The French Revolution was a significant event in French history that lasted for years, and it started as a result of the spread of ideas from the Enlightenment and news of the success of the American Revolution influencing the already discontent people of France. The Third Estate of France was one of the three estates that existed before the revolution. And, while it consisted of an overwhelming majority of the population, they lacked the wealth to even consistently acquire food for themselves and were heavily taxed. This was far from equal to the other estates, as they, despite making up an extremely small percentage of the people of France, were wealthy, did not have to pay these taxes, and had a disproportionately increased amount of land compared to the larger estate. During meetings of the Estates-General, notwithstanding the vastly evident …show more content…
Following the efforts of the National Assembly against absolutism, the Reign of Terror dominated France. The guillotine was used to execute those who were suspected of being against the revolution, resulting in constant fear throughout the nation along with the deaths of many. This only lasted less than a year before Maximilien Robespierre, a significant leader of the Reign of Terror, was overthrown and executed himself. The Directory, a committee that consisted of five people, was the next to be in power. This, however, proved to be to be a very weak form of government and it was soon usurped by Napoleon, who ruled the nation with absolute power as Louis XVI once did. Despite the return of absolutism, the people of France were satisfied with Napoleon's rule, as he was a strong leader and his laws promoted equality. Before he was eventually defeated, Napoleon managed to be victorious in many battles and claimed large amounts of territory for
As the monetary reserves of France deplete, the monarchy calls for the establishment of the Estates General, a representative body that is comprised of members from each estate. However, the nobles outnumber the Third Estate two votes to one, so the Third Estate advocates for additional representation. They are granted additional representation, but the vote count stays the same. Weeks of meetings pass and no progress is made, increasing the disgruntlement amongst the Third Estate. The Third Estate desires a voice while the nobles want to maintain their privileges. Finally, the Third Estate decides to take matters into its own hands. Sides are established, and the revolution
To accomplish this task, he murdered close to 40,000 people, most by guillotine, and some sentenced to life in jail. The Reign of Terror was one of the most controversial, and terrifying phases of the Revolution. Some French colonists thought it to be a path to democracy; others thought it was just an attempt by Robespierre to assume dictatorship. The other great leader was Napoleon Bonaparte. He believed that the only way to have control in France was to put a limit on democracy.
Louis the XVI’s reign was a time of political turmoil in France. Massive debt from his predecessors, especially Louis XIV, and from various wars caused numerous economic struggles for the entire country. Many people began to lose faith in an absolutist government and rooted their ideas in the Enlightenment. The people called for reform and, because of his weak position due to his earlier capitulations, Louis XVI had to call the first Estates General meeting in over a century. The three Estates came with their cahiers to address their concerns. The grievances laid out before the Estates General were both political and economical, and while the nation was successful in addressing (but not resolving) these requested reforms, the
Third Estate, it was used for most of the population that was neither clerical nor noble, and for their representatives at the Estates General. In 1789, the Third Estate made itself a National Assembly and launched the French Revolution.
The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy
In 1789, the French people began to stand up to their current monarchical government in order to obtain rights and laws that they felt they deserved. The Reign of Terror followed after the Revolution and seemed to stand for the complete opposite of what the people had previously stood up for. The Reign of Terror began in 1793 and ended in 1794 due to the decapitation of Maximilien Robespierre. The Reign of Terror can be explained as a time period in France when many counter revolutionaries were killed because of their traditional beliefs. Counter revolutionaries believed in preserving the ways of the monarchy, but since the majority of people thought otherwise, these opposing beliefs led to death. The French government did not have good reason to conduct such drastic measures against those who challenged the Revolution.
