Financial Crisis and Government Debt
France's government had spent far more money than it collected in taxes. The country had spent huge amounts on wars, maintaining the royal palace at Versailles, and supporting the royal court. By 1789, France was deeply in debt and the king could not pay the government's bills. The government tried to fix this by raising taxes, but most French people were already struggling to survive.
Unfair Tax System
The French tax system was extremely unfair. Common people and merchants had to pay high taxes to support the government. However, the nobility and the Catholic Church were mostly exempt from taxes and did not have to contribute. This meant that the poorest people paid the most, while the richest and most powerful people paid almost nothing. This inequality angered the common people and made them feel that the system was unjust.
Food Shortages and Hunger
In the late 1780s, France experienced bad harvests and crop failures. This made food, especially bread, very expensive and difficult to find. Many French people did not have enough money to buy food and were literally starving. Hunger and desperation pushed ordinary people to demand change. The combination of expensive food, high taxes, and poverty created a crisis that people could no longer tolerate.
Enlightenment Ideas
Philosophers and writers had introduced new ideas about government, individual rights, and equality. These ideas, called Enlightenment ideas, suggested that all people deserved basic rights and that governments should represent the people, not just serve the king. Books and discussions about these ideas spread among educated people and influenced how ordinary French citizens thought about their government. These ideas gave people hope that change was possible and justified their desire for a different system.
Social Structure and Class Anger
French society was divided into three rigid classes called estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was the nobility, and the Third Estate was everyone else including merchants, craftspeople, and peasants. The Third Estate included most of the population but had the least power and the most burdens. Members of the Third Estate felt angry and trapped because they had no voice in government despite making up the vast majority of the country. 
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