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Estates General: Key Cause Of The French Revolution

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Estates General The third estate was the key reason the French Revolution began due to the fact the it was unfairly treated in the government by the voting and taxing rules. There are three groups in the Estates General. The first estate, which was made up of the Roman Catholic clergy. The second estate was the nobility or the privileged minorities. The third estate was everyone else in the French kingdom, which was about 97% of the population. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the French monarchy had great power, and the Estates General did not meet between 1614 and 1789. After the long time, it is not a shock that the decision to assemble them in august 1788 is similar to a snake in the grass. Louis XVI …show more content…

The peasants, already burdened by the food shortages, were increasingly aware of the injustice of the feudal system, where by the nobles enriched themselves through the toil and taxes of the commoner. At the 1789 meeting, a major problem arose regarding the organization of the Estates General. The nobility demanded a one vote per estate system, which meant that the third estate would outvoted by the combined forces of the aristocats. First and second estates, though as many in number as the first and second estates combined, the third estate could not exercise its majority under the voting rules. “Conflict quickly arose between the nobility and the third estate, which seceded from the Estates General on June 17, 1789 to form a new body, the French National Assembly” (“Estates-General”). Gathering at a close by tennis court, the National Assembly members swore the Tennis Court Oath to continue to meet until they had given France a constitution. Under ascending pressure, Louis XVI instructed the First and Second Estates to meet with the National Assembly and let voting to take place by head count rather than by estate. “Meanwhile, rumors were growing about an aristocratic conspiracy to overthrow the Third Estate, and as troops gathered around Paris, mobs broke into buildings looking for weapons during a three-day frenzy. On July 14, the uprising culminated in the storming of the Bastille, the armory-prison that had become a symbol of the tyranny of the ancien régime. After taking over the building, the mob massacred the staff and freed the prisoners” ("French Revolution"). The attack on the Bastille, a royal armory and prison, on July 14, 1789 marked the beginning of the French

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The estate system in general also added to the beginning of the French Revolution. There was extreme inequality between the three estates, and it was clear that the third estate was treated the worst. Doc 7 shows the first and second estate literally

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Economically, heavy taxes fell on the three estates. Firstly, France endured social imbalance during the French Revolution. Many people during this time were very poor and there was an increased bread price on the people of the third estate (Doc 1). Representing the fact that the third estate were treated unfairly then

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The third estate was determined to stop  the unfair taxing  of the lower class.   They saw this as unfair because the third  estate was known as the poorest of the estates.   

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After many years of unhappiness with the monarchy, the French citizens started a rebellion. This rebellion, called the French Revolution, had several causes, most of which related to a society that favored the rich. The quality of life for members of the third estate in France was very low. Those who were poor were very poor.

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This document demonstrates the ideological nature of the Estates during the French Revolution. The Third Estate’s members aimed to overthrow the current social and political system and were driven by ideological beliefs. The document highlights the need for justice and equality by outlining a number of complaints against the advantages held by the nobility and clergy. It emphasizes the need for a more fair society by demanding the end of feudal rights and privileges. This source reveals the Third Estate’s complaints were based on more expensive ideological ideas of justice and equality, indicating their dedication to revolutionary principles.

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Lands held by the commoners are taxed very heavily” (Arthur Young). The King and Queen were seen as the “Two-Headed Monster” which is illustrated in document 2. The common people were getting fed up with the reckless spending and weak leadership that the King had shown them. They were at the tip of their anger and when the Third Estate Gad been locked out of their meeting room it pushed them over the edge. They shortly after Stormed the Bastille, the Bastille was a Paris prison that housed most of the country’s gunpowder.

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The third estate, which makes up 98% of the population, is unhappy with the dramatic advantages that the first 2 estates receive. Getting rid of nobility helps all citizens have equal opportunity. Doc B “Jan 21,1793 Trial, conviction, and execution of Louis XVI for treason“. The execution of King Louis not only served as a symbol, but also showed that the French population want a honest leader in a democratic nation. “ February 1794, All slavery abolished in French colonies.”

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The French Revolution was a transformative period inspired by the American Revolution that prompted a chaotic era in pursuit of equality and freedom. Although these beliefs greatly motivated the Third Estate, this uprising could not have occurred immediately. As the Third Estate grew increasingly discontent, they demanded liberation from their inferior social statuses because of the suffering it subjected them to (Doc 1, Doc 3, Doc 8). However, the powerful First and Second Estates refused to relinquish control and the luxurious lives that came with it (Doc 2, Doc 7). Unsatisfaction aroused as result of oppressive taxes, financially depressing and starved lives people lead, and the lack governmental representation the Third Estate endured

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It marked the day when French lower-class citizens and commoners would join the revolution. On July 14th, 1789 a crowd of roughly 800 angry citizens stormed the prison located in Paris. After successfully entering the prison the mob freed seven prisoners and took advantage of the recently received gunpowder to arm themselves. The Bastille was also seen as a symbol of the monarchy’s dictatorship, taking it down symbolized the beginning downfall of the monarchy. The fall of the Bastille caused The Great Fear, a period where the monarchy and nobility would start to fear the outcome of a soon-to-be revolution.

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In 1789 the majority of the population of France lived a corrupt and unfair environment. The third estate was night eight percent of the population

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The Three Estate System was the splitting of the citizens based on their class in society. There was the Clergy (church), the Nobility (nobles) who make up the first and second estate, and the commoners as the third estate. It was unfair that the Clergy and Nobility had only made up 2% of the country’s population but, had 35% of the land; special privileges were given by King Louis XVI gave special privileges to them. These privileges were that the Clergy and Nobility didn’t pay taxes and got to wear special clothing in public. The Third Estate, especially the Bourgeoisie, made up 98% of the French population were irritated with King Louis XVI because they had no special privileges, they paid 50% income tax, and had only 65% of land for 98% of the population.

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In addition, drought and bad harvests for many years had led to food shortages and many poor people were starving while the wealthy continued to live extravagant and wasteful lives. When Marie-Antoinette was told that the peasants had no bread she said “let them eat cake” which showed that she didn’t care about them at all. Ordinary people became increasingly fed up with the inequality between the classes. On 14 July 1789, an angry mob of French peasants broke into the Bastille Prison and freed the prisoners and collected all the stored weapons and gunpowder. This building was symbolic as it was a place where many people had been imprisoned over the years by the Royal Family.

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