Democratic and Nationalist Revolutions: 17t,h 18th& 19th Centuries

Three estates

French society was divided into three estates before the French Revolution. The First Estate consisted of the clergy (church officials), the Second Estate included the nobility (aristocrats and nobles), and the Third Estate comprised everyone else including merchants, lawyers, peasants, laborers, and servants. About 90% of the population belonged to the Third Estate. The first two estates enjoyed special privileges and were exempt from most taxes, while the Third Estate bore the entire tax burden. This unequal system created resentment and was one of the major causes of the French Revolution.

A direct tax paid to the state

Taille was a direct tax that members of the Third Estate had to pay to the French state. Unlike indirect taxes on goods like salt or tobacco, taille was collected directly from people based on their income or property. Only the Third Estate paid this tax - the clergy (First Estate) and nobility (Second Estate) were exempt from it. This created a heavy financial burden on the common people, including peasants, merchants, and artisans. The unfair tax system where those who could afford to pay (nobles and clergy) were exempt while the poor bore the burden was a major grievance leading to the Fren

Members of the Third Estate

The Tennis Court Oath was taken by representatives of the Third Estate on June 20, 1789, at Versailles. When King Louis XVI rejected their demand for voting by individual members rather than by estates, the Third Estate members left the official meeting and gathered in an indoor tennis court. Led by leaders like Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes, they declared themselves the National Assembly representing all French people. They swore not to leave until they had drafted a new Constitution that would limit the King's powers. This oath marked the beginning of the French Revolution and showed the Third Es

Royal tyranny and oppression

Bastille was a fortress-prison that symbolized royal tyranny and the oppressive monarchy in France. People were imprisoned there without trial, often by royal orders (lettres de cachet), representing the King's absolute power over citizens' lives and freedom. On July 14, 1789, angry Parisians stormed Bastille to get gunpowder and weapons, but more importantly, to destroy this symbol of royal oppression. The fall of Bastille marked the people's victory over royal tyranny and is celebrated as France's National Day. The event showed that ordinary citizens could successfully challenge the monarchy