The French Revolution, which had been inspired by the American Independence Revolution, was a revolt by the mass of the people against despotic government and the vast gap in wealth between the elite and themselves. The elite had maintained their status by using secret police, extreme force and cruel imprisonment to suppress the lower classes, until an incident inspired the storming of the Bastille prison.
But once the flood gate had opened, it couldn't be closed. The pent up frustration caused by generations of oppression welled against all authority and privilege. The cry "liberty, equality, fraternity" was inspired by the United States declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, the very land that inspired that cry has fallen victim to the disease of privilege and oppression of the masses.