Introduction
French Revolution was a movement that took place between 1787 and 1799. Due to the fact that it reached its climax in 1789, it is also known as the Revolution of 1789. The movement brought a new era of liberalism, republicanism, feminism, abolitionism, and nationalism to the Western world, marking the end of the ancient monarchal regime of France. This historical event set in motion many other European revolutions and government transformations. It is a well-known fact that the French Revolution happened because of the severe inequality between the upper and lower classes; however, there were many other reasons behind the revolt. The topic of agents of the French Revolution and their basis is subject to debate in the historical field. Due to this, the current research aims to analyze the causes behind the uprising of the Third Estate and overthrowing of the king’s reign. The main reasons for the French Revolution can be divided into external and internal factors. The elements without are class inequality, the bankruptcy of the government, and over-taxation of the poor; the population share of the Third Estate, their education, and desire to be politically involved are the origins within.
The Inequality of the Societal Regime
In the 18th century, the social structure of France consisted of three so-called Estates of the realm: the clergy, the nobility, and the rest of the population, including peasants and the bourgeoisie. Despite comprising 99% of the French citizens, the Third Estate was the poorest. (Doyle 29) In the feudal and absolute monarchal countries, the Estate lacked any economic independence and political power. Due to wars and tax liability, they were under the constant burden of physical labor and suffered from food shortages. (Lefebvre 77) Although the richest, the nobility and clergy Estates, as opposed to peasants, were immune to most taxation. Having been exempt from forced labor, the aristocracy and their wealth relied on the work done by the Third Estate. The king himself was not considered a part of any Estate but a ruler appointed by the Grace of God. (Carlyle 200) The royal way of life was supported by thousands of people’s work in the palace of Versailles alone. This wealth distribution and political power inequality were common for European monarchies of that time. However, this societal system was the first stepping stone to French Revolution. This is due to the fact that in the period of hunger and bankruptcy, the upper class decided to continue exploiting the Third Estate, not realizing the potential danger of a revolt.
The Government’s Bankruptcy and Failure
After the Seven Years’ War and the American War of Independence, on which France spent over a billion, its treasury was exhausted. Most of that money was obtained through loans, yet the country was unable to pay them back. (Doyle 159) One of the chancellors attempted to mend the economy by introducing a package of changes and reforms. They included a new taxation system that obliged even the First and the Second Estate. However, the proposal was refused; many nobles did not want to pay taxes. It was unfair since the nation was not consulted on the matter. At the same time, the economic crisis worsened with bad weather ruining the crops. (Doyle 106) Food shortage and prices peaked; hunger grew along with anger and frustration among the lower classes. As such, the present at the end of the 18th-century social structure did not only cause but also did not allow a resolution of the economic crisis and bankruptcy, forcing the poor population to riot.
Over-taxation of the Poor and the National Assembly
Unwilling to pay taxes, the nobility causes the summoning of the Estates-General Assembly. Consisting of the representatives of all three Estates: clergy, aristocracy, and commoners, it was supposed to vote on the solution to the economic crisis. However, before they could even begin solving the issue, a new problem arose. The question of the assigned value of each voter was in the air. (Lefebvre 92) The First and the Second Estates were largely outnumbered by the Third; hence they proposed their voices to be worth twice more. As such, every proposition from the common folk could now be canceled by the clergy and aristocracy. Faced with the struggles of severe political inequality yet again, the Third Estate decided to form their own National Assembly, swearing an oath not to disperse until a new constitution was created. (Carlyle 115) Most of the clergy, comprised of poor priests, joined the new Assembly, leaving the Second Estate no choice but to join it.
Meanwhile, the king, having been threatened by the commoners, began gathering his troops in order to ensure his safety. It started the spread of rumors of a noble conspiracy to overthrow the National Assembly. (Lefebvre 153) Panic-stricken and starved, the Parisians took arms and seized the Bastille in order to be supplied with weapons and deposed of the king’s tyranny (Doyle 134). As such, the reliance on the lower class’s labor and refusal to participate in mending the country’s economy, the aristocracy enraged the common folk to take the government into their own hands. However, further analysis of the Third Estate is essential in order to understand why they were able to unite and oppose in such an unfavorable social structure.
