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The Old Regime: The Dawn Of The French Revolution

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The Old Order During the 1770's the Old Regime was still in place. The Privileged Estates Two of the three estates were privileged consisting of Church Clergy and rich nobles They only consisted of about 2% of the population. These people paid almost no taxes and had Enlightenment ideas because they threatened their status. The Third Estate The other 97% of government were in the Third Estate which was a group composed of 3 smaller groups. The first group was the middle class which had bankers, factory owners, merchants. This group strongly believed in Enlightenment ideas. The workers in the cities formed the 2nd poorest group. They were traders, laborers and servants. They were paid almost nothing and were often out of work. The final group …show more content…

Despite the outward appearance of expansion, the heavy taxation made it difficult to make money from business in France. Also, bad weather lead to crop shortages and prices soared, forcing many people to face starvation. The extravagant spending of Louis XVI and the war debts against Britain caused a serious problem. The government’s debt became too heavy and the bankers refused to lend any more money. A Weak Leader With strong leadership, the France government could have kept control. However, Louis XVI’s indecisive actions made the system worse as he began taxing the upper classes. Dawn of the Revolution The upper classes started a “Estates-General”, an assembly of representatives from all the estates. (in Versailles)They would meet and vote. However, the 2 privileged estates often outvoted the lower estate. The National Assembly The 3rd estate voted for a National Assembly, which would pass laws and reforms for the French people. Soon, these delegates were locked out of their room. The found a tennis court and pledged to create a new constitution. This pledge was the “Tennis Court Oath”. Soon, nobles and other clergy who favored reform joined them. This caused Louis to call his mercenary of Swiss guards around the city of

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The high taxes, high prices on goods, and unequal distribution of wealth in France were reasons why the French Revolution started. There were three estates in France; the first estate was the clergy, the second estate were the nobles, and the third estate was made up of of three groups; average French workers, Bourgeoisie, and peasants. The French Revolution led to many wars; Louis XVI was a very weak leader, and he was executed. Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor, and the revolution came to an end. The main causes of the French Revolution were the difficult life of the peasants; the issues between the three estates; and the unfairness of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

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Shortly after the Seven Year War ended, King Louis agreed to help the American colonists in the American War. That sent the country into over 240 million Euros in debt. (Doc E) France was in an economic depression and Louis only spent more. The third estate struggled to feed their family for the price of bread skyrocketed. On top of that, the taxation system was corrupt.

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He had poor leadership skills and that was what led to many of the causes of the French Revolution as well as the effects. Long story short, it all began with the three social class system. France was divided into the three social estates. The first estate was the clergy, then the nobility, and the lowest estate, the commoners, also known as the peasants and bourgeoisies. For instance, in document 4, it shows a picture of the clergy and nobility standing on a rock with a bourgeoisie under it.

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The three estates were unequally balanced. As shown in Document 2, the Third Estate was 97 percent of the people. The third estate dealt with the most hardships because they were not wealthy and had little say in government. The other two estates were happy with the government because they had everything good for them. The first and second estates payed little to no taxes, collected dues, and held the highest position in the army and government.

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Before the revolution, the third estate got taxed the most and barely had any rights, while the first and second estate barely got taxed, and had majority of the rights. “Pre Revolutionary Causes Source C: The Third Estate of Carcassonne, list of grievances from the Third Estate, Cahiers de Doléances (excerpts), 1789” However, after the the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. That all changed.

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Not only was the third estate the only taxed they were severely taxed. The third estate made up ninety eight percent of the population yet they only owned sixty five percent of land, also the commoners paid one hundred percent of taxes while nobles and clergy collected them (Doc. 2). Peasants

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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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In a diagram from 1789, it shows that the First and Second Estates made up only a small percentage of the population, yet they owned ten times that amount in land, and paid no taxes. Meanwhile, the majority of the population, made up by the Third Estate, were taxed profusely and owned little land in comparison (Doc 2). The inequality between the estates and the extent to which the Third Estate was abused because of their social status was clear . This is portrayed in an illustration where the Third Estate was trampled by the taxes forced upon them by their social superiors (Doc 7). They were in no state to pay taxes or tithes to the church, and this mandatory tariff left little money for their own needs.

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The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform.

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Each estate only can cast one vote, which meant that the First and Second estate could always outvote the Third estate. This then caused the Third estate to get frustrated because they could never win a vote. So the Third estate thought it would be a good idea to come up with their own National Assembly. Third estate moved to an indoor tennis court where then the “Tennis Court Oath” took place which meant that they would stay there until a new constitution was to be

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During this time there was a law of “1 estate 1 vote” which made the Third Estate votes meant nothing as the 1st and 2nd worked together to get many laws passed without regard for about 97% of their population, this is something that also helped aid the Revolution. In 1789, Jacques Antoine Creuzé-Latouche, a French lawyer, wrote about their account of the king’s reform proposals presented to the Estates General, stating that some new laws/rights of these arrangements which favored the clergy and the nobility and were greeted by them with cries of “Long live the king!” while there was unbroken silence and no response from the deputies of the Third Estate (Document 4). This shows the imbalance of power, the 1st and 2nd Estates were able to overrule the majority of the population easily as long as they agreed. Most of the laws made and passed affected the Third Estate more than anyone and they had no choice in the matter.

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The writings, philosophies, and theoretical debates among the educated and aristocrats may have small provoking influences but it is the disruption of the individual?s livelihood that is the required source. A publication will create vigorous discussion and debate but take away a bread maker?s ability to bake, destroy the churches and remove religious rights, or force communities into starvation and that is the true trigger of a revolution. In my reflection I would further suggest that had the leadership in France been more fiscally responsible and more responsive to the outcries of the people, the revolution may never have occurred. Many historians believe the revolutionaries wanted to work harmoniously with Louis XVI and were apposed to violent upheavals.[footnoteRef:5] The month of October 1789 may have been one of the most devastating errors in leadership ever committed by a political figure.

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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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This completely challenged Frances current system of an absolute monarchy. France also suffered through several years of poor harvests further increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The years before the French Revolution would trouble both financially and socially, influenced by many more factors than the decisions of King Louis

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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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