The French RevolutionThe French Revolution French society changed little since medieval times FEUDALISM Laws gave clergy and wealthy landowners special status
France’s Three EstatesFrance’s Three Estates Status groups = estates France had Three Estates 1 st Estate —clergy 130,000 out of 27 million 10% of land Wide divisions Cardinals, bishops, heads of monasteries came from noble families Parish priests came from commoners
France’s Three Estates (con’t) 2 nd Estate —nobles 350,000/27 million 25-30% of land Controlled gov’t, military, courts, and influenced Church 3 rd Estate —everyone else Included everyone from wealthy merchants to peasants Despite controlling the wealth, the First and Second Estates didn’t have to pay the tallie (France’s main tax)
Third EstateThird Estate Contained the largest range of people Occupation, education, and wealth 75-80% were peasants and owned 35% of the land. Middle class owned the rest ½ of all peasants had little or no land to live on Peasants had to pay a fee to nobles Based off old feudal ideas Craftspeople, shopkeepers, workers—price of goods increased faster than wages
Bourgeoisie Middle class 8% of pop/2.3 million Merchants, bankers, industrialists, lawyers, public officials, doctors, writers Some bourgeoisie managed to become nobles 6500 new nobles during 1700s
Nobles and bourgeoisieNobles and bourgeoisie Nobles and bourgeoisie both drawn to Enlightenment ideas and didn’t like monarchial system resting on privileges and old rigid social order Monarch: Louis XVI
Financial CrisisFinancial Crisis 1787—bad harvests 1788—slow down in manufacturing Food shortages Rising food prices Unemployment French king and ministers spent a lot of money on court luxuries Marie Antoinette (Queen)—known for extravagance Money spent to help Am Rev
Financial CrisisFinancial Crisis Louis XVI was forced to call a meeting of the Estates- General to deal with the financial crisis Meeting of reps from the 3 Estates Called in order to discuss raising taxes