The Origins of the French Revolution—Popular Misery, Social Ambitions, or Philosophical Ideas? Random House Historical Issues Series 15 Edited by Brian Tierney, Donald Kagan L. Pearce Williams Cornell University The great cataclysm of modern European history was the French Revolution. Neither Europe nor the rest of the world was ever to be the same again. It is not surprising, considering the scope and importance of the French Revolution, that interpretations of its origins have been so various. Furthermore, it is not a mere academic debate—the history of Europe and the world since 1789 has been one of almost constant revolution; therefore, any insight into the origins of the French Revolution can offer guidelines to the understanding of contemporary revolutions. Basically, the question comes down to the reasons for men taking revolutionary action against established governments. Is it because they are starving and without hope? Is it because they find their ambitions thwarted by an Establishment? Is it because new theories of man and the state reveal their governments to be hopelessly out of date? Or is it some combination of all these motives?