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The Collapse Of France's Three-Estate System

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Socio-economic tensions were the main reason for the collapse of royal authority in France in 1789. Although other factors such as religion, enlightenment and also short-term mistakes are often blamed for the collapse of royal authority in France in 1789.

The three-estate system was the social hierarchy in which French citizens had to live simply based on which estate they were born into. It was created with each of the three estates or the three sections in society having the power to decide on important factors within the country such as deciding on the levying of new taxes and undertaking reforms in the country
The three-estate system or the estates of the realm contained three estates, the first estate being the clergy, the second estate …show more content…

During the French Revolution, the people were trying to overthrow this system completely. This was because they had an absolute monarchy meaning that the king had complete control over both its people and the country. This started with Louis XIV who had claimed more power for the monarchy overall through a “paternal control of affairs” which would see Louis XIV as an all-powerful being that had been chosen by God. Not only that but because of the divine right of Kings, it would make Louis XIV the interpreter of the law and the fount of justice within the state of France. Louis XIV’s move to Versailles was a key turning point for the king's popularity. This was because he wanted to further separate himself from the 3rd estate and alienate the 2nd estate in the …show more content…

The Nine Years' War or the War of the League of Augsburg from 1688 to 1697 was the expansionist plans of Louis XIV. In total 1 billion livres was spent causing a disproportionate strain on the 3rd estate. To finance this war Louis XIV introduced the capitation in 1695, meaning a universal tax placed on everyone without exception. The second estate was enraged as it meant they were no longer exempt from paying taxes. This also saw a major increase in the sale of venal office holders which further angered the second estate. The 3rd was also angered as it created more of a financial burden on top of them as they also had to pay other taxes on top of this. Within this was the Tyranny of the Bread causing many riots during the nine years war. Bread at the time was ½ of the family's budget for someone who was in the 3rd estate, so as the cost of bread increased it caused them to spend less money on other essentials they need to live. Between 1690-1730 there were 182 food riots, and then from 1760 to 1789, there were 652 riots based on food. This was because the grain yield had slowly decreased from 8:1 in the 1660s to 4:1 in the 1680s. The War of Spanish Succession further damaged the French economy and social position after King Louis XIV placed Philip of Anjou, his nephew, on the throne in Spain. This occurred from 1701 to 1714. This war led to a new

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Louis spent 30 out of 54 years at war, which took a great toll on French society economically. In the long term, the poor were burdened with high taxes, and the French debt was increased, This affected France in the long term because future monarchs such as King Louis would have to deal with the immense debt which was a starting factor in the French Revolution that would start 70 years later (Outside Information). However, King Louis XIV used the expansion of his military as a tool to grow his power. His power and image were spread abroad, and he gained more land and

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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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When he was King of France he called the Estates general into session in a new effort to raise taxes, and France staggered on the verge of bankruptcy. Louis not only left France in debt but oppressed & manipulated the people with his power. The Estate General convened in 1789, third estate representatives broke loose and declared themselves the National assembly. They drew up the declaration of the right of man and citizen (riots arose and ideas of the Declaration spread), and these actions launched the french revolution. More and more riots became violent as heads of leaders appeared on sticks waved in the air, and the people wanted a new leader whose rule would benefit them as a whole, rather than drag the nation down for their own benefit.

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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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Louis only taxed the third estate more so he could have more money since the economy was in great danger of falling. Due to the economic crash, most of the third estate suffered. they had to give up food and animals and even more money just to pay the heavy taxation (Doc G). Having to give up your property and food just so you can pay tax to one lord had to have been the breaking point for most of the Third Estate. The Political and social causes all connect to the economic depression.

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Due to the high prices of bread, many problems occurred. People that couldn’t afford for bread would die of starvation over time and there were many riots over bread. In addition to high prices on bread, King Louis XVI also raised taxes on the commoners. This made the commoners extremely upset because they were paying far more taxes than the clergy and nobility. As mentioned in document 3,“Lands held by the nobility are taxed very little.

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The French peasant community relied on bread and wheat for food. This was until “Poor harvests in 1788 and 1789 (which) sent prices of wheat and rye soaring- leaving many desperate” (566 Spielvogel) The peasants who relied so much upon wheat now had to find a new way to survive. France's debt made the government needed to higher the price. This change made the Third Estate unhappy because the Government were changing their system to hurt the Third Estate drastically, but would not change when asking the First and Second Estate to simply do more taxes.

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Taxes, which is still a commonly disagreed topic, were a major reason the people of France revolted. The members of the first estate were paying only a fraction of what the members of the third and event the second were. Arthur Young, a man who travelled through France from 1787 to 1789, made the observation that land owned by nobility and people of the upper class was taxed very little compared to the land owned by common citizens (Doc. 1). This injustice took a great toll on members of the third estate and

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In the third estate were the bourgeoisie, the urban lower class, and the peasants. These people made up 98% of the population. The people were poor and starving, and the country was in debt. Until people fought against the monarchy. The French Revolution began on May 5, 1789, when people finally had enough of being tired of having no food, high taxes, and just being miserable, so

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By 1787, France was bankrupt, and the national debt had reached an unsustainable level. In an attempt to pay off this debt, King Louis XVI drastically increased taxes. Nevertheless, the government was unable to raise sufficient funds through taxation due to the unfair system imposed by the King. The majority of the burden of taxation fell on the lower classes, while the nobility and the clergy were largely exempted. In Document 3, members of the French clergy state that “It is desirable to lessen the disadvantage under which poor country people labor in securing justice in the matter of overtaxation, on account of the considerable expense of bringing their cases to court.”

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The French Revolution was a time of political and social unrest between 1789 to 1799. Many factors contributed to the start of the French Revolution like social structure under the Old Regime, political grievances from members of the Third Estate, and overspending in the government. Since France was controlled by absolutism and divided into classes brought on by the Old Regime it allowed for clear boundaries to be established and uproar to occur because of the overwhelming disadvantages that the Third Estate had to deal with. This system divided France into three estates; the clergy who made up the First Estate, followed by the nobility in the Second Estate and everyone else was part of the Third Estate. This division of classes caused many

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Young says “the lack of bread is terrible. The price for bread has risen above people’s ability to pay” (Doc B). Most of the French belonged to the third estate and were unable to provide food for their families causing great misery and anger. This inequality of pay was a huge issue in France, but yet King Louis and the rest of the monarchy did not provide a solution. Not having a solution kept France in economic crisis which resulted to another reason why the French Revoultion were never fully

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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,

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In 1789, France was precariously balanced on the edge of chaos. King Louis XVI was ruling monarch of France. King Louis’ youth depicted him as reckless, thoughtless, and unwise. A series of bad financial and political decisions, lead to his unpopularity among the people of France. King Louis was young, distracted and misguided.

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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.

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