France Prior to Revolution

French Revolution UnitDay 2

France Prior to Revolution

September 13, 2012 Preview:Explain who should pay taxes and why.

Today’s Objective…

Today we will describe France prior to the French Revolution using this lecture!

France Before the Revolution In the 1700s, France was

considered the most advanced country in Europe.

Many Enlightenment thinkers came from France.

It was successful in foreign trade.

French culture was highly praised.

All the world thought France was the country to imitate.

What the World Did Not Know… There was much unrest in France

due to: High Prices High Taxes New questions that were brought on

by the Enlightenment thinkers Rousseau and Voltaire.

The Old Regime=Feudal SystemFrance

was practicing a feudal system

The Estates System An Estate is a

social class There are 3

Estates in France prior to the Revolution

First Estate Roman Catholic

Church Clergy They owned 10% of

the land and consist of 1% of the population

They provided education and relief services to the poor.

This estate had the privilege of being exempt from paying taxes

Second Estate Made up of rich nobles Held much of the

wealth and land They made up only

2 percent of the population

They owned 20 percent of the land

They paid almost no taxes

The Third Estate Everyone else!! 97% of the population belonged to the

3rd estate. There were 3 sub groupings in the 3rd Estate.

Bourgeoisie: Merchants and artisans (Enlightenment Thinkers)

They were well educated and believed strongly in the Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality. Some were as rich as the nobles!!

The Workers: Cooks, servants and others Poorer than the bourgeoisies; Paid low wages and frequently

out of work. The Peasants: Largest group within the 3rd Estate

More than 80% of the population Peasants paid about ½ of their income in dues to the nobles,

tithes to the church, and taxes to the King. Every day necessities were taxed such as food.

Processing…. Analyze the

cartoon to the right…

What is it trying to say about French society?

One paragraph