Before the revolution, France had an absolute monarchy, which means that the king had all the power. They believed the king was chosen by god and there was no one higher than him in power, rather than god. The enlightenment inspired the American
and French Revolutions, it gave people a belief in progress. Human reason could solve social problems. It also created a more secular out look. They learned that somethings could be explained with math and science, it changed the way people thought of themselves and god. The life style for the French was really great and really high in class but most of the population lived in poverty, barely scraping on and holding on to their lives. The price of bread doubled and that's what they mostly ate and they paid double the taxes because France was in debt trying to help fund the American Revolution. Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau were spreading the word of Freedom of religion, freedom of thought and speech. Also that people were born free and equal. Which is one reason it started a spark in the French Revolution.