Historian Albert Mathiez states that “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.” The middle class were not able to have a class on their own; they were still considered peasants. In the illustration it showed how much people and land each estate held, the Clergy was one percent of the population which owned ten percent of the land. Nobles were two percent of the people that owned thirty-five percent of the land. The middle class, peasants, and city workers were ninety-seven of the people owned fifty-five percent of the land. This means that if the third estate were to riot, this would cause havoc. There was a lot during that time; the website Macrohistory and World Timeline shows that “The population of France had grown to between 24 and 26 million, up from 19 million in 1700 without a concomitant growth in food production. Farmers around Paris consumed over 80 percent of what they grew, so if a harvest fell by around 10 percent, which was common, people went hungry. There was insufficient government planning and storage of grain for emergency shortages”. If there were approximately 26 million people, there would be 25,220,000 people in the third estate, 520,000 people in the second estate, and 260,000
Prior to the revolution, King Louis XVI was at the top of the ancien régime, the social, economic, and political structure in France, which means he had absolute power. When he received the throne in 1774, it came along with insoluble problems. The people were split into three estates which divided social class. The first estate consisted of 100,000 tax exempt nobles who owned 20% of the land. The second estate consisted of the 300,000 tax exempt clergy who owned 10% of the land. The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6).
Liberty, equality, and freedom are all essential parts to avoiding anarchy and maintaining tranquility even through the most treacherous of times. The Reign of Terror is well known as the eighteen month long French Revolution (1793-1794). In this period of time, a chief executive Maximilien Robespierre and a new French government executed gigantic numbers of people they thought to be enemies of the revolution; inside and outside of the country. The question is; were these acts of the new French government justified? Not only are the acts that occurred in the Reign of Terror not justified, they were barbaric and inhumane.
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
“The influence of the French Revolution upon the foundations of sociology in France is a fact which has received somewhat less than the attention it deserves,” (Nisbet). Mid 1700’s, France was in extreme debt due to past wars and the Three Estates were created that ultimately led up to the rise of the French against their monarchial government. The social tensions between the First, Second, and Third Estates prove that the French Revolution had a political cause and effected social change and those sociological theories are important to understand both the political cause and the social change.
The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime. The people of France were divided into three estates. The first estate was composed of the highest church officials. They held about ten percent of all the land in France. They paid no direct taxes to the royal government. The second estate was made up of nobles. They were only two percent of France’s population, but owned twenty percent of the land. They paid no taxes (Krieger 483). The third estate accounted for ninety-eight percent of France’s population. The third estate was divided into three groups; the middle class, known as the bourgeoisie, the urban lower classes, and the peasant farmers. The third estate lost about half their income in taxes. They paid feudal dues, royal taxes, and also owed the corvee, a form of tax paid with work (Krieger 484).
These methods however, became too extreme and the deaths of the incident was not justified. Although, the Reign of Terror was seen as a way to let the revolution live and was well supported, it was not justified. Because the internal threats propagated radicalism, the external threats raged and became stronger, and the methods became chaotic the Reign of Terror extended its stay in France until the death of the powerful leader Robespierre. The Reign of Terror was an outreach to gain rights, but during this period they were taken away until the fateful day of Robespierre’s death, ending the Terror.
The Estate System was a major social cause of the French Revolution. During the 18th century France, society was divided into three unequal estates: the clergy, nobility, and peasants. The Estate System, a class structure used before the French Revolution, was used to determine taxes. The Third Estate, or the peasants, which represented ninety-seven percent of the French population had to pay the taxes while the First and Second Estate were exempted from doing so. For example, Arthur Young, an English campaigner for the rights of agricultural workers of the 18th century, met a woman from the Third Estate, who complained of the times. She described the times as "crushing us [herself and her husband]" (Young, 1789). These taxes included wheat,
Almost instantaneously after the death of Louis XVI in 1793, the Committee of Public Safety took over with Maximilien de Robespierre as head. Those in control believed that anyone blocking their path to liberty should be annihilated, and went to many extents to do so. From 1793 to 1794 France was in the midst of the Reign of Terror, which was characterized by mass executions. Those who supported the revolution thought of the executions as a step on the path to liberty; however, others stood firmly against the revolution as did many outside of France.