A quick look at the conditions in France in 1789 shows many similarities between France before the first revolution and USA today. There were 3 main factors which defined the socio-economic conditions in pre-revolution France: rising prices of food, bankruptcy due to wars and opposition to financial reforms. An excerpt from wikipedia (provided at the bottom of this post) gives s detailed description of each of these factors.
Rising Prices of Food
Food was one of the most common necessities in 18th century France. Rising food prices put the general population of France in a lot of distress and also caused widespread hunger in the lower echelons of French society. This is often seen the one of the main driving forces of the French revolution.
The current situation in America is not as bad as it was in France. A large portion of Americans find themselves unemployed and unable to find feed themselves and their family without help from the government. This help exists in the form of unemployment benefits and food stamps and has decreased the amount of dissent that would normally be caused by hunger. However, this program has come under fire recently as Republicans in the House and the Senate threatened to let these benefits expire unless the inheritance tax on properties was decreased. President Obama was eventually forced to agree to a decrease in inheritance tax in order to maintain unemployment benefits and save a signification portion of the population from starvation. If these benefits stop existing, it would lead to widespread hunger and discontent, resulting in a situation similar to pre-revolution France.
Another important point to note here is the rising price of gasoline today. The rise in gasoline prices leads to an increase in transportation costs for all goods and thus an increase in the price of all goods, including food. One major difference between France in the 18th century and USA in the 21st century is our dependence on gasoline. An average American uses 3-5 gallons of gasoline per day commuting to and from their workplace (this number would be lower for those who use energy-efficient cars). Due to an under-developed public transportation system, long commutes and our dependence on gasoline for transportation, gasoline has become a important necessity, just like food. Thus, the effect of rising gasoline prices today is similar to the rising prices of food in 18th century France.
A drastic increase in the price of gasoline or a sudden loss of benefits leading to widespread starvation would create a political environment similar to the one during pre-revolution France.
The following excerpt was taken from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_revolution#Causes):
"
Adherents of most historical models identify many of the same features of the Ancien Régime as being among the causes of the Revolution. Economic factors included hunger and malnutrition in the most destitute segments of the population, due to rising bread prices (from a normal 8 sous for a four-pound loaf to 12 sous by the end of 1789),[3] after several years of poor grain harvests. Bad harvests (caused in part by extreme weather from El Niñoalong with volcanic activity at Laki and Grímsvötn in 1783–1784), rising food prices, and an inadequate transportation system that hindered the shipment of bulk foods from rural areas to large population centers contributed greatly to the destabilization of French society in the years leading up to the Revolution.Another cause was the state's effective bankruptcy due to the enormous cost of previous wars, particularly the financial strain caused by French participation in the American Revolutionary War. The national debt amounted to some 1,000–2,000 million[citation needed] livres. The social burdens caused by war included the huge war debt, made worse by the loss of France's colonial possessions in North America and the growing commercial dominance of Great Britain. France's inefficient and antiquated financial system was unable to manage the national debt, something which was both partially caused and exacerbated by the burden of an inadequate system of taxation. To obtain new money to head off default on the government's loans, the king called an Assembly of Notables in 1787.
Meanwhile, the royal court at Versailles was seen as being isolated from, and indifferent to, the hardships of the lower classes. While in theory King Louis XVI was an absolute monarch, in practice he was often indecisive and known to back down when faced with strong opposition. While he did reduce government expenditures, opponents in the parlements successfully thwarted his attempts at enacting much needed reforms. Those who were opposed to Louis' policies further undermined royal authority by distributing pamphlets (often reporting false or exaggerated information) that criticized the government and its officials, stirring up public opinion against the monarchy.[4]"
