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The three estates

The three estates. Lesson objectives. By the end of this lesson you should: Understand exactly why the Estates system led to discontent in France in the 1780s. Why did people want change in france?. Refer to your table from last lesson

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The three estates

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  1. The three estates

  2. Lesson objectives By the end of this lesson you should: • Understand exactly why the Estates system led to discontent in France in the 1780s

  3. Why did people want change in france? Refer to your table from last lesson Share your evidence with your partner before we feedback as a class

  4. Growing discontent By the late eighteenth century, France was on the brink of revolution. The reasons had been building up over many years, and mainly concerned the great divide between the nobility and the clergy, and everybody else. The French population was divided into three estates. The First estate was made up of the clergy. It numbered around 100,000 people. The Second estate was made up of the nobility. It numbered around 400,000 people. The Third estate was made up of the bourgeoisie, wage earners, and the peasantry. It made up the majority of the French population. The first and second estates enjoyed certain privileges that the third estate did not. Firstly, although they were the richest, they did not have to pay taxes. They were also the only members in society who could hold positions of importance such as Officers in the army. This caused great discontent within the Third Estate.

  5. Why did the estates system lead to discontent? • Use the information sheets and p.11 of ‘Revolutionary France’ to make posters in groups: • The king • The first estate • The second estate • The third estate

  6. posters Your poster must include: • Which people were included in your estate? • What privileges they had (if any)? • What taxes they paid (if any)? • Was everyone in that estate equal? • The total number of people in that estate • Pictures and colour! • Be prepared to present your poster to the rest of the class

  7. The third estate - Peasants were forced to do military service. - Peasants could not hunt or fish on nobles’ estates. - Peasants had to pay taxes to their lord, the king and the Church. - Peasants had to use the lord’s mill, oven and winepress, and pay for them. - Peasants made up 90% of the population.

  8. The first and second estate - Nobles had almost complete authority over peasants. - Nobles did not have to do military service. - Nobles were exempt from most taxes. - Nobles collected tolls from people using roads and markets. - Many nobles and clergy lived in great luxury in chateaux and palaces.

  9. The king The Kings, through their ministers and local officials RULED ABSOLUTELY. This meant that they had complete authority over France. The ‘parliament’ (States General) had not been called since 1614! Do you THINK it’s fair? Which aspects of the French System might upset the Third Estate?

  10. quiz • What did Louis XVI need taxes for? Army, public officials and the luxurious lifestyle that the royal family led at the Palace • What percentage of the population did the first estate make up? 2% • Were the leaders of the clergy rich? Yes they lived like nobles • Why did they support Louis? Because of the privileges they had • Did they pay tax? No • Were the rest of the clergy well off? No, they were as well off as ordinary people but paid no taxes • What percentage of the population made up the second estate? 1% • The nobles owned lots of what? Land • Were they all wealthy? Some were and had wealth and power, though some were not particularly rich • Did they pay taxes? No, even though they were wealthy • Which middle class groups were in the third estate? Merchants, bankers and doctors • Were they wealthy or powerful? Quite wealthy but no chance of power • Did the third estate pay taxes? Yes • Which other groups made up the third estate? Peasants and town workers • Were they wealthy? Many peasants were poor but some were reasonably comfortable • Did anyone in the third estate have a say in running the country? No • What percentage of the population did they make up? 97% - middle classes 4%, peasants 85%, other workers 8%

  11. This cartoon was drawn before the Revolution. The figures represent the three estates – the Church, the nobles and the people. Can you explain what the artist is trying to express?

  12. This print, by an unknown artist, shows a peasant carrying the weight of the other two estates. • How can you tell that the woman carrying the weight is the poorest? • What do you think this picture is trying to show?

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