On the Eve of Revolution 18.1

French Society Divided• In France’s ancien regime, or old order, there were 3 social

classes or estates.• 1st Estate- The Church officials.

• 2nd Estate- Nobility who held government and military jobs.

• 3rd Estate- Bourgeoisie, or middle class, the peasant class, and the urban workers.

• Members of the 3rd Estate were upset that the 1st and 2nd Estate were exempt from taxes and received cushy jobs. Enlightenment ideals caused the 3rd Estate to question the ancien regime.

Financial Troubles

• Deficit spending occurs when a government spends more money than it makes.

• Louis XIV left France in debt due to lavish spending by the monarchs, the Seven Years’ War and the American Revolution.• The government kept borrowing money and tax revenue went

towards paying the interest on their loans. A bad harvest caused food prices to rise. Despite all this the 1st and 2nd Estate refused to be taxed.

Financial Troubles

• Louis XVI hired Jacques Necker as a financial advisor.• Necker urged the king to stop over spending, reform

government, reduce tariffs and to tax the 1st and 2nd Estates. The nobles and clergy forced Louis XVI to fire Necker.

• In 1788 Louis XVI summoned representatives each estate to form the Estates-General.• Each estate created cahiers, notebooks listing their grievances.

Estates-General cont.

• Only men who owned property could vote so the only the bourgeoisie of the 3rd Estate could be delegates.

• The 1st and 2nd Estates always voted together in order to ensure they continued to remain in control.

• In June 1789 the 3rd Estate declared themselves representatives of the people of France and created the National Assembly.• They planned a meeting, but the buildings doors were locked.

They moved the meeting to a nearby tennis court. The Tennis Court Oath was a promise to meet until a fair constitution was created.

Parisians Storm the Bastille• On July 14, 1789 Parisians heard rumors that royal

troops were going to occupy the city’s streets

• A large mob of Parisians gathered outside a medieval fortress known as the Bastille. They demanded weapons to protect themselves from royal troops.

• The commander of the fortress had the mob fired upon. The mob stormed the Bastille, killed the commander and 5 guards, and freed some prisoners

• Their were no weapons inside the building