Chapter 6 “The French Revolution & Napoleon”Section 1 On the Eve of Revolution

Mr. BellisarioWoodridge High School

The Social Structure of the Old Regime in France was an

outdated social system from the Middle Ages…the King live a carefree life, along with the nobles and clergy while most

of the French population suffered

The First Estate – Clergy (church)• Enormous wealth & privilege• Owned 10% of French land• Collected money but paid no

taxes• Provided some social services

– Schools– Hospitals– Orphanages

• High church leaders were wealthy land owners while parish priests were poor

The Second Estate – Nobles

• Top jobs in: – Government– Army– Courts– Church

• Owned land but had money

• Feared losing privileges & freedom from paying taxes

The Third Estate – 98% of the French Population

• Bourgeoisie – middle class– Bankers, merchants, manufacturers– Officials in government

bureaucracy– Lawyers, doctors, journalists,

professors, artisans

• Rural peasants– Landowners– Tenant farmers– Day laborers

• Urban workers– Apprentices, journeymen – worked

in industry– Servants, stable hands, porters,

construction workers

Why is the 3rd Estate upset with the 1st and 2nd?

• …Because members of 3rd Estate resented privileged 2nd & 1st Estates– Wealthy bourgeoisie could buy political offices &

titles– Nobles had best jobs but hardest urban workers

got very low wages– Peasants had to pay high taxes– Nobles had the right to hunt, but peasants could

not even kill rabbits who ate their crops

Economic problems in 1789

• Financial crisis because of deficit spending – government spending more money that it takes in

• Burden of debt left by Louis XIV (14th) – 7 Years War/French & Indian

War– American Revolution– Lavish court expenses– ½ of income from taxes went

to paying interest on debt

How to solve the problem

• To solve financial crisis, the government had to– Increase taxes– Reduce expenses,

objected to by 1st & 2nd Estates

Result of Poor harvests in 1780’s

• Food prices rose• Hunger for poor

peasants & city dwellers• People rioted &

demanded bread, attacked nobles’ manor houses

Heirs of Louis XIV (14th)

• Louis XV (1715-1774) pursued pleasure & ran up debt

• Louis XVI well-meaning but weak & indecisive, chose Jacques Necker as financial director

Jacques Necker’s Suggestions

• Reduce court spending• Reform government• Abolish tariffs on trade

Pressure for reform mounted

• Powerful classes demanded king summon Estates General

• Hoped to bring king under control of nobles & guarantee own privileges

Estates General

• Louis XVI called Estates General – first meeting in 175 years

• Cahiers – notebook with grievances from the 3 Estates – Fairer taxes– Freedom of the press– Regular meetings of Estates General

Tennis Court Oath • Delegates to the Estates General

from Third Estate were elected• Lawyers, middle class officials,

& writers– Solve financial crisis & reform

• Delegates dead-locked over voting issue– Each group had one vote & 1st &

2nd estates outvoted 3rd Estate– 3rd Estate separated & called

themselves National Assembly & wanted to write own constitution

The Beginning…the Bastille

• July 14, 1789, 800 Parisians met outside Bastille prison– Demanded weapons &

gunpowder– Commander of Bastille

refused & opened fire on the crowd, killing many

– Angry crowd broke through defenses, killed commander & 5 guards, but found no weapons

– Bastille became a symbol of French Revolution