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Book Review on the French Revolution and the People Essay

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For my report I read The French Revolution and the People by David Andress to learn what were the reasons causing the French Revolutionary War. The main thesis of the book is the known problems and reactions which affected the events and outcomes of the revolution in every stage, now everyone in France was affected by the revolution. I agree with the author’s thesis on many different levels. Since the multiple troubles the people had at that time did not originate just then but decades before. As well with constant economic pressure of all the upper classes upon them only worsened the situation. Since all the troubles and problems of the poor were never looked after, now everyone in France gets a taste of the revolution. First, …show more content…

The churches collect tithes and since the right to collect tithes was owned by both the lay landowners and seigneurs (similar to mayors) the tithes were mostly mandatory. Although the tithe was to pay for the church’s services you still would be charged for weddings, baptisms, and funerals. In some cases the clerics and the religious instructions to be both landowners and seigneurs, in turn being able to claim rents and feudal dues from large numbers of peasants. Second, how seigneurialism did not get rid of feudalism but only changed it for the seigneurs to get more power. Over time it shifted from feudalism to more of a financial relationship since the lords wanted more money and they couldn’t tax serfs who didn’t get paid. The seigneurs had many rights such over extensive land, an annual rent, a share of harvest; fee if land has changed hands or inherited would be paid by past serfs. They also had rights over the game in their land forbidding peasants from killing anything without privilege, as well as the right to ride over peasant’s crops during the pursuit of the game. Also more rights are honorary pews in the front of the church and the weathercock on top of manor house. The seigneurs also had the right to dispense justice so many tens of thousands of seigneurial courts were apart of villages. Also, another problem that occurred during that time was a drought. France ran into a few climatic problems in 1785 which lead a drought a major

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