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Questions and Answers
Which social group was responsible for bringing about a change in the social and economic order?
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?
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?
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?
What was the outcome of food scarcity and rising food prices?
What was the primary motivation behind the revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?
What was the primary motivation behind the revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?
Which of the following was a product manufactured by the middle class?
Which of the following was a product manufactured by the middle class?
What was the outcome of the emergence of the middle class?
What was the outcome of the emergence of the middle class?
What percentage of the population in France before 1789 were peasants?
What percentage of the population in France before 1789 were peasants?
Who participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?
Who participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity?
Who owned about 60 per cent of the land in France before 1789?
Who owned about 60 per cent of the land in France before 1789?
What was the main privilege enjoyed by the members of the first two estates in France before 1789?
What was the main privilege enjoyed by the members of the first two estates in France before 1789?
What was extracted by the Church from the peasants in France before 1789?
What was extracted by the Church from the peasants in France before 1789?
What did peasants have to do as part of feudal services?
What did peasants have to do as part of feudal services?
Who did not have to pay taxes to the state in France before 1789?
Who did not have to pay taxes to the state in France before 1789?
What was used as a unit of currency in France before 1794?
What was used as a unit of currency in France before 1794?
What is the term for a group of persons invested with special spiritual authority?
What is the term for a group of persons invested with special spiritual authority?
Who lent money to the French government and charged 10% interest on loans?
Who lent money to the French government and charged 10% interest on loans?
Which group was responsible for paying taxes in the French society of the 18th century?
Which group was responsible for paying taxes in the French society of the 18th century?
What was the term used to describe the social system of the French society in the 18th century?
What was the term used to describe the social system of the French society in the 18th century?
What was the main reason for the French government to increase taxes?
What was the main reason for the French government to increase taxes?
Who made up the majority of the third estate?
Who made up the majority of the third estate?
What was the result of the war on the French national debt?
What was the result of the war on the French national debt?
What was the main problem faced by the French government in terms of its finances?
What was the main problem faced by the French government in terms of its finances?
What was the social system that the French society was divided into?
What was the social system that the French society was divided into?
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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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