The Estate System Prior To The French Revolution

Nobody wants to be mis-treated based on something they can’t control which is exactly what the Estate system had caused a large amount of France's population to undergo. The Estate System, created by the government, had a significant impact on the well-being of different French citizens. The French Revolution was a period in time where changes in political power led to great fear and violence in France. Prior to the French Revolution, the entire French Population was divided into three groups based on wealth and occupation. This division was called the Estate System. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy, the Second consisted of the Nobles, and the Third held the remainder of the population. These positions determined the overall well-being

They had little to no privileges regarding freedom and power. For example, the Third Estate had no control over the unfair taxes being forced upon them: “The [nobles had the] enjoyment of freedom” (ON THE ESTATES AND CASTES). This evidence not only demonstrates how the commoners did not have freedom, but how the First and Second Estates did. Another example of the Third Estate being mis-treated is the Estates General, a meeting held by King Louis XVI. This one in particular was called for all Estates to attend. The Third Estate having double the representatives than the First and Second Estates, caused them to believe they had the advantage of winning arguments with their larger number of votes. This was not the case when the voting system was announced. Each Estate would only get one vote instead of each individual getting their own vote. This caused the Third Estate to get angry and they stormed out of the meeting. Instead of the Estates compromising about the new voting system, when the next meeting came around, the Third Estate was locked out of the meeting and forced to work on their own. This demonstrates how the Third Estate was mistreated when it came to agreements and discussions. They should have been given the opportunity to defend themselves about the voting system. Although the Estate’s had very different lifestyles prior to the

For example, once the French Revolution began, the whole Estates system basically dissolved and did not define anyone's ability to suceed. Given that the Third Estate had little to no power prior to the French Revolution, it is evident that their lives had been impacted the most. They were able to branch off on their own and take on the responsibility of creating their own constitution and laws for themselves. Rebelling against the First and Second Estates also gave them a lot of power over all French