France in 1789. political, social and economic conditions of France.

1. French revolution.
France in 1789.

2. What is revolution?
A term used to describe an aggressive overthrow of a
government structure or social construct or a massive
sudden societal values.
Usually represents a complete turnaround from one
way of doing things to another way, which is
drastically opposite.
• In fact is a complete change in the way things are done or
thought about.

3. French Revolution.
 French Revolution was the mass uprising of the people of
France against the dictatorial and anti-people policies of
the monarch.
 It started on 14th July 1789 with an incident known as
Storming of Bastille.

4. Political conditions.
•the political system of absolute Monarchy.
•The system of government was known as
absolutism.
•The king was a hereditary monarch- born into the
role of king.
•Believed to rule by divine right-placed by God.
•The king was not supposed to be despot or cruel.

5. In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings
ascended the throne of France.
He was 20 years old when he married to the
Austrian princess Marie Antoinette who always
interfered with the administration.
He ruled as an absolute monarch.
He had maintained a huge army and built a big
extravagant court at the immense palace of
Versailles which drained the wealth of France.
Common people had no say in administration. All
bureaucratic posts were occupied by the
aristocrats.

6. Social conditions.

7. Social conditions.
– First Estate
• High-ranking members of the Church
• Privileged class
– Second Estate
• Nobility
• Privileged class
– Third Estate
• Everyone else – from peasants in the countryside to wealthy bourgeoisie
merchants in the cities
• Unprivileged class

8. First Estate.
• The First Estate, which made up about one percent of
the total population, was divided into two groups: upper
and lower. The upper
clergy included archbishops, bishops, and abbots.
• Due to the power of the Roman Catholic Church, these
people were exempt from
most taxes. These men of high status and privilege
enjoyed luxurious lives in their large palaces. Meanwhile,
the lower clergy, which
included poorly-paid village priests, had to suffer along
with the third class peasants.

9. Second Estate
The Second Estate was composed of about 30,000 families who belonged to the
nobility
ㅡ Duke and Duchess, count and countess, and marquis and marquess. Like the
clergy, the nobility represented another privileged Estate.
They held the highest position in the Church, the army, and the government. As
well, they were exempt from paying taxes of any kind.
 They collected rent from the peasant population who lived on their lands.
They also collected an extreme amount of customary dues, as
well as dues on salt, cloth, bread, and wine.
Most of the nobility was descendants from the warriors, who helped the King
conquer France
in the early days.
They lived a life of lordly ease and luxury and enjoyed great privileges.

10. Third Estate
• About 26 million citizens, the Third Estate consisted the bourgeoisie,
the peasantry, and the urban artisans. The bourgeoisie,
which included merchants, manufacturers, bankers, doctors, lawyers,
and intellectuals, were generally prosperous and often as wealthy as
nobles
• Third Estate was dominated by the middle class
• Blending of aristocratic and bourgeois classes by 1789
• Middle class were Big Winners
• Revolutionary goals of the middle class

12. Estates Cont.
Estate Population Privileges Exemptions Burdens
First •Circa 130,000
•High-ranking clergy
•Collected the tithe
•Censorship of the press
•Control of education
•Kept records of births, deaths, marriages, etc.
•Catholic faith held honored position of being the
state religion (practiced by monarch and nobility)
•Owned 20% of the land
•Paid no taxes
•Subject to Church law rather
than civil law
•Moral obligation (rather than legal obligation) to assist
the poor and needy
•Support the monarchy and Old Regime
Second •Circa 110,000
•Nobles
•Collected taxes in the form of feudal dues
•Monopolized military and state appointments
•Owned 20% of the land
•Paid no taxes •Support the monarchy and Old Regime
Third •Circa 25,000,000
•Everyone else: artisans,
bourgeoisie, city workers,
merchants, peasants, etc.,
along with many parish
priests
•None •None •Paid all taxes
•Tithe (Church tax)
•Octrot (tax on goods brought into cities)
•Corvée (forced road work)
•Capitation (poll tax)
•Vingtiéme (income tax)
•Gabelle (salt tax)
•Taille (land tax)
•Feudal dues for use of local manor’s winepress, oven,

13. Economic conditions.
• France was in a period of financial crisis.
• Expenses exceeded income.
• The main problem was how to raise enough money to meet
government needs.
• The only two ways to solve this were to borrow money or
increase taxation.
• Since the peasants were already heavily taxed, the obvious
answer to the problem was to tax the clergy and nobility more
heavily.

14. Finance ministers tried to solve the problem.
• Necker tried to reduce court expenses but the king refused.
• Calonne, proposed tax on land, but faced opposition from first
and second estates.
• Brienne, proposed a weaker version of Calonne’s land tax. Even
so, he faced much opposition and public violence.

15. Self assessment questions.
 What were the three social classes that the French population
was divided into? Discuss them in details.
What social class complained about inequality & high taxes?
What kind of government is it when the people have no rights
& are ruled by one person?