French Revolution: Third Estate Characteristics

The French society was divided into three estates in the 18th century: the clergy (1st estate), the nobility (2nd estate), and the commoners (3rd estate).

The main reasons for the empty treasure when the King became the ruler were the long years of war and the maintenance of the court of the Palace of Versailles.

The clergy, which included priests, bishops, and other religious leaders, were part of the church and held a lot of power and influence. They were also exempted from paying taxes.

<p>The nobility, which included kings, queens, lords, and other aristocrats, were usually wealthy and had a lot of privileges in French society.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The measure of increasing taxes was not sufficient because only the members of the third estate paid taxes, while the clergy and nobility were exempted from paying taxes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The French government's involvement in helping the thirteen American colonies gain independence from Britain added a lot of debt to the French government, which was a major factor in the empty treasury when the new King took over.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The feudal dues were payments or services owed by the peasants to the nobles and the Church.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The burden of financing the state through taxes was borne by the Third Estate alone.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Peasants made up about 90 percent of the population, but only a small number of them owned the land they cultivated.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The rapid increase in population and demand for food, coupled with stagnant wages and poor harvests due to droughts or hail, led to frequent subsistence crises or food shortages.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The educated middle class believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth, challenging the existing social order.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The middle class earned their wealth through an expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such as woollen and silk textiles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The three estates were: 1) The clergy (First Estate), 2) The nobility (Second Estate), and 3) The commoners (Third Estate). In the Estates General, the First and Second Estates each had 300 representatives seated facing each other, while the 600 members of the Third Estate had to stand at the back.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Third Estate demanded that voting in the Estates General be conducted by the assembly as a whole, with each member having one vote. The King rejected this proposal.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>After the King rejected their demand for voting by head, the members of the Third Estate protested and walked out of the Estates General assembly. On June 20, 1789, they assembled in an indoor tennis court and formed the National Assembly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The ideas of philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee-houses, and spread among people through books and newspapers, which were often read aloud in groups for those who could not read and write.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes to meet the expenses of the state generated anger and protest against the system, contributing to the outbreak of the revolution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some philosophers considered that the middle class was solely responsible for the revolution. The middle class, represented by the educated and prosperous members of the Third Estate, played a key role in challenging the existing social order and demanding political representation.</p> Signup and view all the answers