With regard to the overall excerpt, does Duc de Saint-Simon’s portrayal of Louis XIV appear admirable, critical, balanced, or analytical? You may also choose your own description. Use some passages to build your support. According to Duc de Saint-Simon Louis XIV was a person with a great mind but was more focused on a small things like “…the dress and drill of his soldiers.”
In 1789 the French Revolution began. There were three estates. The political, social and economic conditions in France affected the third estate the most. King Louis xvi was an absolute ruler. He abused his powers.
There was three groups in the third estate. The peasants formed the largest group. There was more than 80 percent of France's 26 million people. They resented the first and second estates. The French Revolution started in 1789.
Members of the third estate had enough of living in those conditions. The government refused to help them, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.
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.
The rulers had absolute power over the people, declaring themselves the representatives of God. The king wouldn’t call meetings of the Estates General. Therefore, the people ordered that “The meetings of the Estates General shall be scheduled for definite times”(Doc 3). The rulers were commonly corrupt. Louis XVI was a king who was slow-witted, sleepy, and not in the best interest of the people.
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.”
They had no opportunities to get decent jobs because this right was reserved for nobles, leaving an even smaller income for the Third Estate. Hatred against the unfair social structure and the taxes that resulted from it caused people to rebel similar to the American Revolution. The colonists of America were taxed unfairly, and their anger turned into a revolution. The American Revolution occurred prior to the French Revolution, and their act of bravery in seeking justice inspired the Third Estate’s own actions against
The role that King Louis XIV plays in Tartuffe, although not a character himself, affects the whole outcome of the play. King Louis XIV was an absolute monarch and was responsible for restoring order in society. The age of reason, 1660-1805, was a time to restore order while finding humor in those who stray away from order. King Louis was responsible for ensuring the safety and order of the country, and we come to learn that his power spreads much further than suspected. By divine right and being an offstage presence, King Louis XIV has the ability to control and assist everyone, whether it is warranted or not.
After already obtaining an uneven distribution of wealth in the nation among the three estates, the debt from the American Revolution took a toll on France’s financial stability, practically bankrupting them. Struggling from the large gap between the wealthy and the poor, it was suggested by Sieyes that the third estate, commoners (97%), were the people who made up the nation of France and that they needed to take a stand, which they did. The third estate followed Rosseau, who’s ideas were developed from Locke, on his ideas of “general will” of the nation, and that they should form a national assembly of their own since they were the nation (SMW 76). The French Revolution unfolded into three phases of constitutional monarchy, radical republicanism, and military consolidation, resulting in the issue of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, among other accomplishments. Also following the American Revolution, and the Declaration of Independence, the French used Locke’s ideas in his Second Treatise of Government as a guideline to their new constitution.
King Louis XVI was the king at the time and was an absolute ruler and gave privileges to the first and second estates. The third estate was the only state that paid taxes and it could be so overbearing they could be left with nothing while the other states lived extravagantly. When the people of France decide to take action they formed the national assembly and made a bill of rights. The bill of rights for the French Revolution outlined the goals for the end of the Revolution, which were Liberty, fraternity, equality, Property, Security, Resistance to oppression and freedom of religion. The French Revolution ended in 1799 but yet there was still war and chaos in France.
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.
“The Third Estate, the commoners of society, constituted the overwhelming majority of the French population. They were divided by vast differences in occupation, level of education, and wealth. The peasants, who alone constituted 75 to 80 percent of the total population, were by far the largest segment of the Third Estate (568).” These peasants had just about enough with the king and the
During the Eighteenth Century, France had an absolute monarchy with Louis XVI as king and Marie Antoinette as queen. In that time period, French society was based upon a system of Estates where the clergy made up the First Estate; the nobility comprised the Second Estate, and everyone else including professionals, peasants, and the bourgeoisie made up the Third Estate. The Third Estate was immensely unhappy with the old regime, the Estates General, and Louis XVI’s leadership. France was also in the midst of a fiscal crisis due to the American Revolution, Louis XVI’s lavish lifestyle, the Seven Years War, and the tax exemption of the First and Second Estate. Following the surge of new ideas and impactful philosophers from the Enlightenment,
King Louis XVI, who was the ruler at the time, was a main contributor to these problems that led France to its downfall. The country had a massive lack of resources and food, which led King Louis XVI to borrow more money than he could afford, thus putting the country in immense debt. Despite the very visible crisis overthrowing the country, the king was incapable of accepting his mistakes and refused to change his ways. He maintained the unjust voting system, known as the Estates-General, and worsened the taxing system in order to pay off his debts. The people, especially those of the Third Estate, were clearly angry and dissatisfied with the state of the country, which led them seek out a movement for what was right.
