FRENCH REVOLUTION

OBJECTIVES

Y

ou will be able to…

D

escribe the political and socio-economic

structure of France prior to the revolution.

S

ummarize the causes of the French Revolution

FRENCH SOCIETY

F

rance’s society was built on a three order system; The

First Estate, the Second Estate, and the Third Estate.

F

rance in 1750 had a population of 22 million.

N

o more than 2 to 3 percent belonged to what are often

called the privileged orders- Aristocracy and the Clergy.

•T

he First estate included priests,

bishops, and anyone who was a

part of the church.

•N

umbered around 130,000

•O

wned about 10 percent of the

land, collected tithes, and paid

no direct taxes to the state.

FIRST ESTATE- CLERGY

FIRST ESTATE

P

rovided some social services- Ran schools, hospitals, and

orphanages.

U

pper ranks of the first estate almost came exclusively

from the nobility.

M

iddle and lower ranks came from Bourgeoisie and the

peasantry.

H

ereditary Nobility

N

umbered around 300,000

C

ourt aristocracy claimed the

position of being the elite of

elites, just below the royal

family.

SECOND ESTATE- NOBILITY

SECOND ESTATE

D

uring feudalism, Nobles defended their land from foreign invaders. In

the 1600s, Richelieu and Louis XIV had centralized France and took

away their military might.

W

ere given top jobs in government, the army, the courts, and the Church.

N

obles received a royal pension, while enjoying life at Versailles, where

they spent there time with pleasures.

•O

nly the notables of the

aristocracy lived at court, most

of the lesser nobles remained

on their estates.

•T

he Nobles made sure to stand

up for their privileges, which

included exemption from taxes.

SECOND ESTATE

R

emaining 97-98 percent of

Frenchmen were the Third

Estate.

C

onsisted of the Bourgeoisie,

peasant workers, and urban

workers.

B

ourgeoisie- the “middle class”

THIRD ESTATE

THE BOURGEOISIE

I

ndustrial/Commercial

F

inanciers

B

ureaucrats

S

hopkeepers

A

rtisans

G

oal of the Bourgeoisie- Gain social status to increases special privilege. To “live nobly” like the

aristocracy.

3RD ESTATE

T

here were opportunities to rise available to the ambitious.

B

ourgeoisie could:

B

uy offices that gave you noble status

M

arry daughter to an aristocrat

P

urchase of minor middle-rank church post

O

pportunities in the past had been enough to keep the bourgeoisie satisfied with the system.

M

ost peasants were tenants, sharecroppers,

or day laborers on estates owned by the

privileged orders or the bourgeoisie.

W

ell off peasants-

O

wned of at least a bit of land

H

ad a herd of stock

W

ere able to hire field hands

PEASANTS

POOR PEASANTS

T

he peasants with less money lived at a basic subsistence level.

T

hey would often supplement their own crops with working part-

time on a large estate, or taking employment in the rural textile

industry.

T

he life of the poor French peasant often included mud-floored

huts, ragged clothing, undernourishment, and frequent famine.

URBAN WORKER

M

ost urban workers were skilled artisans or handicraftsmen who worked in small shops.

S

ome were able to cross the line into bourgeoisie by opening up their own shops.

O

n the bottom of the urban worker class, were men in the category of unskilled labor.

M

any urban workers relied on charity in times of economic stress.

E

arly in 1790, one Parisian in five receiving some kind of relief, either public or private.

•D

eficit Spending- Spending more

money then a government takes in

•T

he Burden of Debt- War debts-

Seven Years’ War and the

American Revolution

•1

789- half of tax income went just

to pay interest on it’s debt.

ECONOMIC TROUBLE

OPTIONS

T

hey can either increase taxes, reduce

expenses, or both.

N

obles and Clergy resisted an end to their

exemption.

POOR HARVESTS P

oor harvests in 1787 and 1788 produced effects more

rapid and severe then in previous year.

G

rain prices doubled in a year; textile production was

reduced by half; a wave of bankruptcies occurred;

unemployment among wage earners reached 50

percent.

P

eople found it easy to blame the government.

1

715-1774- Louis XV- did not seriously consider

reform; put pleasure before business.

L

ouis XVI- Weak and indecisive

L

ouis placed Jacques Necker as his main

financial adviser.

N

ecker proposed- Urged to reduce court

spending, reform government, abolishing

internal tariffs, and taxing the first and second

estates.

FAILURES OF REFORM

•F

irst and Second estates forced

Louis XVI to dismiss Necker.

•T

he First and Second estates

demanded that the king summon

the Estates General, which had not

been summoned in 175 years.

•E

states General- meeting of the

three estates run by the king

REACTION

CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION… E

conomic troubles enhanced by corrupt and incompetent government:

N

o taxation of the upper two classes

F

ood shortages

D

eficient spending

P

aying off war debts

P

oor harvests