The Population of the Third Estate
As noted before, the Third Estate consisted of 99% of the French population. 20% of them were the middle class – the bourgeoisie – wealthy commoners, merchants, lawyers, and artisans. Many of the peasants also owned land or worked on other commoners’ land (Doyle 20). Overall, their improved standard of living contributed to their health, reducing the mortality rate. Due to this, the population of France increased considerably, making it the most populated country in Europe. However, because of this much higher density food, food was more in demand, causing even more severe provision shortages, crop failure, and overall poverty. Massive riots did not spare bakers and lower nobility in their raids, which were fueled by fear, hunger, and anger. With such significant differences in numbers, the commoners began realizing their power and strength, uniting to articulate their grievances in politics and then in Revolution. Therefore, it is evident that due to the high population density in the third state, they were able to gather and confront the nobility and their oppressive system.
Education, The Enlightenment, and The Suffrage Movement
With the increased standard of living, the more and more common folk were able to send their children to schools; people became more acquainted with reading. The French intellectuals of that period were philosophes whose writings were popular amongst the educated part of the population. Unhappy with the living conditions and the economic and political structure that benefitted no other than the aristocracy, they produced many works inspiring critical arguments (Kumar 57). Although their ideas did not always meet the same conclusion, philosophes managed to start the Enlightenment movement. By participating, they exposed the defects of institutions, customs, and even monarchal rule (Kumar 59). Their thoughts on the solution to the issues, including the establishment of a liberal society with fair rights and obligations and the criticism of inequality and religious organization, were delivered through satire and humor (Kumar 58). More and more people began to see that applying the theories of such intellectuals as Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Voltaire, Diderot, Quesnay, and Montesquieu, required a revolution.
Despite the overall rising notions of equality for all men, it did not include women. Being defined by their gender, they were not invited to political meetings and gatherings before and at the beginning of the rioting. However, the question of their position and importance in societal structure gained a significant boost during the Revolution. A women’s march reached Versailles and brought the king back to Paris (Doyle 147). Starting from there, more and more women began including themselves in politics by attending meetings or publishing articles, demanding the admission of their rights. Together with the Enlightenment movement, the ideas of liberty and equality were spreading. As such, it is seen that due to the masses receiving access to these popular publications, the ideas of revolution became common talk.
The Bourgeoisie’s Desire to be Politically Involved
Having read and absorbed the ideas of freedom and fair rights and obligations, the Third Estate began to realize that they were not allowed to express their opinions and influence society. The government’s failures and defeats in wars served as a clear sign of the inability of the monarchal constitution to function. Due to this, the bourgeoisie began seeking ways of having their voices heard in the administration; however, too little to no avail (Lefebvre 16). With such phrases as public opinion and ideal society being used more commonly, the people wanted more recognition and reforms to answer their grievances; the mention of the Estate General increased by each day.
The French Revolution is known for its cruelty; however, the Third Estate’s initial desires were not related to replacing the king. The people sought a union with the monarch, having the ruler’s gaze turned closer to the common folk (Carlyle 110). The demand for abolishing the monarchy started when the people’s attempts to bring attention to their issues were suppressed. Having realized the true numbers of the Third Estate’s power, inspired by the ideas of liberty and fairness, they formed their own government.
Conclusion
The French Revolution shook Europe by bringing new ideas of liberty and equality, as well as ending the ancient monarchal regime. The societal structure of France at the end of the 18th century and the government failures led to the explosion of enraged masses of common people rioting. The main reasons for their uprising were external: social inequality, over-taxation, and the country’s bankruptcy; and internal: the Third Estate’s population, education, and desire to be politically involved. A conclusion can be drawn by analyzing the societal disposition in the current research. The external factors that influenced the uprising of the Third Estate gave meaning to the Revolution, while the elements within the class made it possible.
Works Cited
Carlyle, Thomas. The French Revolution. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Doyle, William. The Oxford history of the French revolution. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Kumar, Sanjeev. “Impact of Intellectuals and Philosophers in French Revolution 1789”. International Journal of History, vol. 2, no. 1, 2020, pp. 56-59.
Lefebvre, Georges. The Coming of the French Revolution. Princeton University Press, 2019.