French Society during the late Eighteenth Century

French Society during the late Eighteenth Century: French society was divided into three classes, which were known as Estates. The first estate was known as the clergy, the second estate was known as being of the nobility, and the third estate included the rest of the population including the peasants and the middle-class professionals and merchants.

The first and second estates formed the privileged sections. They had most of the land even though they formed a minor portion of the population, all the important positions of the state were held by them and were mostly exempted from paying taxes. The third estate had received no privileges and was heavily taxed by the state and was imprisoned if the taxes were not paid on time. The peasants also had to perform compulsory unpaid services. Merchants and professionals of the middle classes were denied social parity and political rights. Hence, French society in the 18th century was characterized by extreme inequalities between those privileged and those not.

• American Revolution (1775-1783): France supported the American colonies in their fight against British rule, leading to significant strains on the French treasury.
• Economic Crisis: France faced severe economic challenges due to extravagant spending by the monarchy and a regressive tax system that burdened the lower classes.
• Convocation of the Estates-General (1789): King Louis XVI convened the Estates-General, a representative assembly, in an attempt to address financial issues. This event marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
• Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789): A pivotal moment in the French Revolution, the storming of the Bastille prison symbolized the overthrow of the monarchy and the beginning of popular revolt.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): The National Assembly adopted this declaration, which outlined fundamental rights and principles of the French Revolution, including liberty, equality, and fraternity.
• Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Led by the radical Jacobins, the Reign of Terror was a period of mass executions and political repression aimed at eliminating counter-revolutionary elements.
• Execution of Louis XVI (January 21, 1793): The king was tried and convicted of treason by the National Convention, leading to his execution by guillotine.
• Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte: Napoleon emerged as a prominent military leader during the French Revolutionary Wars and eventually seized power, establishing himself as Emperor of the French in 1804. However, this transition largely occurred in the early 19th century.

The French society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the Middle Ages. “Old Regime” is the term usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before 1789. About 60 percent of the lands were owned by nobles, the Church, and other richer members of the third estate.

The members of the first two estates enjoyed certain privileges by birth. Most important of which was exemption from paying taxes to the state. The nobles also enjoyed feudal privileges; which included feudal dues, which were extracted from peasants. Peasants were mostly obliged to offer services to the lord- work in his house and fields, serve the army or participate in construction activities.

When Louis XVI ascended to the throne of France in 1774, he inherited a realm burdened with severe financial problems. The French monarchy’s treasury was indeed nearly empty, a crisis that had been brewing for decades due to various factors.The financial crisis was a critical factor that led to the French Revolution, profoundly altering the course of French history and the monarchy’s fate, including that of Louis XVI himself.

The Church also extracted its share of taxes known as tithes from the peasants and finally all the members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state; which included a direct tax called taille, and a number of indirect taxes which were imposed on articles of even daily use. The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate.

French society was rigidly stratified into three estates:

• The First Estate comprised the clergy.
• The Second Estate consisted of the nobility.
• The Third Estate included everyone else, from wealthy merchants to impoverished peasants.

During the late eighteenth century, French society was separated into three homes:

First Estate

Church had a location with the fundamental bequest of that time French society. Ministry had been the gathering of people who had been associated with the exquisite capacities in the congregation like dads and exclusive men and women from tfhe congregation.

Second Estate

Respectability had a vicinity with the 2nd domain of the late eighteenth-century French society. Respectability was genetic and as a result, a person should get honorability using birth. Nonetheless, the new people had been moreover granted honorability by way of authorities after settling weighty fees or by using giving incredible administrations to the government. That implies honorability could be bought too.

Third Estate

The 0.33 domain of then French society was additionally remoted into three classes. Huge finance managers, dealers, court authorities, legal counselors and so, forth had a vicinity with the predominant classification of the third bequest. Workers, the craftsman had a place in the subsequent classification. Little workers, landless employees, and employees had a region with the 0.33 class of 0.33 bequest. These had been viewed as the most minimal category in the customary public. Individuals from the 0.33 domain needed to cover exclusive types of charges. 

The population of France increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789, which led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains and the production of food grains couldn’t keep pace with the demand for it. So, eventually the price of bread which was a staple diet of the majority; rose rapidly. 

Most of the workers worked in workshops whose owners fix their wages, but the wages didn’t keep pace with rising prices. So, the gap between the rich and the poor rose and widened. In case of drought or hail, the harvest was affected even more. This led to a subsistence crisis, something which occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime.

A subsistence crisis is caused by economic factors which include high food prices, which in turn can be caused by natural or man-made causes, which threaten the food supplies and also the survival prospect of a huge chunk of people, especially the poorer sections of the society.

The subsistence crisis was a recurrent event in the old regime of France because of several factors. Firstly, due to the rise of rapid population, which in turn led to increasing demand for food grains. The production however couldn’t keep pace with the demand; because of this, the price of foodstuff which was made from these grains rose. Also, most workers were employed with fixed wages and the wages couldn’t keep pace with the rise in prices. Hence, the poor got poorer and the rich got richer, widening the gap between both. The crisis even hit hard whenever drought and hail occurred, reducing harvest.

Peasants and workers had participated in revolts against increased taxes and food scarcity in the past. But there was a lack of the means and programs to carry out full-scale measures that could bring social and economic changes. It was left to those groups of the third estate who had become prosperous and had access to education and hence new ideas.

