Introduction
The end of the 18th century was a critical period in French history due to the emergence of one of the most important revolutions in the country. Multiple political and social changes occurred in ten years, ending with the French Consulate’s creation in 1799. King Louis XVI summoned the Estates General Assembly in 1789 for the first time since 1614 (Pilbeam 122). Several proposals were introduced, including the idea of the current director general of finance, Jacques Necker, to re-organize estates’ roles. However, the conditions under which the Estates General was convened did not meet the expectations of most of the population. Several days before the meeting, the Abbé, Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, wrote his political pamphlet “What Is the Third State?” to respond to the role of the common people. In the paper, this primary document will be analyzed to understand Sieyès’s intentions as well as the purpose, background, and effects on ordinary citizens and the nation as a whole. “What Is the Third Estate?” was not another political pamphlet that changed history and provoked the revolution but an example of how human rights and freedoms could be genuinely promoted.
Discussion
To understand the main idea of “What Is the Third Estate?” and the clergyman’s decision to resist the existing system, it is necessary to describe the situation before the Estates General of 1789. The 17th and 18th centuries in France were characterized by the evident desire of the rulers to support private interests and historical privileges of the clergy and nobility (Ekelund and Thornton 139). Although King Louis XVI needed additional financial resources, he could not raise taxes among rich people because he feared losing their support. He wanted to find another way to take more money from the common population and use the current statistics to achieve his goal. At the end of the 18th century, the total population of France was about 25 million, including 130,000 clergies and 80,000 noble families (Sahay 69). It means that more than 96% of the population were ordinary citizens, namely teachers, peasants, and farmers who did not own much land but paid the government (Sahay 69). Those three estates of the Ancient Regime had to co-exist; still, the distribution of equal wealth and power was not an option.
The representatives of the Third Estate were defined as the authors of the French Revolution in 1789. However, before that moment, most bourgeoise did not consider their chances to resist the government and prove their equal rights (Ekelund and Thornton 142). It was Sieyès’s pamphlet that made people rethink their positions and understand monarchial mercantilism. The Abbé Sieyès realized that a new system within the Estates General did not recognize the contributions of the Third Estate at the necessary level. So, he chose “the educated, property owing non-nobles” who were “influenced by the American Revolution and aware of the writing of the philosophers” as his audience (Pilbeam 122). During the pre-election debates, Sieyès did try to offend one group of people or support another. His pamphlet was a genuine representation of the facts that were evident to the whole nation but, for unknown reasons, remained neglected. There were three simple questions about the Third Estate, namely what it was, what its place in the political order was, and what it could become (Sieyès). The author gave even more simple answers in several lines of his pamphlet.
At that moment, no one could guess that such simplicity of the debate introduced by a clergy representative could become a solid background for the Revolution’s outbreak. Sieyès’s goal was clear – “to demonstrate the injustice and illogical foundations of the country’s political system which prevented its development” (Filipiak and Kowalczyk 30). He used simple arguments in his writing by indicating that it was “not possible in the number of all the elementary parts of a nation to find a place for the caste of nobles” (Sieyès). The author also identified the noble order as something “estranged from the generality… by its civil and political prerogatives” (Sieyès). Therefore, it was necessary not only to recognize the number of the representatives from the Third Estate but underline their prevalence and the possibility of “doubling the number of representatives of the third estate, as well as the principle of individual voting” (Filipiak and Kowalczyk 29). The First and Second Estates were not unnecessary or unwanted, but their role should be statistically diminished to ensure justice and freedom in the country.
Talking about the estates’ representatives, one should admit that Sieyès was not a farmer or another Third Estate member. He was the abbé who got his education at the seminary of one of the intellectual powerhouses of the Gallican Church, Saint-Sulpice (Caiani 22). Thus, one of the most remarkable points related to the creation of the pamphlet was the origins of its author and the unpredictability of his choice and position in the French Revolution. He was able to build a successful clerical career, which allowed him to establish close contact with Napoleon in the future and affect the progress of the Coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 (Caiani 22). During the Estates General, Sieyès was highly respected among the local clergy and got a chance to represent his diocese at the National Assembly (Caiani 23). Understanding Sieyès’s personal story, the political background, and the existing problems, several final elements of the pamphlet’s analysis can be given.
“What Is the Third Estate?” was full of hope and truth about how the common people had to live and survive each day, contributing to the progress of the nation and their rights. Although it was hard for the Abbé to demonstrate his doubts concerning the local power and authority, he was ready to call for change. In his work, he talked about “the earth and waters” that was equally distributed between all people, “products and their consumption” that defined interpersonal relationship, and who “puts them forth” and together – the Third Estate (Sieyès). The historical worth of the chosen primary document lies not in the necessity to raise questions about inequality and human rights but in the person who raised that question. No one expected the Abbé to criticize the government and underline the role of ordinary citizens. Sieyès noticed that all “burdensome” services were performed by the Third Estate, and without such people, the superior class would hardly live their happy lives. Privileged individuals had to replace their honor and superiority because they could probably do nothing without the common population.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a close reading of the primary document and the evaluation of its historical background and the author’s experience enhance a better understanding of the essence of the French Revolution. One of the most evident causes of the conflict between poor and rich people is the poor distribution of resources. In other words, there was no chance for the Third Estate to meet their basic needs and obtain freedoms in the government. Still, it was interesting to learn how one clergy was able to inspire millions of people to show their opinions and abilities. In his “What Is the Third Estate?” the Abbé Sieyès raised the most critical issues in the most peaceful and argumentative way. Instead of provoking individuals to breed anger and greed, he offered a solution to understand the role of the common populations and introduce a new way of respect and cooperation.
Works Cited
Caiani, Ambrogio A. To Kidnap a Pope: Napoleon and Pius VII. Yale University Press, 2021.
Ekelund, Robert B., and Mark Thornton. “Rent Seeking as an Evolving Process: The Case of the Ancien Régime.” Public Choice, vol. 182, no. 1, 2019, pp. 139-155.
Filipiak, Zbigniew, and Tomasz Kowalczyk. “The Establishment of Electoral Law in Revolutionary France.” Studia Iuridica Toruniensia, vol. 24, 2019, pp. 27-50.
Sieyès, Emmanuel Joseph. “What Is the Third Estate?” Modern History Sourcebook, edited by Paul Halsall, Internet History Sourcebooks Project, 1997. Fordham University, Web.
Pilbeam, Pamela M. The 1830 Revolution in France. The Macmillan Press, 1991.
Sahay, Miss Alisha. “The French Revolution – Causes, Significance and Impact.” Editorial Board, vol. 9, no. 10, 2020, pp. 69-73.