. Many say Queen Marie’s youth was to blame

however, her lack of propriety in the moment of her country’s economic crisis may very well be what cost

her, her life in October 1793 and that of her husband in January 1793.

Nonetheless, as stated by Garrioch, “only the educated and the reasonably well off were “active”

citizens… The new politics offered little advantage to the illiterate…” (Garrioch,182). Furthermore, it did

not have to, because, those that could read held the substantial power in the eyes of the people and the

illiterate peasantry would easily follow them blindly as it was what they were taught and expected to do in

this period of time. These periodicals became a political platform in the last years of the Old Regime,

where issues were voiced and the failings of the current system was presented. It was in this method that
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people customarily excluded from formal politics were able to have their voices down in print and spread

for all with access to see it. And thus, was born the Revolution of the third estate, long before the oath of

the Tennis court, because by then their minds were already set on change, through years of aggravated

discussions and thought.

To conclude, the French revolution did not begin in 1789 out of nowhere, but was the result of

many exogenous and endogenous factors. These exogenous factors include the Seven Years War which

brought about the humiliating loss of colonies for France, debilitating losses to their economy and a need

to avenge themselves against Britain. Secondly, the American War for Independence, allying themselves

with The Congress of Philadelphia undermined their own monarchy and invited republican ideas into

their state. On the other hand endogenous ideas began with the influence of Enlightenment, the Age of

Enlightenment though it can be both exogenous and endogenous is considered largely endogenous as the

main influential writers to French society were French men. These revolutionary ideas made critics out of

the common man and changed the mindset of the people to all the institutions of society including the

church and the crown. Another factor was the failing French economy, the crown was deep in debt while,

harvests were failing and the crown was still spending on war and Marie Antoinette.
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References
DiCaprio, Lisa. The Origins of the Welfare State: Women, Work, and the French Revolution. University

of Illinois Press, 2007.

Dunn, Susan. Advice (Not Taken) for the French Revolution from America. The Gilder Lehrman Institute

of American History, 17 Nov. 2012, www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/global-history-and-

us-foreign-policy/essays/advice-not-taken-for-french-revolution-fr.

Freund, Heather. Revolutionary Networks in an Age of Revolutions.

Lefebvre, Georges. The Coming of the French Revolution. Princeton Univ. Press, 1989.

Mornet, Daniel. “The Intellectual Origins of the French Revolution.” The Influence of the Enlightenment

on the French Revolution. Creative, Disastrous or Non-Existent? Edited with an Introduction by

William F. Church, Boston, Mass., 1964, pp. 74–83.

Riley, James C. The Seven Years War and the Old Regime in France. 1987, doi:10.1515/9781400858255.

Schroeppel, Steven James. Foreign influence: Thomas Jefferson and the thinkers of the French

revolutionary era. Georgetown University, Georgetown Repository Library, 2015.

Sonenscher, Michael. Before the Deluge: Public Debt, Inequality, and the Intellectual Origins of the

French Revolution. Princeton University Press, 2009.

Tocqueville, Alexis de. The Old Regime and the French Revolution. Translated by Stuart Gilbert,

Doubleday Books, 1983.