Great unrest in Fr. Bad harvests High prices High taxes Enlight. ideas
Prd. prior to 1789 = Old Regime
I. The Old Regime
Absolute monarch at top Society = broken into Estates (3)
First & Second = fewest people, but most $
A. First Estate Consisted of clergy (Roman Catholic Church) <1% of pop. Privileges:
Only Church courts could try its own Did not pay taxes Owned 1/10th of all Fr. land (charged rent, taxes)
Higher clergy held most wealth Lost view of spiritual duties
Lower clergy (parish priests) performed most work for little pay
B. Second Estate
Consisted of nobility <2% of pop. Privileges:
Wear a sword Primogeniture Paid few taxes, if any Collected feudal dues from peasants Held high positions in army & govt.
C. Third Estate Rest of people About 97% of pop. Divided into 3 groups:
Bourgeoisie –middle class Laborers & artisans Peasants
Paid rent for land, the heaviest taxes, & 1/10th of income to Church
No voice in govt.
II. Growing Discontent Pop. growth Changing economic conditions
High taxes & rents (First & Second Estates) Food prices rose, but not wages
1780s = crop failures (food shortages) Third Est. resented others b/c of their wealth
Did not have to pay taxes
Blamed King Big spender (Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette) 1786: bankers cut off loans to govt.
Discontent among bourgeoisie Wanted political power Resented paying taxes Wanted to eliminate govt. interference Wanted positions in Church, army, govt.
Discontent among First & Second Estates Disliked power of King
Had lost power as King gained power
A. A Weak Leader 1774: Louis XVI became king
Wife = Marie Antoinette (“Madame Deficit”) Debt was worsening Louis sought advice…
TAX THE FIRST TWO ESTATES!!!! 1787: bankers cut off loans to govt. Estates General
Reps. from all three estates to approve tax May 15, 1789 at Versailles
III. Meeting of the Estates General
Bad times inflation, financial crisis, high food prices
Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes—sympathetic clergyman What then is the Third Estate? All. But an ‘all’ that
is fettered (chained) & oppressed. What would it be w/out the privileged? It would be all; but free & flourishing. Nothing will go well w/out the Third Estate; everything would go considerably better w/out the two others
Powers of Estates General? Originally, each estate cast one vote Third Estate reps. = bourgeoisie
Wanted “real voice” Had as many reps as other two combined Goal = popular vote
May 5, 1789: Estates General met Louis wanted to follow old custom Third Estate refused to meet
Third Estate = National Assembly June 17, 1789—became official First deliberate act of the rev. King locked them out
Met at tennis court Tennis Court Oath – CONSTITUTION!!!…never to cry to the King, and to meet quietly when
the circumstances demand, until the constitution of France is happily singing.
Three estates could meet together
IV. The Spread of Revolution
Louis brought troops to Paris & Versailles July 14, 1789: people stormed Bastille for
weapons General Lafayette – formed Nat’l Guard New French flag adopted
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