To What Extent Was Louis Xvi The Main Cause For The Outbreak Of The French Revolution In 1789?

This topic is worthy of investigation because it offers the chance to see other factors that could have contributed to the social revolution that changed the world, rather than potentially blame the King of France: Louis XVI. This essay will discuss whether Louis was the main cause for the outbreak of the French Revolution or whether other external factors made a large contribution too. It can be easy to judge Louis XVI as the major cause of the revolution because many historians view him as a politically, weak character and he "fails to live down to his abysmal reputation" (J Hardman). Potentially his early ascension to the throne meant that he had problems when making difficult decisions for France. Also, his marriage to Austrian-princess Marie Antoinette created problems because the country had a hatred for her, despite Louis' intentions that it would create a peaceful alliance with Austria. Louis also had ideas for reforming France but could not push his ideas forward enough to the stubborn Assembly of Notables. Some historians agree that other factors need to be evaluated and considered because it was a time "when people began to recreate almost everything in a society, the politics, the institutions and nature itself through critical action ." It was seen that the country was changing politically, economically and socially whilst Louis was losing control. I am interest in examining these factors in comparison to the failures of Louis XVI. Other factors come under short term causes and long term causes. The latter are more important because it can be said it was unfortunate that Louis XVI was ruling at the time when the revolution began and these long term tensions had come to its peak in 1789. These factors included conflict within France's hierarchal structure, problems within the French government and the impact of Enlightenment. Short term factors included France's foreign policy decisions and increasing tension on the French economy in the 1780s. Also, whilst previous Kings of the eighteenth century, Louis XIV and Louis XV were successful during their reigns, they also created major difficulties for the future of France: a build-up of war debt which led to economic struggles. One might place full blame on Louis and his ruling style but significant events and uncontrollable situations led Louis to find difficulty balancing his priorities.