The French Revolution was not a single event but a series of developments that unfolded between 1789 and 1799. Its long-term causes included dissatisfaction among intellectuals and the lower social orders with the inequalities of French society.

Phrygian cap, late-18th century, used by French Revolutionaries as a symbol of liberty
By kind permission of Jon Goldstein
 There was also discontent with corrupt royal offcials and despair over widespread economic hardship.

Between 1787 and 1789, the French nobility resisted King Louis XVI's attempts to avoid bankruptcy. They forced a meeting of the Estates-General, the nearest French equivalent to the British Parliament. But the Estates-General collapsed on 17 June 1789, as the members of the Third Estate, representing 'the people', withdrew to form their own National Assembly. This was a bold challenge to the King's authority. The Revolution had begun.

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