French Revolution: Social & Economic Conditions

French Revolution: Social & Economic Conditions

• The Third Estate (peasants, laborers, and middle class) bore the brunt of France's financial burden.
• Peasants paid roughly 55% of their income in taxes, including taxes to the state, tithes to the Church, and feudal dues to nobles.
• Peasants were burdened with tolls for using roads and bridges, forced to use noble-owned mills, ovens, and wine presses, and paid indirect taxes such as the gabelle (salt tax).
• The gabelle was particularly onerous and scandalous, with tax collectors (gabellous) conducting house searches and harassing people for hoarding salt.
• The commoners also faced excise duty, taille (property tax), and customs duties.
• Feudal dues included corvée (forced labor) of two or three days and contributions in kind.
• French peasants, plagued by oppression, were dissatisfied with their living conditions and felt their grievances were ignored.
• The Third Estate sought changes to the government, society, and economic conditions.
• The growing middle class, some members of the nobility, and members of the working class adopted the ideology of individual equality and freedom.

French Revolution: Economic Crisis

• France faced a significant financial crisis due to enormous debt, extravagant government spending, and an outdated tax system which brought little revenue.

French Revolution: Intellectual Influences

• Voltaire (1694-1778): Criticized the French government's social, religious, and political institutions. His writings inspired questioning of France's social and economic conditions.
• Montesquieu (1689-1755): He proposed a natural explanation for various forms of government and factors influencing their development and preservation from corruption.
• Separation of Powers: Montesquieu argued that a balance of power among legislative, executive, and judicial branches could prevent despotism. This theory significantly impacted liberal political theory, influencing the framing of the U.S. Constitution and inspiring the French people against their autocratic government.
• Rousseau (1712-1778): Considered the "Father" of the French Revolution, his work "The Social Contract" provided a strong intellectual foundation for the revolution.
• Physiocrats: A group of French economists who believed that the economy should be governed by natural laws, advocated for free trade, competition, and abolishing special privileges.
• Francois Quesnay (1694-1774): He emphasized the significance of agriculture as the primary source of wealth.

French Revolution: Political Landscape

• Legislative Assembly (1791-1792): Faced challenges due to political rivalries.
  • Constitutionalists: Favored a constitutional monarchy with limited powers for the king.
  • Republicans: Favored establishing a republic and were further subdivided into:
    • Girondins: Moderates who supported republican government.
    • Jacobins: Radical republicans who advocated for strong measures to ensure a republican system.
• Laws Against Clergy and Émigrés: The Legislative Assembly passed laws which:
  • Required priests to adhere to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.
  • Called for French nobles who had fled the country (émigrés) to return or face confiscation of their property.
• King Louis XVI's Veto: Louis XVI vetoed both laws, further alienating him and the Girondins.
• Foreign Intervention: The French Revolutionaries sought to spread their ideals outside France, leading to foreign powers becoming increasingly involved in the internal affairs of France.