The French Revolution was a period of radical social and political unrest in France from 1789 to 1799 that greatly influenced French and modern history, marking the steady decline of powerful monarchies and the rise of democracy and nationalism. The trigger for the revolution was the autocratic rule of King Louis XVI. With absolute power over the people, the king could make all laws, appoint government officials, make war on whomever he wanted, and imprison whomever he wished. As a result, the majority of citizens remained dissatisfied and disillusioned with the state and the problems that came with it, which later helped bring about the revolution. The French Revolution has been attributed to a number of factors identified and discussed below. First of all, the poor state of the economy. The financial mismanagement of the French economy was evident in the waste of money that contributed to dangerously high levels of national debt. The debt had been accumulated in previous years through Louis XVI's excessive spending on luxury goods, including the Palace of Versailles. ?? Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, spent incredible sums of money from the treasury on luxuries such as jewellery, clothes, city trips and gambling which further increased the debt. Marie Antoinette was nicknamed Madame Deficit because of her extravagance and insensitivity towards people. The enormous debt was further amplified by the financing of wars such as the failed Seven Years' War against Great Britain (1756-1763), as well as by the financing of Americans in the War of Independence. The unjust and irrational structure of the tax system also contributed to the bad state of the economy... means of paper... to influence the people and lead to revolution through the diffusion of the writings of philosophers. The spread of their ideas brought about a change in the minds not only of the French people but also of other countries. The economic and social problems in France as well as the ideals of the Enlightenment were the main triggers of the French Revolution. The hardships suffered by most people belonging to the third estate due to economic collapse and social inequality led to discontent with the monarchy, church and nobility. The spread of Enlightenment ideals challenged the authority of the monarchy and changed the way people viewed government. These factors further fueled the anger and frustration of the majority towards the situation which led to the riots and subsequently the revolution..