Critically examine the following statements in about 150 words each: (a) “The French Revolution started and led to the victory in its first phase by the aristocracy."

The Aristocratic Revolt as a Catalyst

The immediate origins of the French Revolution can be traced to a severe financial crisis exacerbated by France's involvement in the American War of Independence. King Louis XVI and his ministers, notably Charles-Alexandre de Calonne, sought to introduce fiscal reforms to tax the privileged classes, including the nobility and clergy, who were largely exempt from direct taxation. This attempt was met with fierce resistance, leading to the "aristocratic revolt."

• Assembly of Notables (1787): Calonne convened an Assembly of Notables, composed primarily of high-ranking nobles and clerics, to approve his tax reforms. However, the Notables, safeguarding their privileges, refused to endorse the reforms and instead demanded the convocation of the Estates-General, an ancient representative body that had not met since 1614.
• Parlements' Resistance: The *parlements*, powerful judicial bodies dominated by the aristocracy, also played a crucial role. They consistently blocked royal decrees aimed at fiscal equality, asserting their right to register royal edicts. This resistance further weakened the monarchy's authority and fueled public discontent against absolutism.
• Demand for Estates-General: The aristocracy's insistence on summoning the Estates-General was a calculated move, believing they could dominate the proceedings and protect their interests. This forced the King's hand and effectively initiated the process that would spiral into a full-blown revolution.

Limits of Aristocratic "Victory" in the First Phase

While the aristocracy's actions undeniably "started" the revolution by creating a constitutional crisis and forcing the convocation of the Estates-General, their "victory" in the first phase was short-lived and ultimately led to their downfall. The period from the Estates-General (May 1789) to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (August 1789) saw a rapid shift of power away from the privileged orders.

• Estates-General Deadlock: When the Estates-General met in May 1789, the fundamental disagreement over voting procedures (by order or by head) quickly emerged. The Third Estate, representing the commoners, demanded voting by head, which would give them a numerical advantage, reflecting the vast majority of the French population they represented. The First and Second Estates largely favored voting by order to maintain their dominance.
• Formation of the National Assembly: On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate, frustrated by the deadlock and realizing the aristocracy's intent to preserve their privileges, declared itself the National Assembly. This revolutionary act, solidified by the Tennis Court Oath (June 20, 1789), marked a decisive break from the old order and the assertion of popular sovereignty over aristocratic and royal authority.
• Popular Uprisings: The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and the subsequent "Great Fear" in the countryside, where peasants attacked feudal estates, demonstrated that the revolution had moved beyond the control of the aristocracy. These popular movements forced the National Assembly to abolish feudal privileges and aristocratic rights on August 4, 1789.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): This landmark document, adopted in August 1789, enshrined principles of equality before the law, liberty, and property rights, directly challenging the foundations of aristocratic privilege and hereditary rule.

Thus, while the aristocracy inadvertently initiated the revolution by resisting royal reforms, their attempts to secure their own privileges were quickly overtaken by the more radical demands of the Third Estate and popular movements, leading to the rapid dismantling of the very system they sought to preserve.