THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE OLD ORDER IN FRANCE

By Chris Anderson

Randolph-Henry High School

Introduction France will reach its height during the

same time as the American Revolution France was very rich and powerful Although a rich nation, most of the people

of France were not rich--instead, the people had very few rights

the people of France saw how the American colonists were able to gain their independence and yearned for a change in France

French Society Divided

France’s class system allowed for lots of inequality among the people

there were three estates--classes--in French society:First Estate--Catholic

ClergySecond Estate--NobilityThird Estate--97% of all

French people

Third Estate people had very few rights and were envious of the 1st and 2nd Estates

the 3rd Estate was the only class required to pay taxes

3rd Estate people did not share the same rights as the 1st or 2nd

First Estate This was constructed

of the Roman Catholic clergy

this Estate was comprised of only 1% of the French population

2 groups existed in the 1st Estate-- higher clergy--bishops,

abbots lower clergy--parish

priests

High Clergy these controlled 5-

10% of all French land they collected a tithe

from each church member

Low Clergy poorer clergy socially part of the 3rd

estate

Second Estate

Formed by the French nobility only about 2% of the French population these members owned about 25% of the

land in France held high government positions usually they were rich--their main

income coming from feudal dues paid to them by peasant farmers

Third Estate The 3rd Estate was the

largest social group in France

Although the largest group and the only group that paid taxes, they had no voice in government

peasants, artisans, middle class (bourgeoisie)

very few political rights members of the

bourgeoisie lived in cities and towns

bourgeoisie were usually educated

Poor artisans and workers also lived in cities

made little money in very bad jobs

many lived in the Paris slums

peasants lived outside the cities in rural areas peasants owned 40% of

the land but were still very poor

paid heavy taxes they will eventually call

for social equality

Growing Unrest The people of the 3rd

Estate will be unhappy and want change

as the cost of living , the peasants’ anger also

peasants were also being over-charge for the use of mills and wine presses

artisans were experiencing high prices but no change in wages--inflation

The bourgeoisie were also unhappy along with some nobles

the nobles did not like the king’s absolute power

nobles wanted more influence in government

Louis XIV had spent a lot of money on many wars during his reign

these wars had left France with a huge debt

his grandson, Louis XV, increased the debt during his reign

these debts had left France economically weak

1774: Louis XVI becomes king of France he is only 19 years old

Louis XVI is the grandson of Louis XV

Louis XVI is married to 18-yo Marie Antoinette

Louis XVI understood the financial troubles facing France

Louis decided he must tax the clergy and nobility in order to reduce France’s debts

problem: the clergy and nobility refused to pay the taxes

Louis XV (15) Louis XVI (16)

Marie Antoinette

1786: French banks were refusing to loan $ to the government

1786: crop failures bread shortages in 1788 & 1789

the clergy and nobility refuse to help the government

Louis was forced to call the Estates-General into session to raise additional funds

Calling the Estates General When Louis XVI called the Estates-

General into session in 1789, it was the 1st time since 1614

the Estates-General was made up of people from each different estate

Louis hoped the Estates-General would levy new taxes

the nobles had different ideas

Meeting of the Estates General

The nobles wanted to:

weaken the power of the kinggain control of the government

each estate had only 1 vote in the Estates-Generalthe nobles hoped the votes of the 1st & 2nd

estates would outweigh the vote of the 3rd the 3rd estate members refused to follow

the plan set by the noblesthe 3rd estate--since it made up 97% of

France’s population--believed it should more of a right to represent France than the nobles

The 3rd estate wanted their members to have

individual votes--each delegate having a vote many nobles supported this 3rd estate’s ideas king Louis XVI did not like the 3rd estate’s idea of

having a mass meeting where each individual member gets a voteLouis wanted the different estates to meet

separately the bourgeoisie--members of the 3rd estate--ignored

the kingthese bourgeoisie were locked out of the meetingsthese bourgeoisie will demand a constitution for

France and rename themselves the National Assembly

This National Assembly gathered more

supporters they met, many times, on indoor tennis courts--

thus those who became members had to take what was called the Tennis Court Oath

members promised not to break-up until France had a constitution

the king did not want the members of the National Assembly (3rd estate) to create a constitution

Louis orders the 1st and 2nd estate to join in the National Assembly to help create a national constitution

the king also ordered troops to come to Paris

A Call to Revolt In the National Assembly, people voiced their

unhappiness over the French government most members of the 3rd estate wanted total

social equality and the end of titles other delegates wanted to copy the

constitutional monarchy present in Britain as the National Assembly was meeting, the idea

of rebellion spread throughout France because of fear, the Louis XVI began gathering

troops at Versailles French citizens reacted against this troop

movement by storming a prison--the Bastille

Fall of the Bastille The Bastille was a

prison located in Paris the French people saw

the Bastille as a symbol of the power and unfairness of the French government

July 14, 1789: a large group of French people surrounded the prison these people were out to

steal weapons to help defend the National Assembly from a possible attack

The people tried to force their way into the Bastille

eventually, the people were able to get into the prison, freeing 7 prisoners

soldiers defending the Bastille fired upon the mob of people killing 98 French citizens

some of the soldiers, too, were killed by the mob

The mob of angry people took over the Bastille a revolutionary government was set up in the city

of Paris news of what happened in Paris spread quickly in

France other areas in France erupted into violence--a

period called the Great Fear peasants in the country began to arm themselves

for protection these peasants eventually began violently

combing the country side robbing, pillaging, and destroying property, driving landlords off of the land

this was the beginning of the French Revolution