How Important Was The Third Estate In The French Revolution

During the French Revolution, there were three different social categories that separated you depending on how much money were making, and who you were. The First Estate were the clergy, or priests, the Second Estate were the nobility,and last the Third Estate were peasants. For example, there was a picture on the Do Now: The Causes of the French Revolution, that depict the difference in treatment each social group were receiving. The priests were in charge of the Church the main government, and they were rich, they had fancy clothing and lived a great life. The nobles were also rich, if you were a noble back in 1789, you were a police officer, or someone who worked in the community. The peasants were very poor due

Before the revolution France was ruled under the Ancien Regime system, meaning the country and all its people were under the reign of an absolute monarch. This was a tradition that had been upheld through the years and the Royal family had enjoyed a life funded by the people of France, the royal family’s lifestyle unaffected by the situation outside their palace. The Palace, Versailles, was built by king Louis XIV and the expenses for building this “village” was very high, and in later years the cost for its upkeep would play a significant role in Frances financial difficulties. In order for these difficulties to be overcome France needed a tax reform. The government had a very high tax rate on the poorest of their people, the Third Estate, and they were still not getting enough money to get out of their

There are very few members in the first and second estates, yet they owned the most land, while the third estate made up most of the population, yet owned very little land. “First: Clergy - 1% of the people owned 10% of the land. Second Estate: Nobles - 2% of the people owned 35% of the land. Third Estate - Middle class, peasants, city workers 97% of the people owned 55% of the land.” (Document 2) There were high prices, high taxes, and people were listening to enlightenment ideas. Louis XVI decided to tax the Second Estate. They called a meeting of the Estates-General - an assembly of representatives from all three estates. (ROI) In addition, as a political cause, the third estate had no privileges or say in the government,while both the clergy and nobles did. As mentioned before, the inequality of taxes proved another gap in the social classes. “The Revolution had been accomplished in the minds of men long before it was translated into fact.... The middle class...was sensitive to their inferior legal position. The Revolution came from them-the middle class. The working classes were incapable of starting or controlling the Revolution. They were just beginning to learn to read.” (Document 4) Estates- General was the first such meeting in 175 years. Met on May 5th,1789 in Versailles. In the Estate- General each estate had one vote. (ROI)

The French Revolution was a time of period where social and political was a disruption in France that lasted from 1789 until 1799. This time of period affected Social Structure of France prior to the French Revolution. The factors that caused this revolution was due to having a bad government system, weak superiority, and inequality of the classes of people in France during the war. In this research, I will define and explain how Social Structure contributed to the French Revolution Resentment of royal authoritarianism. The three estates that social structure consists of are first estate which are the clergies, second estate known as the Nobleman, and third estate which are the Bourgeoisie, peasants, and workers. The Revolution did not omit sharp distinctions among the social groups, neither did it alter the distribution of wealth. This caused them to divide into these three groups called as estates.

According to an excerpt from Miss Betham-Edwards, ed., Arthur Young’s Travels in France During the Years 1787, 1788, and 1789, it states that “there is an injustice in levying the amount each person must pay… they had to pay a tax of 42 pounds of wheat, and three chickens, to one noble and 168 pounds of oats, one chicken and 1sou… (Doc. E)”. This quote shows that the amount of the tax that the 3rd estates have to pay is excessively abundant. Also, they are the ones making the least money compared to other estates. The people of the 3rd estates had a difficult time paying the taxes, eventually, they couldn’t take it and planned to change the taxation system.

The citizens of the 3rd estate and some citizens in the 2nd estate in France during 1789, were not happy at all. They were getting heavily taxed by Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, and the Catholic Church. When they didn’t have the money to pay the taxes that was forced upon them. After all of the hard work they put in to growing crops, the crops were taken

During the 1700s, France’s government was run by a three system estate system. The First Estate was made up by the powerful clergy members, while the Second Estate was made with nobles. Peasants and working men made the Third Estate, also the largest estate. In this large estate there was a little class named the Bourgeoisie was a part of the Third Estate. Though the Bourgeoisie was highly educated and always had stable professions, they were not set aside from the peasants. The Third Estate was treated very poorly during the 1700s. Life was not suitable for the working class. The mistreatment and inequality led to the French Revolution. Inequality during this time period meant that things were not the same throughout each class. Unequal power between the estates, abuse of the Third Estate, and the taxes and price raises were the three reasons that outweighed the many political, social, and economic factors that led to the French Revolution.

