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At the end of th is sect ion , I w i l l be able to answer

the fol low ing quest ions :

What was the social structure of the old regime?

Why did France face an economic crisis by 1789?

 Why did efforts at reform fail?

Vocabulary bourgeoisies, deficit, spending

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What was the Old Regime?

The old order consisted of 3 Social Classes:

 – 1st Estate – Clergy – 2nd Estate – Nobility

 – 3rd Estate – Majority

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The Church made up the First Es tate

The Church had great influence at this time.

 – Owned 10% of the Land – Collected tithes

 – Didn’t pay any taxes 

High Church Leaders lived well – Bishops & Abbots lived as nobles

 – However, the Parish priest lived poorly

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The t i t led Nobility made up the Second

Estate

The King gave them the top jobs in – government

 – the army

 – the courts and in

 – the Church

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However, some nobles lived away from thecenter of power

Owned land, but had small incomes

Felt pinched to maintain status while priceswere rising

Resented the middle class for getting jobs

that had been reserved for the aristocracy Feared loosing traditional privileges

 – Especially freedom from paying taxes

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The Third Estate included the remaining98% of the population (27 million people)

Bourgeoisie's were at the top – middle

class (about 8% of the population)

 – They were prosperous bankers, merchants,

manufacturers

 – Officials who worked for royalty Lawyers, doctors, journalists, professors, skilled

artisans

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Who made up the majority of the Third

Estate?

90% of the people were rural peasants – Some of them were landowners who hired

farmers to work for them

 – Some were tenant farmers or day laborers who

owed obligations to the local nobles

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However, the poorest member of the Third

Estate were city workers

 – This included apprentices, journeymen, and

others who worked in industry

 – Many people worked as servants, stable hands,

porters, construction workers, or street hawkers.

 – Many were unemployed and either begged orstole to survive.

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Why were so many people dissatisfied with

this social system?

Everyone in the 3rd

 Estate resented theprivileges enjoyed by their “social better” 

Wealthy bourgeois families could buy

political office and even titles. However, the best jobs were still reserved

for nobles.

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The urban workers were paid such low

wages that even the smallest price increase

in bread could result in starvation

Peasants were heavily taxed for everything

Peasants owed fees and services dating

back many years. When money got tight, nobles wanted the

peasants to pay these old manor dues

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Only nobles had the right to hunt game.

Peasants were forbidden to kill rabbits that

were eating their crops (Remember that the nobles could trample the

 peasants fields while they were hunting and the

nobles weren’t responsible for what this cost the

 peasants)

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Enlightenment ideas are reading the cities

and towns.

People asked, “why should the first twoestates have pr iv i leges at the expense of

the majority?”  

It’s didn’t pass the test of reason!   – The 3 rd  Estate started demand ing that the priv i leged

classes s tart paying th eir share.

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The chart showing Population & Land

Ownership tells a revealing tale (page 65)

1st

 Estate: ½% of the people owned 10%of the land

2nd Estate: 1.5% of the people owned 20%

of the land

3rd Estate: 98% of the people owned only

70% of the land

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Additionally, there is a financial crisis!

The government had been spending more

money that it was taking in This is called deficit spending

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Why was France in debt? Cost of War:

 – 7 Years’ War  

 – Supporting America’s revolutionary war  

Prices had been increasing everywhere

Lavish life styles of the court cost the

government millions of dollars – Loans were purchased to make up this gap, so

½ of tax revenue went to paying debt

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How could this financial crisis get any

worse?

Crumbling economy – General Economic decline in the 1770s

 – 1780, bad harvests sent food prices soaring

 – Brought hunger to poorer peasants & city

dwellers

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How did the people respond?

In towns, people rioted & demanded bread

In the countryside, people started attackingmanors to get food

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What is the King going to do?

Louis XIV who ruled from 1715-1774

 –  pursued pleasure before business Louis IV took over in 1774

 – He tried to address these problems

He looked to Jacques Necker , a financialwizard to help solve these financial woes

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Jacques Necker has a financial plan

Reduce Court spending

Reform government

Improve internal trade by abolishing the

tariffs that made trade costly

Start taxing the 1st and 2nd Estates

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Did everyone embrace these solutions?

No, the nobles and the high clergy got King

Henry XV to dismiss Necker for proposingthat they pay taxes.

What are they going to do now?

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The wealthy and powerful classesdemanded that the king call the Estates

General

 – The Estates General hadn’t been called in 175years

 – They hoped that through the Estates General

that they would be able to establish a

constitution

Limit the kings power

Protect the privileges for the nobles

(what’s an Estates General anyway?)

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How did Louis XVI prepare for the Estates

General meeting at Versailles in May of

1789?

He had all 3 Estates prepare cahiers

 – cahiers are notebooks listing their grievances

How did th is help Louis XVI prepare?

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What things did the cahiers call for?

Fairer taxes

Freedom of the press

Regular meetings of the Estates General

Right to kill animals that destroy crops

Some servant girls wanted to some rewardfor years of servicing their masters

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Some people referred to the tax collectors

as “bloodsuckers ”? 

Some called the courts of nobles as“vampires pumping the last drop of

blood” from people” 

 Another complained that “20 m i ll ion mus t

l ive on half the wealth o f France wh i le the

clergy …devour the other half .” 

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How did the Estates General go? Delegates from the 3rd Estate wanted to

meet as a group.

 – They usually meet separately; the 1st and 2nd Estates could out vote the 3rd Estate

 – Remember, the 3rd Estate represented 98% of

the people

 – The representatives of the 3rd Estate knew

about the Enlightenment thinkers and wanted to

implement these ideas

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What did the 3rd Estate do after several

weeks of being deadlocked?

They proclaimed that they represented thepeople of France

They called themselves the National

Assembly

They invited the other Estates to help them

form a constitution

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How did the King react to the National

Assembly?

He locked them out of the meeting place The national Assembly took the Tennis

Court Oath and vowed not to leave until a

constitution was draw up

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The King had to recognize the National

Assembly

 – Some clergy & nobles joined the National

 Assembly

 – However, royal troops gathered around

Versailles & Paris

 – It was rumored that the King would dissolve theNational Assembly

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What was Storm ing the Bast il le ?

On July 14, 1789, more than 800

Parisians demanded – that the prisoners be released

 – That they be given weapons & the

gunpowder believed to be stored there.

The commander of the Bastille refused &

fired on the crowd

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How did the crowd react? They stormed the Bastille and eventually

overpowered the soldiers

 – killed the 5 guards – Released the prisoners

 – However, they didn’t find any guns or

ammunition This day is known as “Bastille Day”  

 – It’s a national holiday in France 

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The French Revolution-1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vZchj7art0 

The French Revolution-2:

The French Revolution-3:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43BjKl_TrCw 

The French Revolution-4: ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyCdazyz2is&feature=relmfu  

The French Revolution-5:

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French Revolution Kahn academny

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