Post-French Revolution Theories of Government Essay

One of the 1st proofs for their problems with the politics in France was, “In order to assure the 3rd estate the influence it deserves because of its numbers… its votes in the assembly should be taken by head…(Doc. 3 “Cahiers”) This excerpt from document 3 explains that the 3rd estates wants more power in government and politics due to the amount of number of people. The purpose for this, is so that they have a say in government and will not get outvoted by the 1st and 2nd estate who have majority of the power during the ancient regime. Another example of the politics in France is in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (1789), “ Liberty consists in being to do anything that does not arm another person.” (Doc 8, Rule 4 of Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen).

Moving on to the time period of this document this document was written March 1, 1789 a couple months before the storming of the Bastille. Thus, at this time in history there was a significant amount of commotion arising from the people of the Third Estate. The people of the Third Estate were trying to voice their opinions on the oppressive political and economic situations occurring at this time in France in order to try and bring about a reform. These oppressive political and economic situations that the Third Estate were trying to reform included things such as the king heavily taxing only the Third Estate, who already did not even have the finances to survive let alone pay these high taxes. Another example is the fact that the Third Estate did not have equal representatives in the political society to represent their wants and demands in comparison to the First and Second Estates, which can be seen through out Cahier de Doleance’s, Villagers of Lion-en-Sullias, Women of Paris, Flower Sellers, and Village of Pithiviers-le-Vieil. Cahier de Doleance’s, District of Mansigne. Not only does this text help historians and the reader get a better understanding of the specific wants of the Third Estate but the rest of his documents such as Villagers of Lion-en-Sullias, Women of Paris, Flower Sellers, and

In England in the 18th century, the government was ran by men that were considered wealthy. During these times a wealthy man was hard to come by so if

Theoretically, the Three Estate system represented the natural order of society (not surprisingly, this societal structure mirrored the hierarchy espoused by the Catholic Church ) and was seen as absolute: "in it [the Three Estate system], all individuals should unquestioningly accept their inherited occupation and place" (Aers 14). Subjects were to view the Estates system as a communal safety net where, when working together, all elements of society benefited and prospered: "massive differences in power, access to resources, and status were allegedly in everyone's interest, the 'common profit'" (Aers 14). Regardless of the nature of the system, lower class people were encouraged to see the Estates structure necessary to avoid chaos and to ensure the overall prosperity (Introduction to Sociology). However, Chaucer himself represents a paradox to this system. How does one categorize secular individuals who neither work "to sustain the basic life processes of the community (the lowest estate)," nor, "defend the community (the knightly estate)?" According to Micro History and World Timeline (2008), by the late 1300s, a new social class was taking shape: it was the

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.

This lead to kings being unfair or making poor decisions that negatively influence everyone. Examples of this include king starting wars or people being killed or imprisoned without committing crimes. The Estates-General was also unfair because the groups were not representative of the populations each group represented. Also, when they said "In order to assure the third estate the influence it deserves because of its numbers…its votes in the assembly should be taken by head… (Document 8)," the king rejected it. This and other similar things the king said caused social issues between the three estates in the

“... Has nobody observed that as soon as the government becomes the property of a separate class, it starts to grow out of all proportion and that posts are created not to meet the needs of the governed but of those who govern them?...” (Sieyès).

"...In monarchial countries, the estates and the greatest portion of the wealth are left to the first

However, Conservatism does merely reflect the interests of the privileged and prosperous, because tradition and authority in themselves harm the less privileged, and because the belief in these values is only because it prevents uprising, which would inevitably harm the privileged and prosperous. Burke’s belief that there is a natural hierarchy in society because people will work harder than others rather than because of birth, education or special privilege is a false claim at suggesting that everyone has equal chances. This is because this idea claims that birth, education and special privilege have no impact on where you lie in society. This is not true as people with more opportunities at work; a better education and special privilege inevitably give you a lot more opportunities to be higher up in the hierarchical system. Also, the main reason for Conservatives belief in Authority is that it allows people to know their roles in society, which inevitably prevents the less privileged from realising that they are being unfairly treated within society.

aristocratic government, those people considered as ‘elite’ or the ‘most able’ are given the responsibility of being the governing body. In our culture, he believed that lawyers are considered somewhat ‘elite’ because they have the advantage of being able to follow changing laws and understand precedents significantly better than the common person. This dynamic is somewhat self-created because the United States and England are the only countries which base their laws on precedents (legal opinions/decisions based on the opinions/decision of their forefathers). Lawyers are also useful to all classes of society, giving them the ability to understand the challenges of the lower classes while being able to act as a respected peer to government officials and members of the upper classes. This unique position often enables them to easily integrate themselves into political roles within a democratic government.

The second estate existed one rank below the First estate, and this estate was reserved to for nobility, such as, kings, emperors, dukes, counts, and multiple ranks of knights. The only way to be a member of this estate was to be born from the nobility, however as others began purchasing large areas of land, more were granted the large amount of power that came with owning a large area of land. Those who were a part of the nobility were mainly concerned with maintaining a high status rank, and staying in high positions of power. Because many of those part of the nobility were rich and powerful, the had

During the eighteenth century there was one central political cause for the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was a weak ruler who endured a lavish lifestyle. He disregarded the people’s needs, leaving much of the French population in discontent. Prior to the revolution the form of government was Absolute monarchy led by Louis XVI. The problem with absolute monarchy was that people were denied basic rights, and a say in government because the divine right theory was abused. The King ruled by the divine right of theory which

The monarchy tried to make an attempt to give the third estate power. The monarchy established the Estate's General. This too, was corrupted. Unlike most legislative bodies, the Estate's General did not vote by each person having a single vote. Rather, they let each estate have one vote each. Since the first two estates were always in agreement, the third estate was always out voted.

And he relies, everything. He argued that because the third estate carries out all the labor required to maintain France and that the third estate makes up a complete nation. He calls the first and second estates a form a cancer as they do not add anything to the civil order like the third estate does, he later states “The noble order is no less foreign amongst up by reason of its civil and public prerogatives.” He knows that the first and second estate do not pay taxes of any kind, yet they are the main beneficiaries from the king. He calls the first and second estates a cancer that must be removed from a society so that the society may remain healthy, “It is impossible to say what place the two privileged orders ought to occupy in the social order…what place one wishes to assign to a malignant tumor.” The Divine Chain of Being which gave a natural order to the world was now called into question and rejected entirely because of the French Revolution.

In his effort to rebuke his modern-day aristocracy, More is stuck within the confines of the world that he knows. His attempt to bridge the gap between rich and poor falls short in his creation of Utopian hierarchy of princes, diplomats, and clergy. Despite More's attempt to design an elaborate form of democracy, in which all men are not created equally, the prince is still ruler for life. Falling short of tyranny he remains in office for life.(Puchner 2158) This, in and of itself seems contradictory to a society in which none is greater than the lesser. In a land where there is little need for laws, nor room for attorneys, the governor of this Utopian society must surely check his ego for inflation, or risk becoming like "ordinary" aristocratic rulers. After all, if not for wealth, and power, it is left to the reader to discern that it is his wit, and intelligence that defines his nobility.