The French Revolution was not a sudden or unexpected event, but rather the culmination of various factors that had been building over time. Some of the primary causes include:
seized power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire. While Napoleon eventually declared himself Emperor, he codified many revolutionary gains through the Napoleonic Code aice european history french revolution
The rigid social hierarchy was a pressure cooker. The Third Estate (98% of people) paid the taxes while the First (Clergy) and Second (Nobility) held the power. The French Revolution was not a sudden or