FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE 18TH CENTURY

The society of estates was a part of the Feudal system (bonded Labourers)

The term ‘OLD REGIME’ is usually used to describe the society and
institutions of France before 1789.

1st Estate 2nd Estate 3rd Estate

Clergy Nobility

Big Businessmen, Peasants and artisans Small Peasants,

Enjoyed Enjoyed merchants, court landless labourers,
privileges privileges officials, lawyers, etc. and servants
by birth by birth

Enjoyed
feudal
privileges Peasants were forced to provide
services to the lords – to work in
his fields and houses, serve in
army and participate in building
roads.

Church imposed direct and

indirect taxes –
(a) Direct tax - Taille
(b) Church’s share of
Taxes from peasants like –
salt and tobacco called Tithes.

GROWING MIDDLE CLASS

The 18th century witnessed the emergence of social groups, termed as ‘middle class’.

They earned their wealth through trade and from manufacturing goods like silk and
woollen textiles.

There were also professionals in this groups like lawyers and administrative officials.

They all believed in the idea of privileges on merit and not on birth.

These ideas were based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all in a society.

These ideas were highlighted by philosophers like

John Locke Jean Jacques Montesquieu

Rousseau

In his book In his book

In his book

Two treatises of The spirit of

Government The Social contract the laws.

THE OUTBREAK OF A REVOLUTION

In 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estate General to pass proposals for new taxes.

The 1st and 2nd estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows facing each other.
&
600 members of the 3rd estate had to stand at the back.

Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the assembly.

In the past, Voting was conducted on the notion that each estate, as a whole, had one vote.

But members of the 3rd estate demanded that each individual should be given a right to vote.

This was one of the democratic principles by Rousseau, written in his book ‘The social Contract’.

When their proposal was rejected by the king, the members of the 3rd estate walked out of the assembly in protest.

The 3rd estate declared themselves as the National Assembly and drafted the constitution for France, which
limited the powers of the monarch.

There was an outbreak on the streets, where crowds of angry women stormed into the shops, after spending
hours in long queues at the bakery.

Louis XVI, after facing the revolting subjects, recognised the National Assembly and also accepted that his powers
would be checked by the constitution.

On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the Feudal system of obligations and
taxes.

FRANCE BECOMING A REPUBLIC

(A republic is a form of government where the people elect the government including
the head of the government.)

Even though Louis XVI had signed the constitution, he entered into a secret
negotiations with king of Prussia.

A war was declared by the National Assembly against Prussia and Austria in April 1792.

As the constitution provided political rights only to a richer section of society, a large
section of the population were convinced that the revolution should continue.

People started forming political clubs to discuss government policies and plans.

The most successful of these clubs was of the ‘Jocobins’.

The members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections
of the society including shopkeepers, artisans and workers.

Their leader was Maximilien Robespierre.

These Jocobins came to be known as the Sans-Culottes, meaning – ‘Those without

knee breeches’.

In Aug. 1792, the Jacobins stormed inside the palace of Tuileries, and held the
king as hostage.

Later the Assembly voted in imprisonment of the royal family.

Elections were held, and the newly elected Assembly was known as the ‘Convention’.

THE REIGN OF TERROR (1793-1794)

Robespierre : The leader of the Jacobins – followed a policy of severe control and punishment.

All those whom he considered as his enemies – including his club members and anyone who did
not agree to his methods – were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal.

If the court found them ‘guilty’, they were ‘guillotined ’ (Guillotine is a device consisting of two poles
and a blade with which a person is beheaded).

Laws were introduced in placing maximum ceiling on wages and prices by Robespierre’s government.

Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation.

He was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and guillotined.

THE DIRECTORY RULES

After the fall of the Jacobin Government – the wealthier middle class took over the power.

A new constitution was introduced which denied the voting right to those who did not own property.

It gave way to two elected legislative councils.

These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members.

This provided a safeguard against any one man dominating the power.

The Directors often clashed with the legislative councils.

This political instability paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.

THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY

The slave trade began in the 17th century.

The merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves from
the local chieftains.

They were sold to plantation owners.

The exploitation of slave labour made it possible to meet the growing demands of sugar, coffee and indigo in Europe.

Bordeaux and Nantes were the major port cities whose economic prosperity was due to the flourishing slave trade.

Whereas, one of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobins regime was the abolition of slavery in the
French colonies.

After Napoleon came to France, he reinstated slavery.

It was finally abolished in 1848 in French colonies.