The French Revolution pp. pptx by James Sutton

1. The French Revolution: 1774-1789
An Introduction to the Context
James Sutton

2. The Ancien Regime
• The organisation of government and society in
France, before the revolution started in 1789.
• This was an outdated system based upon the
medieval idea of a hierarchical society, with the
king at the top and the population in their
place according to their title and birth, not by
their merit.

3. The King, Louis XVI
• He appointed ministers, including the intendents, who
acted as his local officials and were responsible for the
different 34 regions of France.
• Louis ruled as an absolute monarch, and later faced
criticisms on charges of despotism. Louis’ belief was
that he ruled by divine right.
• The king was expected to pass laws only for the well-
being of the whole kingdom.
• There were 13 Parlements through which the laws were
passed.

4. The First Estate 125,000
• The entirety of the clergy, holding the highest position
in society next to the King.
• There was a huge difference, in terms of wealth and
power, between parish priests and the bishops.
• Clerics were very influential in France. The Catholic
Church governed the daily lives of most people, and it
controlled education and cared for the sick.
• They could only be prosecuted in their own church
courts, as well as various financial privileges, and were
not required to pay the taille.

5. The Second Estate 250,000
• The nobility, of which owned around a fifth of all
the land in France.
• Nobility could be acquired through the inheriting of
a title, or the purchasing of a venal office. The
majority were rich and influential.
• They had a right to be beheaded rather than hung,
and were exempt from the corvée (forced labour
on the roads), the taille (direct tax) and the
gabelle (salt tax).

6. The Third Estate 27.5 million
• A mixed group, ranging from lowly peasants to rich
landowners. Around 85% of the Third Estate were
peasants, including some landowning peasants.
• Higher were the Bourgeoisie, who were more artisan
than peasant, some of whom went on to purchase venal
offices.
• They were required to pay direct taxes, such as the
taille and the vingtieme, and indirect taxes, such as
the gabelle, as well as their tithe to the church. The
third estate was also required to do unpaid labour
service to maintain the roads.

7. Taxation
• The main taxes from the Crown included:
• The corvee; every able bodied man must work 3 days
labour on the King’s roads, or pay the equivalent.
• The vingtième; an emergency tax that collected a
further 5% in taxes during Louis’ reign
• The main burden of these taxes fell on the Third Estate;
as the Clergy, and many of the Nobility, were exempt.
• The Church also collected tithes of between 10% and 12%
of the workers produce, mostly grain and other produce.

8. The Church
• The Church collected tithes of between 10% and 12% of
the workers’ produce, mostly grain and other produce
that was stored in large tithe barns all over France.
• The Catholic Church was also exempt from all taxes, save
one; it was required to pay the Don Gratuit tax, however
the amount of this tax was decided by the Church itself.
• The Clergy were some of the most influential members of
society, given that religion took the utmost precedence in
the majority of many people’s lives in this period.