The Ancien Regime was the social, political, and economic system that existed in Europe prior to the French Revolution. It was characterized by [1] a low-growth agrarian economy with a rigid social hierarchy, [2] absolute monarchies that centralized power, and [3] the estates system that divided society into privileged and unprivileged groups. In contrast, England developed a parliamentary monarchy that limited the king's power through institutions like the Magna Carta and Bill of Rights, establishing a model of governance that later influenced revolutionary ideas.

1. THE ANCIEN REGIME

2. What is the Ancien
Regime?
The Ancient Regime is the social, political and economic
system that existed in Europe before the French
Revolution during the Early Modern Age (16th-18th
centuries).
Elements
Low growth
of the
population
Agrarianbased
economy
The estates
of the realm
Absolute
monarchy of
divine origin

3. Low growth of the
population
During the Early Modern Age there was a low natural growth because
high birth rates were counteracted by high death rates. It depended
on human and natural disasters which caused famines and
epidemics.

4. Agrarian-based economy
● The 75% of the population belonged to the Primary sector.
● There was a closed or subsistence economy:
○ the population depended on resources, goods and services that were
provided by its own members.
○ There was little or no trade with other regions.

5. Agrarian-based economy

6. Agrarian-based economy
Survival of the Feudal system
○ Lords owned the biggest lands or large estates.
○ Landowners rented plots of lands to the peasants.
○ Lords received a significant amount of incomes from the rent of lands
.
Landowners
Nobility
Clergy

7. Craft-industry
● Craftsmen made their products by hand
.
● They worked in small workshops, which
were located in the owner´s house.
● They products were sold there too.
● They controlled the whole production
process, from the beginning to the end.
● They used very little machinery.
● The sources of energy were:
human, animal or the one given by water
or wind.

8. Trade
● Long-distance trade
● The triangular trade:
○ capture slaves in Africa and
take them to America in order
to work in mines and
plantations,
○ export the raw materials
produced by slaves to
Europe, make manufactured
products in Europe,
○ exchange those products in
Africa for slaves, repiting the
cicle.
● Controlled by the bourgeoise, who
became very rich.

9. Economic system
After the discovery of America, two economic systems developed:
Commercial capitalism
Mercantilism
16th-century Parisian
fair, showing how trade facilitated
great economic expansion (John
James Chalon, 1822)

10. Economic System
THE 16TH CENTURY: COMMERCIAL CAPITALISM
● Thanks to the discovery of the New World there was a significant
economic growth in Europe.
● The New World became an important new market for European
exports.
● Commercial capitalism developed:
○ A new system that enabled private businesses to accumulate
profits, especially through trade.
○ Factors:
■ The emergence of new forms of craft production in workshops
and through the domestic system.
■ The establishment of banks (commercial operations)
■ New commercial and financial practices (bills of
exchange, loans)

11. Economic System
THE 17TH CENTURY: MERCANTILISM
● There was a serious economic crisis, caused mostly by the enormous
amounts of gold and silver that arrived in Europe from America.
● An excess of these precious metals caused their value to fall, while prices
increased.
● Mercantilism
○ imposed by Europe´s absolute monarchs
○ Based on the idea that a country´s wealth depended on how much
gold and silver it possessed.
○ In order to accumulate more of these precious metals, monarchs
implemented protectionist policies to limit imports and encourage
exports.

12. The estates of the realm
● In the Early Modern Age, there was still a closed society:
○ There was a rigid social system which didn´t allow people to change
groups easily.
● The estates of the realm continued to be the dominant form of social
organisation in Europe.

13. The estates of the realm

14. The estates of the realm

15. The estates of the realm

16. The estates of the realm
THE BOURGEOISIE
● Upper middle class or bourgeoisie
○ was composed of prominent merchants and business
owners, bankers, investors, functionaries, lawyers…
○ They become richer and more powerful as the European economy
prospered.
● The lower middle class, or petite bourgeoisie
○ composed mostly of small merchants and
craftsmen

17. The estates of the realm
THE PEASANTRY
● It was the most numerous group in
society.
● It was composed of poor farmers and
labourers
● They suffered during the 17th
century because of:
○ poor harvests,
○ rising prices
○ and the higher taxes which they
had to pay to the crown, nobility
and clergy.

18. Political system
Three types of monarchy
during the Early Modern Age
Authoritarian monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Parliamentary monarchy
16th century
17th century
17th century

19. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
It existed in the
16th century.
Monarchs were
described as
«authoritarian» because
they had forced the
nobility to accept their
authority.
Authoritarian
monarchy
But they had to
respect
institutions that
were able to
limit their power.
The Cortes in Spain

20. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
Authoritarian monarchs´ measures in order to govern their kingdoms
more effectively:
Measures
•
They unified all the territories that were under their control.
They established administrative unity for the entire kingdom.
They created royal armies to end their dependence on the
nobility for military support.

21. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
•
They unified all the territories that were under their control.
Before uniting the kingdoms in the
Iberian Peninsula.
After uniting the kingdoms in the
Iberian Peninsula.

22. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
•
They established administrative unity for the entire kingdom.
Holy Brotherhood
Royal
Treasure
Administrative
unity of the
Catholic
Monarchs
Royal Council
Corregidores

23. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
•
In Spain, the Catholic Monarchs established religious unity for the
entire kingdom.
Imposition of the
Catholicism
The
expulsion of
Jews
Religious unity of
the Catholic
Monarchs
Tribunal of the
Inquisition
The
expulsion on
the Mudejars

24. Political system
Authoritatian monarchy
•
They created royal armies to end their dependence on the nobility for
military support.

25. Political system
at the beginning the 18th century
Political systems
Absolute
monarchy
In almost every
European
monarchy
Parliamentary
monarchy
The exception in
Europe

26. Political system
Absolute monarchy
•
The authoritarian monarchies evolved and became absolute monarchies.
Judicial power
Militar power
Executive
power
Legislative
power
Centralised
administration
Absolute
monarch
head of a strong
central government
Control over
the Church
and other
institutions

27. Political system
Absolute monarchy
•
It´s impossible for the Absolutism to separate monachy and State.
Monarchy
State
Louis XIV of France

28. Political system
Absolute monarchy
•
•
Absolutism was born in France in the 17th century.
It was supported by the theories of some philosophers like Bossuet, who
believed in the Divine Right of Kings.
o These theories believed that monarchs
represented God on Earth and everyone
should obey them.
o Neither laws nor institutions could be above
the king.
Jaques-Bénigne Bossuet

29. Political system
Absolute monarchy
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France was the first absolut
monarch.
He took control of the government without a
prime minister.
He ruled according to his own wish without
asking advice from his ministers or the General
Estates (similar to a parliament).
He created a system of centralised and efficient
power.
He controlled his people tightly, including the
nobles.
He defended the divine origin of his power.
He considered himself to be the incarnation of
the State: «Létat, cést moi» (I am the State).
He developed a complete programme of
propaganda and self-glorification.

30. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy
•
•
English parliamentary monarchy was the exception in the absolutist Europe.
English monarchs´ power was limited by the parliament.
•
In 1215 the Magna Carta Libertatum
(Great Charter of Freedoms) had begun
to limit the power of the King.
•
Over the following centuries, Parliament
became increasingly important and more
representative.
English Magna Carta Libertatum. 1215

31. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy
•
•
•
•
In the early 17th century, the kings of the
House of Stuart wanted to govern as
absolute monarchs.
Charles I of England wanted to impose the
Absolutism.
The bourgeoise didn´t support the absolute
monarchy.
In 1642 there was a civil war between the
supporters of absolute monarchy and the
defenders of Parliament.

32. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy
•
•
•
•
The civil war was led by Oliver Cromwell.
He was in favour of the trial and execution of
Charles I.
In 1649 Charles I was tried by
Parliament, found guilty of treason and
executed.
The Republic was proclaimed and Oliver
Cromwell became the ruler of England
between 1653 and 1658.
Oliver Cromwell

33. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy
•
•
In 1660, Parliament re-established the
monarchy and Charles II was named King.
In 1679 the Habeas Corpus Act was passed
by the Parliament:
o It prevented the King from arbitrarily
imprisoning people.
Charles II of England

34. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy
•
In 1688, the «Glorious Revolution» took
place:
o Parliament overthrew James II.
o They offered the throne to his daughter
and her husband: Mary II and Wlliam III
(1689).
o They swore to respect the Bill of Rights.
 It limited the powers of the monarch.
 It submitted some of his decisions to
Parliament.
 The monarch could not impose taxes
without Parliament´s
consent.
In this way, in England the
separation of the three powers
were imposed.
•
James II of England

35. Political system
Parliamentary monarchy

36. Political system
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ENGLISH MODEL
OF PARLIAMENTARY MONARCHY
•
In the late 17th century, the English philosopher
John Locke:
o Criticised absolutism.
o Defended the principles and values of the English
model of parliamentary monarchy.
o He enunciated the doctrine of the political
liberalism:
Freedom
every person had rights
Political
liberalism
Equality before the law
(the opposite to the privileges)
The property
as criteria for social differentiation.
John Locke, by Herman Verelst.
Only those who owned properties
contributed to the State.
Consequently, only these had the right to
take part in the political system (restricted
suffrage)
His reflections became the origin of the Enlightenment in France.

37. Political system
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ENGLISH MODEL
OF PARLIAMENTARY MONARCHY
In
the
18th
century,
French
philosophers such as
Montesquieu,
Voltaire
and Rousseau spread
Locke´s
political
ideas, which brought into
question
the
Ancient
Regime.
- Many of these ideas
formed the ideological
basis of the French
Revolution and the liberal
revolutions in Europe and
the rest of the world.

38. Revision

39. •
Elaborated by Prof. Mª Isabel Aguña Aguerri
Social Science bilingual teacher