The third estate made up approximately 98% of France. Most of them were peasants, working on increasing small pieces of land that they rented from their ‘lord’ from an extortionate amount of money, or they worked in the factories in the cities, were the working and living conditions were atrocious. Although in the present day state of mind, were it is uncommon for somebody not to be educated, it is hard to realise that these people were contempt in life. As I explained earlier, the 1st estate had extreme power over the 3rd estate. The Peasants went to church and believed that there current life was insignificant as long as they obeyed God and were guaranteed a place in heaven. The peasants were also very badly educated and the ideas of the philosophers were not aimed at them. In general, the only disruptions that the peasants produced were bread riots.
A new class was also forming during the 18th Century within the third Estate. They were called the ‘Bourgeois’, and were originally rich peasants but gradually turned their efforts to being merchants.
The king noticed this new class and decided that he could gain some wealth if he used them in an effective way. The Bourgeois had money and the king had titles, the Bourgeois were wealthy due to their ability, not there inherited wealth, which the king also appreciated. The King decided to ‘cash in’ from the Bourgeois’, firstly by selling titles to them, and then appointing them, or selling them seats in the parlements. The Bourgeois also affected the nobility in two ways. Firstly, the poorer members of the nobility thought that it would be a good idea to marry into the Bourgeois, knowing that they would financially gain from it, and the Bourgeois would have a cheaper way of obtaining that increasingly important title.
The county was also geographically divided. Within France there were 39 Provincial Governments, each with one Governor, but they had no real authority, they were puppets, controlled by the King. There were also 36 Generalities, which were run by 36 people called intendants. As well as this were there 13 ‘parlements’. The parlements had the most significant role out of the ‘groups’, and were in charge of ‘resorts’. The parlements were granted more power by Louis XV but towards the end of his reign they were once again made powerless.
All of the above are political, Geographical divides, the religious divides were also relatively numerous. There were 18 Arch Diocese, with an Arch Bishop in charge of each, and within there were 136 Diocese. Not only were there political and religious divides, there were also less official divides, such as the south of France used common law and the North used Roman Law, different areas followed different rules, there were even different sets of measures in the different areas. All of these factors meant that different parts of France were like entirely different countries. This alone made it hard for France to reform, without the further inconvenience of people’s unwillingness to reform.
The ancien regime was named after the revolution to describe the ‘era’ before the revolution. During this time, the King was an Absolutist leader. The basic principles of absolutism are that the Monarch rules by divine right and decides what is best for the state, he has unlimited power and everyone should be loyal to him, the Monarch should dominate the cultural world and censor what he deems unsuitable. Louis XVI was an absolutist. The effects of absolutism were evidentially, devastating to Louis XVI.
The effects of absolutism were royal despotism, the King was unable to recognise that his actions did have consequences. The King was unable to make compromises, either to his own personal welfare or to that of his countries, the King wanted to please the satisfied people. He was not willing to increase taxes; well some may say that he was perfectly willing to but his overpowering, Austrian wife, Marie Antoinette thought the idea was disgraceful, and that tradition was more important than national stability.
The King lived a very extravagant life, his wife had gambling debts measuring 500 thousands livres and were unable to cut down on anything, even though their country was suffering a financial crisis.
The financial crisis was a product of two factors, firstly two wars that produced a debt, and secondly, the way in which the problems were dealt with. France had previously been in the seven-year war (1756-63), which produced some debts, and then they got involved in the American War of independence (1778-83). France got involved with the American War of independence because they believed that the benefits would out weigh the problems caused. France sought revenge on England; they also believed that America would be a good trading post, which would help revive the ‘depressed’ economy. The reality did not match these expectations. Many soldiers’ dies, the war took far longer than expected, and the returning soldiers bought thought of the ‘idealist’ system that had been set up in France.
This leaves us with a country that is heavily divided, with huge financial problems and a ‘stubborn’ monarch. The next item to the list that formed the basis of the revolution was the new ‘Director General’, Necker, appointed by the King in 1771. Jacques Necker was in charge of the finances in France. He told all the citizens of France that France was financially sound, so wealthy in fact, that there was a 10 million livres surplus. This was in fact an illusion placed in front of the truth. There may have been 10 million livres, but there was also a 422 million livres debt, which was ever increasing due to ‘Necker’s policy’ of boring money and let the economy revive its self. Necker simply ‘dug’ France into a deeper whole, building a false sense of security in France and borrowing more loans.
Necker’s successor was a man called Calonne. Calonne was very unpopular and his only supporter was an important man called Vargennes. Calonne had to overcome the problem of restoring France’s financial security with Necker’s shadow hanging over him. Calonne tried to tell the members of the Parlements that Necker was a fraud that had lied to make himself look good, which did not help. Calonne’s idea was to abolish the land tax and make a new tax, called the ‘Vingtiemes’. This tax was similar to the land tax, although it had one difference; the nobility were also required to pay it. This may have solved the problem, the nobility had a lot of money and they currently not being taxed. The king was also in favour of this idea but he was unable to just simply pass it. He had to have the support from the Parlements.
In February 1787, the king called the Assembly of Notables, which was were the entire nobility meet to discuss Calonne’s ‘Vingtiemes’. The king had expected the law to be passed, simply because the selected members were ones that the King believed to be ‘enlightened’. This did not go to plan and the Nobles denied the law. Brienne, who was the Arch Bishop of Toulouse, replaced Calonne in April 1787. Calonne continued to attempt to pass Calonne’s law, although it did have a new name and was slightly adjusted, and this time the Assembly of Notables asked for more information about the law, the King refused and claimed that they were questioning his authority and so decided to dismiss the assembly in May, 1787, which also led to an ever increasing list of problems. The king was now unable to pass his law and the nobles were calling for the estates general to be passed.
The estates general was called in 1789, were Necker is recalled, but no real solutions are formed. The third estate started to decide that it deserved more power and respect than it got, the second estate was divided between agreeing with the reforming 3rd estate and the traditional 1st estate and the Kings role becoming ever less important.
After answering the question, ‘Why was there a revolution in France in 1789?’ I have come to the conclusion that the primary reason was the social and political structure in France during the ancien regime and the fact that nobody was willing reform when they should have. Instead they waited until it was too late and the inevitable happened, there was a revolution, which was also turned out to be long lasting and damaging to every aspect of French society.
