The French Revolution began in 1789 with the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris by revolutionaries seeking ammunition and to free political prisoners. This sparked further riots across Paris and the countryside. French society at the time was divided into three estates, with the clergy and nobility as privileged classes exempt from taxes. Commoners faced subsistence crises due to population growth, rising food prices, and natural disasters. Enlightenment philosophers began spreading new ideas of equality and inalienable rights that influenced the growing middle class to demand an end to privileges. In 1789, King Louis XVI called the Estates General to approve new taxes but tensions rose and the Third Estate declared the National Assembly, seeking to draft a new constitution limiting royal

1. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

2. CONTENTS
• French Society During the Late
Eighteenth Century.
• The Struggle to Survive .
• A growing Middle class Envisage an end
of Privileges.
• The Outbreak of the Revolution.
• Assignments.

3. FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
• French Revolution started on 14th July, 1789 with the
storming of the fortress prison, the Bastille. It was hated by all
because it stood for the despotic power of the king.
• They attacked the Bastille with the hope of getting hoarded
ammunition and releasing political prisoners.
• The days that followed saw more rioting both in Paries and
the countryside leading the beginning of a chain of events
that ultimately led the Revolution.
• In 1774 Louis XVI of Bourbon family of kings ascended the
throne of France. He found an empty treasury due to long
years of war with England and maintaining an extravagant
court .

4. FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
• A Society of Estates: French society in the 18th century was
divided into three estates as follows:
• (a) First Estates comprises of Clergy. They were privileges
class with exemption from paying tax and with feudal
privileges.
• (b) Second Estates comprises of Nobility. They were
privileges class with exemption from paying tax and with
feudal privileges which includes right to extract feudal dues
from peasants and getting the services of peasants to work in
his house and fields.
• (c) Third Estates comprises of Big businessmen, merchants,
court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, small peasants,
landless labour, servants. They had to pay tax to both state
and the Church. Tithes to the Church and Taille to the state.

5. THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
• Subsistence crisis means an extreme situation where
the basic means of livelihood are endangered. It
occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime
due to the following reasons: -
• (a) Population explosion: There was rapid population
growth in France. It rose from about 23 million in
1715 to 28 million in 1789 leading rapid increase in
the demand for food grains.
• (b) Price rise of staple diet of the majority make the
situation worse. The wages did not keep pace with
the rise of prices.
• (c) Natural calamities: Things became worse
whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.

6. A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGE AN END
OF PRIVILEGES
• In The 18th century Europe a new social class known as Middle
class emerged. They believed that no group in society should
be privileged by birth. Rather a persons social position must
depend on his merit.
• The new ideas advocating a society based on freedom and
equal laws and opportunities for all, were put forwarded by
philosophers of the time.
• John Locke in his book Two Treaties of Government sought to
refute the doctrine of divine and absolute right of the
monarch.
• Jean Jacque Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a
form of government based on a Social Contact between
people and their representatives.

7. A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGE AN END OF
PRIVILEGES
• Montesquieu in his book The Spirit of Laws
proposed a division of power within the government
between legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
• The American model of government, constitution
and its guarantee of individual rights was an
important example for political thinkers of France.
• The new ideas were discussed intensively and spread
among people through books and news papers.
• The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further
taxes generated anger and protest against the system
of privileges.

8. THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION.
• In France of the Old Regime the monarch did not have the
power to impose taxes according to his will alone. The Estates
General which was a political body has to pass his proposals for
a new tax. The last it was done was in 1614.
• On 5 May 1789, king called together an assembly of the
Estates General. The third estates was represented by its more
prosperous and educated members. They brought with them
40,000 letters of their grievances and demands.
• The members of the third estates demanded modification of
the voting system. Instead of the principle of one vote of each
house they demanded for each member would have one vote.
• As the king rejected this proposal, the members of the third
estates walked out of the assembly in protest.

9. THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION.
• Tennis Court Oath : On 20 June the members of the third
estates assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the
ground of Versailles and declared:
• The Third Estates as National Assembly.
• Not to disperse till drafting a constitution for France which
would limit the powers of the monarch.
• The members of the third estates were led by Mirabeau and
Abbe Sieyes. Mirabeau was from a noble family and brought
out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds
assembled at Versailles.
• Abbe Sieyes originally a priest wrote an influential pamphlet
called “What is the Third Estates”?

10. THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
• While the national assembly was busy at Versailles the rest of
France seethed with turmoil. There was bad harvest leading
to price rise, hoarding of supplies and storming of shops by
angry women. When the king ordered troops to move into
Paries, on 14 July the agitated crowd stormed and destroy the
Bastille.
• In the countryside rumours spread that lords of the manor(
An estate consisting of the lord’s lands and his mansion) were
on their way to destroy the ripe crops. Peasants attacked
Chateaux (Castle or stately residence belonging to a king or a
nobleman) looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents
containing records of manorial dues.
• Finally the king accorded recognition to the National
Assembly and the Constitution. On 4 August 1789 the
Assembly abolished feudal system of obligations and taxes.

11. ASSIGNMENTS
• 1. What was Bastille? Why did the revolutionaries
made it their target?
• 2.What do you mean by Old Regime? Write any three
features of it?
• 3.What is subsistence crisis? What led subsistence
crisis in France?
• 4. Explain the role of philosophers in shaping new ides
among the people.
• 5. Write any three peculiarities of French Society in
18th century.
• 6. Write the importance of Tennis Court Oath.