The 18th century saw the emergence of a new group known as the “middle class”, who earned their wealth and position through expanding overseas trade and from the manufacturing of goods such as woolen and silk textiles. The third estate also included other professions like lawyers or administrative officials, all of which were educated and believed that not one group should get privilege based on birth; rather the position of a person depended on his merit. Ideas of freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all were put forward by scholars like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. 

Locke tried to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute rights of monarchs. Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives. The American Constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for political thinkers in France.

These ideas of the philosophers gained huge popularity and were discussed thoroughly in the salons and coffee houses and spread among people through books and newspapers. These were regularly read out loudly for benefit of the people who couldn’t read or write. For example, the news that Louise XVI planned to impose further taxes to be able to meet the expenses of the state generated anger and protests against the system of privileges.

The French monarchy faced a dire financial crisis in the late 18th century due to several factors. Years of extravagant spending by the royal court, including on lavish palaces, courtiers, and military ventures, had drained the treasury. Costly wars, such as France’s involvement in the American Revolution, further exacerbated the financial strain. Additionally, France’s tax system was inefficient and heavily burdened the common people while exempting the nobility and clergy.

Attempts to reform taxation and reduce debt were met with staunch resistance from the nobility and clergy, who were unwilling to relinquish their privileges. The monarchy’s inability to implement necessary reforms led to a stalemate, worsening economic conditions for the lower classes. The heavy tax burden on the peasantry, coupled with poor harvests and inflation, plunged many into poverty and desperation, laying the groundwork for revolutionary sentiments.

The late 18th century witnessed a flourishing of intellectual and philosophical ideas in France. Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Diderot challenged traditional authority and advocated for radical social and political reforms. They championed ideals of reason, liberty, equality, and progress, critiquing the monarchy, aristocracy, and the Catholic Church.

Enlightenment ideas spread through salons, coffeehouses, pamphlets, and books, fueling public discourse and challenging the established order. Voltaire’s advocacy for religious tolerance, Rousseau’s concepts of the social contract and popular sovereignty, and Montesquieu’s theories on separation of powers profoundly influenced the political landscape, inspiring calls for democratic governance and individual rights.

France experienced rapid urbanization during the late 18th century, as rural populations migrated to burgeoning cities like Paris in search of employment and opportunity. Urban centers became hubs of political, cultural, and economic activity, attracting artisans, merchants, and intellectuals.

However, urban areas also grappled with widespread poverty, overcrowding, and social inequality. Workers endured long hours, low wages, and harsh living conditions, while unemployment and homelessness were rampant. The disparity between the wealthy bourgeoisie and the impoverished proletariat fueled resentment and social unrest, contributing to the revolutionary fervor that swept across France.

Food scarcity and soaring bread prices were recurrent problems in late 18th-century France, exacerbating the plight of the urban poor. Bread, a staple of the French diet, became increasingly unaffordable for many working-class families as harvest failures and grain shortages drove up prices.

Faced with hunger and economic hardship, the urban populace staged bread riots and protests, venting their anger against perceived injustices and demanding relief from the monarchy and aristocracy. The bread riots served as a potent symbol of popular discontent and the people’s growing disillusionment with the ruling elite, laying the groundwork for revolutionary upheaval.

Women, particularly from the lower classes, played pivotal roles in the French Revolution, although their contributions are often overlooked in historical narratives. Women participated in protests, organized food riots, and actively engaged in political activism, advocating for their rights and the rights of the disenfranchised.

The Revolution brought some advancements in gender equality, such as the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizeness by Olympe de Gouges. However, these gains were limited, and women continued to face societal constraints and discrimination. Class struggles intersected with gender dynamics, as women from lower classes faced additional economic and social challenges compared to their affluent counterparts.

The French Revolution precipitated profound cultural transformations that reshaped French society and identity. The Revolution sought to dismantle the ancien régime, abolishing feudal privileges, aristocratic titles, and the authority of the Catholic Church.

Secularism emerged as a guiding principle, as the Revolution aimed to separate church and state, promote rationalism, and establish a new civic religion based on patriotism and citizenship. Revolutionary symbols, such as the tricolor flag and the national anthem “La Marseillaise,” reflected the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

The Revolution also sparked a surge of artistic and literary creativity, as artists, writers, and musicians sought to capture the spirit of revolutionary upheaval. Neoclassical art celebrated republican virtues and heroic sacrifices, while revolutionary literature and propaganda disseminated revolutionary ideology and galvanized popular support.

18th-century French society divided into?

18th century French society was divided into three estates- clergy, nobility and the rest of the population which included peasants, merchants and emerging middle classes.

What do you mean by the third estate in French society?

The third estate was made up of everyone else- from the peasant farmers to the bourgeois. It formed majority of the society and had no privileges and rights.

Which group of French society benefitted from the revolution?

Peasants and artisans were the ones who benefitted most from the revolution.

What was the position of women in French society?

The women were mostly confined to the private sphere. Domestic duties and family obligations dictated their behavior and course. However, the ideas of equality which sparked during the French revolution attracted the attention of women from all corners of life.

Analyze the role of Jacobins in French society.

They were mostly left wing revolutionaries who aimed to end the reign of King Louis XVI and establish a French republic in which political authority came from the people.