On the Eve of Revolution

I. The Old Regime

a. Ancien regime – everyone in one of three classes

i. First Estate – Clergy

ii. Second Estate – Nobles

iii. Third Estate – Common People

b. First Estate – Clergy

i. Clergy owned 10% of land in France

1. collected tithes and did not pay tax

ii. High church leaders were nobles, parish priest usually commoners and poor

iii. Did provide social services – orphanages

iv. Condemned enlightenment thought

c. Second Estate – Nobles

i. Held high government officials (controlled by king)

ii. Most nobles lived away from Versailles

1. owned land, but little money

2. affected by inflation

iii. hated absolutism and feared losing power to middle class

d. Third Estate

i. 98 % of population

1. bourgeoisie – middle class – top of Third Estate

a. merchants, bankers, manufacturers

ii. majority were rural farmers

1. tenant farmers, but some owned land

iii. poorest were city workers

1. many were unemployed some had to beg and steal

e. Discontent

i. Middle class were shut out from top jobs and political influence

ii. Poor could not afford rises in bread – lead to starvation

iii. Peasants had to pay taxes and corvee

1. corvee – unpaid labor to maintain public works

iv. Peasants forbidden to hunt or kill animals – only nobles can

v. Enlightenment ideas cause them to stop being willing to accept social divisions

II. Financial Crisis

a. Deficit spending – when government pays more than it takes in

i. Paying for Seven Years War, American Revolution

ii. Led lavish lifestyles

1. borrowed money to pay for luxuries,

2. taxes only paid the interest on loans

b. Crumbling Economy

i. 1780’s – bad harvest increased price of food

ii. people rioted trying to get food

c. Failure of Reform

i. Louis XVI – was weak

1. Jacques Necker named as financial advisor

a. Recommend reduce spending, eliminate tariff, reform government

b. Also tax 1^st and 2^nd estates – nobles hear and get him fired

2. nobles pressure calling Estates General

a. hadn’t been called in 175 years to preserve King’s power

b. nobles wanted to get constitution, and protect nobles rights

III. King Takes Action

a. 1788 – France near bankruptcy

b. King calls Estates General

c. The Cahiers

i. Notebooks of grievances from the three estates

ii. Showed level of class resentment growing in France

d. The Tennis Court Oath

i. Delegates from Third Estate were nominated from propertied class

1. were lawyers etc – familiar with Voltaire and Enlightenment

ii. Traditionally each Estate meet separate and only get one vote

1. Third Estate will always lose

iii. National Assembly

1. Third Estate creates it to make a constitution – invite other estates

iv. Tennis Court Oath

1. will not disband until they have made a constitution

2. some nobles and priests join but not many

e. Louis XVI brings troops around to protect palace

IV. Storming the Bastille

a. July 14, 1789 – rumors that King sending troops to Paris

b. Mob goes to Bastille prison demanding weapons

c. Officer refuses and shoots at crowd

d. Mob gets enraged breaks into prison and kills officers