The Estates General
Reading: The Brink of Revolution: France's Perfect Storm (1789) Introduction: A Kingdom in Crisis In 1789, France was the superpower of Europe. It was a nation of 26 million people, a center of art and philosophy, and ruled by the absolute monarch King Louis XVI from the most magnificent palace on earth: Versailles . From the outside, France looked powerful. On the inside, it was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode. The explosion—what we now call the French Revolution—was not caused by one single thing. It was the result of a "perfect storm" where three major crises hit the nation at the exact same time. First, the government was completely and totally bankrupt. Second, new and dangerous ideas of liberty and equality were spreading, challenging the entire system of monarchy. Finally, the people were literally starving. This combination created a situation so volatile that it would tear the country apart and change the world forever. Part 1: The Three Crises Crisis #1: T...