Created by Pahal Agarwal
about 3 years ago
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14 July 1789- king ordered troops to move into the city People formed militia Broke into govt. buildings in search of arms Marched till bastille Killed Governor DeLaunay Released all 7 prisoners Demolished bastille Sold fragments in the market as souvenirs of destruction Old Regime- Society & institutions of France before 1789. Livre- French currency discontinued in 1794. 1774- Louis 16 of the bourbon family ascended 20 y/o Married to Austrian princess Marie Antoinette Found empty treasury Long years of war drained financial resources Cost of maintaining extravagant palace at Versailles Helped 13 American colonies gain independence from Britain War added debt more than about 2 billion livres Lenders began charging 10% interest Obliged to spend more money on interest payments Forced to increase taxes Only the third estate paid taxes
FRANCE Monarch (king’s family) Clergy (church people) Nobility (king’s ministers) Third estate Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, lawyers Peasants and artisans Small peasants, landless labour, servants 90% population- peasants Only a small number owned land 60% land owned by nobles, church and rich third estate Clergy and nobility enjoyed privileges by birth Exemption from paying taxes Nobles enjoyed feudal privileges Feudal dues extracted from peasants Peasants were obliged to work in houses and fields, serve in the army or build roads Church extracted tithes (10% of total produce) from peasants All members of the third estate paid taxes to the state A direct tax called taille Indirect taxes on salt and tobacco The population rose from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789 A rapid increase in demand for food grains Production could not keep pace with demands The price of bread (staple diet of the majority) increased Most workers had fixed wages Wages did not put up with prices The gap between rich and poor widened Things worsened during drought or hail This led to subsistence crisis (frequent occurrence during Old Regime)
Peasants and workers had participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity Lacked means and programs to carry out full-scale measures Could not bring change in the social and economic order Left to prosperous and educated groups of the third estate In the 18th century- the middle class emerged Earned wealth through Overseas trade Manufacture of woollen and silk textiles The third estate included lawyers and administrative officials Educated and denied the idea of getting privileges by birth A person’s social position must depend on merit These ideas were put forward by philosophers like John Locke (Two Treatises of Government) Refuted the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Social Contract) Proposed government based on a social contract b/w people and representatives Charles Montesquieu (The Spirit of the Laws) Division of power within the govt b/w legislative, executive and judiciary These ideas were discussed in salons and coffee houses Spread among people through books and newspapers Estates-General- A political body to which all the three estates sent their representatives. Read aloud in groups for the ones who could not read and write Louis 16 planned to impose further taxes Angered the people Gave rise to protests against the system of privileges Subsistence Crisis- An extreme situation where basic means of livelihood are endangered.
Read aloud in groups for the ones who could not read and write Louis 16 planned to impose further taxes Angered the people Gave rise to protests against the system of privileges Estates-General- A political body to which all the three estates sent their representatives. In the Old Regime, the monarch did not have the power to increase taxes according to his will Had to call a meeting of the Estates-General which would pass his proposals Only the monarch decided when to call the meeting (last time in 1614) The Estates-General had 300 representatives from the clergy 300 representatives from nobility 600 representatives from the third estate (only educated men; artisans and women banned) Louis 16 called a meeting to pass a proposal for increasing taxes on 5 May 1789 Representatives from the first two estates were seated in rows facing each other on two sides The third estate stood at the back Each estate had one vote The third estate was outvoted Wanted to adopt a new system, where everyone had one vote (based on Social Contract) Denied by Louis 16 The third estate walked out in protest Drafted new constitution to limit powers of the king, led by Mirabeau (noble, convinced with the need to do away with feudal privileges)
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