The document summarizes the economic and social conditions in France prior to the French Revolution. It discusses how King Louis XVI faced an empty treasury and immense debt upon taking the throne. To raise funds, he increased taxes, which angered the middle class who had to bear the burden. Rising bread prices and poor harvests also led to widespread poverty and unrest among the common people. Enlightenment philosophers further challenged the absolute power of the monarch. When Louis called the Estates-General to approve more taxes, the Third Estate walked out and formed the National Assembly, marking the beginning of the Revolution.

1. french revolution class 9

2. french society during late eighteenth
century
• In 1774,king Louis xvI
ascended the throne of
france he was married to
Austrian princess Marrie
Antoinette
• he was welcomed by an
empty treasury because
long years of war had
drained the financial
resources of France

3. • France was under
tremendous debt of 2
billion livres and lenders
were charging high
interest rates
• for meeting the expenses
of palace,army,offices and
repay the loans the state
was forced to increase tax
• now a question arise
“means everyone was
paying huge taxes?”
• not everybody was paying
taxes as the society was
divided between different
estates

4. division of french society

9. • the tax was paid by the
third estate only
• they have to give tax like
“taille” to the state and
other direct and indirect
taxes

10. the struggle to survive
• after 1715, population of
france grew very rapidly
resulting in subsistence
crisis which means there
was scarcity of basic
needs

11. • increase in population
usually accompanies rapid
increase in demand for
food grains

12. • but the demand was not
fulfilled as the production
of grains was low
• as a result, the price of
bread rose rapidly
• owners of the workshops
fixed the wages of
labourers

13. • but the wages did not keep
pace with rise in price and
the gap between the poor
and the rich widened

14. • continous drought also led
to the bad harvest and
people died of either
hunger or food riots and
the situation became
worse

15. a growing middle class envisages an end
to privileges
• it all started when louis 16 ascended the throne in 1774
• the financial condition of france was very bad
• to overcome this situation the taxes were increased
• this decision made middle class people unhappy as they
had to pay high taxes
• they began to protest against the decision
• but they lacked means and programs to carry out this
protest on a large scale
• so, they fight was left to those groups of third estate who
were educated and prosperous

16. q. so, the middle class was
properous at that time???
ans: not all, but some people of the middle class were
prosperous and had access to education

17. • some of them earned their wealth through overseas trade
and manufacture of goods
• in addition to merchants, the middle class also included
lawyers or administrative officials
• all of them believed that no group in society should be
privileged by birth
• philosophers also played a very important role in
elinghteing society to challenge the powers of the
monarch

18. role of philosophers
• philosophers like john locke and jean jacques
rousseau put forwars the ideas based on equality
and liberty

19. • john locke disaproved the
doctrine of divine and
absolute right of the
monarch in his “two
treatises of government”

20. • rousseau propsed a form
of government on a social
contract between people
and their representative

21. • montesquie, in his book
“the spirit of the laws”
proposed a division of
power within the
government”

22. • this form of government
was later accepted by
theUSA too

23. • these ideas of the
philosophers were spread
through books, public
gatherings and
newspapers
• protests and anger
continued to rise as news
of further tax increases
spread

24. outbreak of the french revolution
financial crisis and imposition of taxes
• during king louis 16
reign, the french society
faced severe financial
crisis
• to meet more expenses,
he planned to increase
the taxes

25. • there was only one vote by
each of the three estates
for passing any proposal
but the third estate
demaded that all members
of the estate should vote

26. • he called an estate
general assembly on may
5, 1789, to impose the
taxes
• in assembly, third estate
members were denied to
sit with other membranes,
they were made to stand
behind

27. • the king rejected this
proposal and all the third
estate members walked
out of the estate in protest

28. q. what happened then? were they
able to get over this exploitation?
ans : that is where the french revolution started

29. rise of the third estate and storming of the
basetille
• after few days, the third
estate representative took
the tennis court oath on
june 20 , 1789
• they took a pledge that
they will not separate till
the formation of
constitution and will limit
the powers of monarch

30. • they declared themselves
as national assembly and
led by mirabeau and abbe
sieyes
• when the national
assembly was drafting the
constitution, there was a
rise in prices and scarcity
of resources, fear and
violence consumed the
capital

31. • the fear led peasants rose
against their lords
• so, the peasants looted
and burned the homes of
tax collectors and
landlords

32. • there was rumor that the
king had sent his army and
an angry crowd stormed
and destroyed the bastille
fort on 14 july 1789
• this event marked the
beginning of the french
revolution because the
bastille was the fortress
prison that stood for the
cruetly and unlimited
powers of the king

33. • further rumors spread their
bands of robbers hired by
the lof manors were on the
way to destroy the ripe
crops

34. • “so how this situation
came under control? how
did the king react
• faced with this terror of
destruction, king finally
accepted his power control
and abolished the system
of taxes

35. and after this france became a
constitutional monarchy

36. thank you:)
part 2 coming
soon