Assignment 06.05

Before the revolution, France’s society was divided into three classes:

• First Estate: the clergy (high ranking officials such as priests) and the wealthy

• Second Estate: the nobility

• The Third Estate: everyone else (more than 95% of the population)

Financial Ruin

France was in serious debt because of:France was in serious debt because of:• Nobility overspent moneyNobility overspent money• Drought damaged the harvestDrought damaged the harvest• Debt from wars Debt from wars

Louis XVI needed to raise taxes, so he Louis XVI needed to raise taxes, so he called for a meeting of the Estates called for a meeting of the Estates General.General.

• The Estates General represented the Three Estates the three social estates of France.

• The First and Second Estates (clergy, wealthy and nobility) did not have to pay taxes.

• The Third Estate (everyone else) had little power.

• The Second Estate wanted a new constitution.• The Third Estate wanted all three assemblies to

meet together.• The parliament ruled in favor of the Second

Estate & ordered the Estates to meet separately and vote by order.

Estates-General

• Frustrated, the Third Estate Frustrated, the Third Estate declared themselves as the declared themselves as the National Assembly on June National Assembly on June 17, 178917, 1789

Tennis Court OathTennis Court Oath• The Nat’l Assembly swore “never to

separate, and to meet wherever circumstances demand, until the constitution of the kingdom is established and affirmed on solid foundations.”

• The King eventually ordered the First and Second Estates to join the National Assembly.

• The King rejected the National Assembly

• This led to the National Assembly meeting on June 20, 1789 in a tennis court at Versailles. There, they took an oath.