Four social groups brought down the French monarchy. Why? Because in 1789 each of these very different groups had compelling reasons to defy royal authority. Lefebvre, renowned as a pioneer of 'history from below,' believed that the origins of the revolution had to be sought not just in the maneuvering of the elites, but in the unpredictable actions of the common people. He argues that the revolution was the unforeseen consequence of four different social classes—the aristocracy, the bourgeoisie, the urban workers, and the French peasantry—all rising independently within a short space of time. Immediate crises merged with longstanding grievances, before spiraling into revolution.