Chapter 6 “The French Revolution & Napoleon”Section 1 On the Eve of Revolution
Mr. BellisarioWoodridge High School
The Social Structure of the Old Regime in France was an
outdated social system from the Middle Ages…the King live a carefree life, along with the nobles and clergy while most
of the French population suffered
The First Estate – Clergy (church)• Enormous wealth & privilege• Owned 10% of French land• Collected money but paid no
taxes• Provided some social services
– Schools– Hospitals– Orphanages
• High church leaders were wealthy land owners while parish priests were poor
The Second Estate – Nobles
• Top jobs in: – Government– Army– Courts– Church
• Owned land but had money
• Feared losing privileges & freedom from paying taxes
The Third Estate – 98% of the French Population
• Bourgeoisie – middle class– Bankers, merchants, manufacturers– Officials in government
bureaucracy– Lawyers, doctors, journalists,
professors, artisans
• Rural peasants– Landowners– Tenant farmers– Day laborers
• Urban workers– Apprentices, journeymen – worked
in industry– Servants, stable hands, porters,
construction workers
Why is the 3rd Estate upset with the 1st and 2nd?
• …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
Economic problems in 1789
• Financial crisis because of deficit spending – government spending more money that it takes in
• Burden of debt left by Louis XIV (14th) – 7 Years War/French & Indian
War– American Revolution– Lavish court expenses– ½ of income from taxes went
to paying interest on debt
How to solve the problem
• To solve financial crisis, the government had to– Increase taxes– Reduce expenses,
objected to by 1st & 2nd Estates
Result of Poor harvests in 1780’s
• Food prices rose• Hunger for poor
peasants & city dwellers• People rioted &
demanded bread, attacked nobles’ manor houses
Heirs of Louis XIV (14th)
• Louis XV (1715-1774) pursued pleasure & ran up debt
• Louis XVI well-meaning but weak & indecisive, chose Jacques Necker as financial director
Jacques Necker’s Suggestions
• Reduce court spending• Reform government• Abolish tariffs on trade
Pressure for reform mounted
• Powerful classes demanded king summon Estates General
• Hoped to bring king under control of nobles & guarantee own privileges
Estates General
• 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– Solve financial crisis & reform
• Delegates dead-locked over voting issue– Each group had one vote & 1st &
2nd estates outvoted 3rd Estate– 3rd Estate separated & called
themselves National Assembly & wanted to write own constitution
The Beginning…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