The French Revolution lasted from 1789-1799. It happened in France and it was between the Bourgeosie and the Aristocracy.
Opposing Sides
There was the Bourgeoisie, who led the peasants, and the aristocracy, who controlled the government. The Borugeoisie wanted enlightened reforms-a costitution, stake-in-society voting, elected parliament, etc. The aristocracy wanted things to stay the way they were, for they were living well! The peasants, though, were uhappy because they were being taxed by the ruling of their classes of nobility, clergy, and bourgeoisie. In addition to being taxed, the high prices of food made many people revolt against the ruling of class (aristocracy). So in comparison to the Civil War, the Bourgeoisie would be similar to the Confederates, while the aristocracy would be similar to the Union (The side who controls the government)
No Compromise
During the French Revolution, the society was separated into different social classes. This concept was called the Estates of the Realm. The Three Estates of the Realms were broad social orders that were recognized in the Middle Ages. They consisted of three classes- The First Estate;made up of clergymen, The Second Estate;the French nobility and royalty, and The Third Estate;everybody else. Now lets start with the First Estate, the clergymen. During the French Revolution the clergy was in charge of censoring books, keeping track of the births and deaths, and served as the moral police. They were separated into two groups, the lower and higher clergymen. They owned about 10% of the land in France, and they did not have to pay taxes. Next is the Second Estate, the noblemen. The noblemen held the highest position in church, in court, and in government. They owned between 20 and 30% of the land, but only consisted of 1.5% of the population of France. The noblemen were also exempt from paying taxes. Last (and least) is the Third Estate. This estate takes up 98% of Frances population, and is separated into 3 different groups: The Bourgeoisie, The Sans-Cullotes, and everyone else. The Bourgeoisie is the middle class of France but they don't have any power, privilege or status. They were blocked by the aristocracy and monarchy who wanted everyone to maintain the same social status they were born in. The Sans-Cullotes were Urban workers and artisans who suffered the most when food prices rose but their pay did not. They were also known as the radical revolutionaries and helped drive events through violence. The ones that were left (everyone else) were the poorest of them all. They struggled just to stay alive and were very suppressed. Now that you know about the social classes, you can see that each of them were so diverse, and the ones that were living well only cared about suiting themselves, therefore attempting to resolving conflict was out of the question.
Stepping Stones
Historians agree that the French Revolution was a watershed event that irrevocably changed Europe, following in the footsteps of the American Revolution which had occurred just a decade before. The causes of the Revolution though, are hard to pin down, but based on historical evidence, an argument could be made regarding any number of possibilities. A number of wars had taken place in the 40 years leading up to the Revolution, and France had participated in a large number of them. These wars were quite costly. The costs of waging war, supporting allies, and maintaining the French army quickly depleted a French bank that was already weakened by royal extravagance. Speaking of royalty, by this time, people were questioning King Louis XVI's power. The idea that he had been hand picked by God was questionable to the society. Ultimately, these problems were not as much an immediate cause as the French Class System.
A Change in the Weather
At the beginning of the French Revolution, France was an absolute Monarchy under King Louis XVI. Because of budget problems he called the Estates General, which lead to the Tennis Court Oath in which the 3rd Estate proclaimed they would no longer accept the "one estate, one vote" system. At this point, France became a Constitutional Monarchy with Louis XVI remaining the King. However, he was caputured by revolutionaries. He was charged with treason and forcibly removed from the throne and his son was not allowed to succeed him. This created the first French Republic lead by Maxamillian Robespierre. Under him, most of France's nobility was executed including Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette. After that, the executions mived onto Robespierre's political opponents and the period became known as the Terror, which lasted until ultimately, Robespierre himself went to the guillitoine. After his death, France retained a Republic government under the leadership of what is known as the "Directory".