Final answer:
The idea that the French Revolution was led by upper-class citizens is incorrect; it was a complex movement with significant participation from the lower classes and middle class, brought on by poverty, famine, and demands for political reform.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'The French Revolution was led by upper-class citizens attempting to take over the government' is false. The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was primarily a movement driven by broad societal frustrations, including those of the peasants and urban poor, suffering from famine and economic hardships, as well as the middle class, who felt excluded from political power and dissatisfied with the existing social hierarchy.
After a series of poor harvests and the near-bankruptcy of the French crown, exacerbated by support for the American Revolutionary War, widespread rioting ensued. By the 1780s, resistance to monarchical authority and calls for social reform were bolstered by Enlightenment ideas of rights and liberties. The uprising sought to dismantle an outdated government system and its aristocratic privileges, culminating in the radical phase known as the Reign of Terror, during which King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed, and radical factions like the Jacobins took control.