Chapter 6, Section 1

On the Eve of Revolution

Section 1 – On the Eve of Revolution

• 1789, the people of France were divided into three classes or estates– 1st Estate – Clergy (Catholic Church)– 2nd Estate – Nobles (people working in the

government – 3rd Estate – Everyone else (98% of the

population)

The First Estate – the Clergy

• Enormous wealth & privilege

• Owned 10% of French land• Collected tithes but paid no

taxes• Provided some social

services including:– Schools– Hospitals– Orphanages

• High church leaders were wealthy land owners while parish priests were poor

The Second Estate – the Nobles

• Top jobs in: – Government– Army– Courts– Church

• Owned land but had little income

• They feared losing privileges & freedom from paying taxes

The Third Estate 98% of the people

• Bourgeoisie – middle class– Bankers, merchants,

manufacturers– Officials in government

bureaucracy– Lawyers, doctors,

journalists, professors, artisans

The Third Estate 98% of the people

• Rural (country) peasants– Landowners– Tenant farmers– Day laborers

The Third Estate 98% of the people

• Urban (city) workers– Apprentices,

journeymen – worked in industry

– Servants, stable hands, porters, construction workers

Section 1

• Unhappy because members of 3rd Estate resented privileged 2nd & 1st Estates– Wealthy bourgeoisie could buy political offices

& titles– Nobles had best jobs but hardest urban

workers got very low wages– Peasants had to pay high taxes– Nobles had the right to hunt, but peasants

could not even kill rabbits who ate their crops

Political Cartoon

Financial Crisis

• Financial crisis because of deficit spending – government spending more money that it takes in

• Burden of debt– Louis XIV – left France deeply in debt because

• 7 Years War/French & Indian War• American Revolution• Lavish court expenses• ½ of income from taxes went to paying interest on debt

– To solve financial crisis, the government had to:• Increase taxes• Reduce expenses, objected to by 1st & 2nd Estates

Reform Failures

• Failure of reform– Heirs of Louis XIV

• Louis XV (1715-1774) pursued pleasure & ran up debt

• Louis XVI well-meaning but weak & indecisive, chose Jacques Necker as financial director

King Louis XVI

• When Louis XVI succeeded to the throne in 1774, he was not yet 20 years old.

• He had an enormous responsibility, as the government was deeply in debt, and resentment to 'despotic' monarchy was on the rise.

• Louis also felt woefully unqualified for the job.

Marie-Antoinette (Queen)

• Initially charmed by her personality and beauty, the French people generally came to dislike her.

• They accused her of being promiscuous and of harboring sympathies for France's enemies, particularly Austria, since Marie Antoinette was, after all, Austrian.

Jacques Necker

• Necker urged Louis XVI to– Reduce court spending– Reform government– Abolish tariffs on trade

Poor Harvests in 1780’s

• Food prices rose• Hunger for poor

peasants & city dwellers

• People rioted & demanded bread, attacked nobles’ manor houses

Pressure for Reform Mounted

– Powerful classes demanded king summon Estates General

– Hoped to bring king under control of nobles & guarantee own privileges

Estates General Called

• Louis XVI called Estates General – first meeting in 175 years

– Cahiers – notebook with grievances from the 3 Estates

• Fairer taxes• Freedom of the press• Regular meetings of Estates General

Tennis Court Oath

• Delegates to the Estates General from Third Estate were elected:– Lawyers, middle class officials, & writers (men with

property)– Solve financial crisis & reform

• Delegates dead-locked over voting issue– Each group had one vote & 1st & 2nd estates

outvoted 3rd Estate– After being locked out, the members from the 3rd

Estate moved to a nearby indoor tennis court nd they made their famous oath

– 3rd Est. separated & called themselves National Assembly & wanted to write own constitution

Tennis Court Oath

The Bastille

Bastille

• Paris Crowd Storms the Bastille– July 14, 1789, 800 Parisians met outside

Bastille prison• Demanded weapons & gunpowder• Commander of Bastille refused & opened fire on

the crowd, killing many• Angry crowd broke through defenses, killed

commander & 5 guards, but found no weapons

– Bastille became a symbol of French Revolution