French 3rd Estate

In 1789, France was approaching what is now known as the French Revolution. The French revolution was a revolt of the people in France against the monarchy and the Old Regime. The Old Regime was the social and political structure of France at the time, which divided society into different groups called the Three Estates. The First Estate included the clergy of France, such as priests. The Second Estate was made up of nobles, who inherited their titles and their wealth came from their land. This estate included King Louis XVI, who ruled over France. The Third Estate was made up of three different groups, being the Bourgeoisie, workers, and peasant farmers. Even though the First and Second Estates of France only made up about three percent of France’s population,

The people in the Third Estate worked harder than anyone else yet they were in poor economic situations. The Bourgeoisie were also taxed and lost their money to the other estates, despite some of them being wealthier than the nobles. Many of the people in the Third Estate wanted a change in how they were taxed. Another way the noble’s gained money from the Third Estate was through seigneurial dues. Seigneurial dues were obligationes owed to the nobility by the peasants in return for administration and protection. Regardless, many of the peasants felt as if the seigneurial dues were getting excessive. In March 1789, the local community of Lingerie La Doucelle declared in the attack on seigneurial dues that, “the inhabitants have been crushed beneath the excessive burden of the multiplicity of taxes that they have been obliged to pay.” They went on to claim that, “all lords, country gentlemen, and others of the privileged class...pay the same taxes as the common people”(Document C). The peasants felt as if they were crushed by the amount of money they had to give away. They wanted everyone to pay the same amount of tax and also wanted change in the economy. Unfortunately, nothing changed and they were stuck