During the 18th century, France was one of the richest and most prosperous countries in Europe, but many peasants were unhappy with the way it was governed. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and started the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor causing the French Revolution was the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The first and main reason for the French Revolution was the terrible leadership of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. The peasants wanted to overthrow them because they had bankrupted France through excessive spending. It spent just under 228 million lire over 15 years. King Louis had sent huge amounts of money, military equipment, and soldiers to America during the American Revolution because he wanted to help them defeat Great Britain. He also spent a lot of money building his palace, Versailles. Marie Antoinette also used large sums of money for her lavish parties and to satisfy her extravagant tastes. Both of these factors combined to create additional debt for France. King Louis wanted to increase the taxes of the Third Estate to pay off the debts, which angered the peasants even more, which we will talk about in the next paragraph. King Louis came to power at the age of 20 and entrusted most of the financial duties to Turgot, one of the best statesmen. When he finally realized that the French Revolution was a big problem, all his attempts to stop it were in vain because he didn't know what to do too bad... middle of paper... rent laws and views. The revolutionaries fought for a government of the people and for the people, where everyone was equal and had the right to vote. The Enlightenment changed the way people viewed politics, government, and religion. It made people understand what they wanted France to be, eventually causing them to rebel against the government that made France a republic. It is evident that these three reasons are the main causes that led to the French Revolution and the fall of the French monarchical system. The ineffectiveness of King Louis and Marie Antoinette was the main reason as it was for this reason that it led to the dissatisfaction of the peasants, which led them to look for better systems and laws in the Enlightenment. It was all these reasons combined together that ultimately led to the destruction of the old regime and the French Revolution.