History of Social Class

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Questions and Answers

Which social group was responsible for bringing about a change in the social and economic order?

Peasants and workers

Merchants and manufacturers (correct)

The privileged class

The third estate

What was the primary source of wealth for the emerging middle class?

Weaker bodies

Food riots and scarcity

Expanding overseas trade (correct)

Increasing taxes

Which of the following was NOT a characteristic of the third estate?

Believed in privileges by birth (correct)

Included professions such as lawyers and administrative officials

Earned wealth through expanding overseas trade

Educated

What was the outcome of food scarcity and rising food prices?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary motivation behind the revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?

Desire for social and economic change Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following was a product manufactured by the middle class?

Woollen textiles Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the emergence of the middle class?

End to privileges Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the population in France before 1789 were peasants?

90 per cent Signup and view all the answers

Who participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?

Peasants and workers Signup and view all the answers

Who owned about 60 per cent of the land in France before 1789?

Nobles, the Church and richer members of the third estate Signup and view all the answers

What was the main privilege enjoyed by the members of the first two estates in France before 1789?

Exemption from paying taxes to the state Signup and view all the answers

What was extracted by the Church from the peasants in France before 1789?

Tithes Signup and view all the answers

What did peasants have to do as part of feudal services?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

Who did not have to pay taxes to the state in France before 1789?

Members of the first estate Signup and view all the answers

What was used as a unit of currency in France before 1794?

Livre Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a group of persons invested with special spiritual authority?

Clergy Signup and view all the answers

Who lent money to the French government and charged 10% interest on loans?

Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, and lawyers Signup and view all the answers

Which group was responsible for paying taxes in the French society of the 18th century?

Only members of the third estate Signup and view all the answers

What was the term used to describe the social system of the French society in the 18th century?

Old Regime Signup and view all the answers

What was the main reason for the French government to increase taxes?

To pay interest on loans Signup and view all the answers

Who made up the majority of the third estate?

Small peasants, landless labor, and servants Signup and view all the answers

What was the result of the war on the French national debt?

It added more than 1 billion livres to the national debt Signup and view all the answers

What was the main problem faced by the French government in terms of its finances?

It was unable to pay interest on loans Signup and view all the answers

What was the social system that the French society was divided into?

A system of three estates Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Emergence of the Middle Class

Peasants and workers lacked the means to bring about a change in the social and economic order, but the emerging middle class had the means and access to education and new ideas.
The middle class earned their wealth through expanding overseas trade and manufacturing goods such as woollen and silk textiles.
Members of the middle class included merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, and administrative officials who were educated and believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth.

The Crisis of the French Economy

The French government was in debt, with over 2 billion livres, and added more than a billion livres to it due to the war.
Lenders began to charge 10 per cent interest on loans, increasing the burden on the government.
The government had to spend an increasing percentage of its budget on interest payments, leading to increased taxes.

The Society of Estates

French society in the 18th century was divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the third estate.
The clergy and nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth, including exemption from paying taxes to the state.
Nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges, including feudal dues, and peasants were obliged to render services to the lord.
The Church extracted its share of taxes, called tithes, from the peasants.

The Third Estate

The third estate included peasants, artisans, and small-scale landowners who made up about 90 per cent of the population.
Only a small number of peasants owned the land they cultivated, with about 60 per cent of the land owned by nobles, the Church, and other richer members of the third estate.
The third estate had to pay taxes to the state, while the clergy and nobility were exempt.

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Description

Complete the diagram by selecting the correct terms related to the emergence of a growing middle class and its impact on social privileges.