When France lost the Seven Years War she lost her colonies to England and Spain forcing her to lose a substantial amount of money. Also, France had little income due to two decades of drought, cattle disease, and poor cereal harvest. The situation worsened due to the expenses brought on by the ignorant French aristocracy and monarchy. King Louis XVI spent 1,500,000,000 Livre in helping the American colonists in the American Revolution. He gained this money from heavy borrowing and high taxation. In the fall of 1786, Charles Alexander de Calonne, Louis XVI's controller general noticed the immense stress that was placed on the French economy. He proposed a financial reform package; it included a land tax which would apply equally to the entire French class regardless of their estate. Following the proposal of the financial reform package, Louis XVI summoned the Estates General, an assembly of French Aristocracy. The assembly had not been called since 1614. Delegates of the three estates from each locality needed to provide a list of grievances to the General Estate, this list would be given to the King. This meeting would result in the beginning of the French Revolution.
The cause of the French Revolution was the desperation of the French peasants to be heard. In the years before the revolution began the Enlightenment Era swept over all of Europe. The Enlightenment Era promoted free thinking and praised the ability to think and reason clearly. It stipulated that all men should be equal no matter of estate or financial security. This era introduced the idea of self-government to the French public, undermining the complete authority of the monarchies. The theory of self-government and religious tolerance made the French public start questioning the actual authority of the French monarchy. This was new to the French people since scrutinizing a man placed in power by God would shameful and blasphemous.