One of the other ways in which the Revolution affected the rise of modernity was by asserting the importance of the middle class and masses. Before the revolution, France was made up of three estates: The First Estate was the Church, which made up 1-2% of the population, the Second Estate was the nobility which made up less than 2% of the population and the Third Estate was the commoners, which made up approximately 96% of the population. Whereas the First and Second estates enjoyed luxury, extensive privileges and great wealth, the Third Estate were the heavily taxed and poorly treated bourgeoisie, peasants and city workers. One of the reasons the revolution originated was the discontent among the lower and middle classes in France. Those in the Third Estate grew tired of the unjust laws and taxes they were forced to

In France, the social classes consisted of three estates: First, Second, and Third. The First Estate consisted of the clergy (religious officials), who were considered the highest on the social ladder. They only consisted of .5% of the population yet were the most powerful (Doc. 2). The Second Estate were 1.5% of the population and consisted of nobles who held the top jobs of government, army, and courts (Doc. 2). Finally, The Third Estate were 98% of the population and consisted of the bourgeoisie, or the middle class, and peasants (Doc. 2). When the Estates

Before the French Revolution, there were three estates, or classes: the nobility, the clergy and the commoners. The nobility and the clergy had many more privileges than the third estate and that is what caused the French Revolution. The Third estate was composed of the peasants, the workers and the bourgeoisie; unlike the other segments of the Third Estate, the bourgeoisie was able to communicate its grievances to the public during the period after the French Revolution: 1789-1799.

It began when the French monarchy formed from The Seven Year war. During this time, the French were in debt due to their support of the American Revolution. Therefore, France restricted free trade with other nations and kept the country and most of its people in a state of poverty. The French people were still organized in three different feudal class divisions of estates. The first estate, the Clergy, consisted of those employed by the Catholic Church. They greatly influenced France by controlling vast amounts of land (they were also freed from paying taxes). The second estate, the Nobility, were also exempt from most taxes. They held the best and highest paid jobs in the army, church, and legal professions. The third estate, consisted of all the other people not assigned to a higher class. The third estate composed of much of the population and held the greatest economic and social diversity (the peasants). They were starved and ragged and bore the brunt of the ever-increasing taxes. They were demanded to pay fees for land ownership every

The final group of the Old Regime was the third estate. This was France’s workforce. These people made up ninety-seven percent of the population, but were only allotted seventy percent of the land. The third estate had sub-groups of its own. The first group was the Bourgeoisie. This translates into “city dwelling” but is commonly known as the middle class. Those that made p this group were doctors, lawyers, and merchants. These people were fairly well off and had a bit of extra money. The main difference between the Bourgeoisie and the others in the third estate was that the Bourgeoisies were educated, specifically in enlightenment ideas. They later helped to steer the French Revolution. The next group within the third estate was laborers and artisans. This group consisted of the skilled craftsman in society. Along with the others in the third estate, they had low wages and high taxes. The third group of the third estate was the peasants. Making up roughly eighty percent of the population, the peasants were at the bottom of society. They lost nearly half their wages to taxes even though they had miniscule wages in the first place. They were forced to pay a tax to the church (tithe) and could not influence society. They disliked the first estate because they were the tax collectors and the second estate because they were the government officials. They fought this by

Prior to the French Revolution in 1789, there were three social tiers in France, known as “Estates”. The First Estate was comprised of the clergy, the Second Estate referred to the nobles, and the Third Estate included the remaining population of France, about 98 percent of the entire French population. The Third Estate included people across the full range of social classes, each with their own grievances against the French government. In 1789, the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly, going against the orders of the king. This is known as the opening of the Estates, and marks the beginning of the French Revolution.

The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of the King’s harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system.

This photo demonstrates the social class division in France prior to the revolution called the Ancien Regime. The Ancien Regime consisted of three estates; The clergy (1st estate), The Nobles (2nd estate), and the Peasants (3rd estate). This photo consists of the first and second estates standing promptly atop the struggling third estate. The photo also shows ‘Talle, Imports et Corvees’ carved into the rock upon the Peasants chest, which was the oppressive system of taxation imposed on the struggling third estate by Louis XVI. In this oppressive system of taxation Louis XVI heavily taxed the 3rd estate leaving the Clergy and Nobility who were the richest of France to pay no such taxes.