French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
The French society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the Middle Ages. “Old Regime” is the term usually used to describe the society and institutions of France before 1789. About 60 percent of the lands were owned by nobles, the Church, and other richer members of the third estate.
The members of the first two estates enjoyed certain privileges by birth. Most important of which was exemption from paying taxes to the state. The nobles also enjoyed feudal privileges; which included feudal dues, which were extracted from peasants. Peasants were mostly obliged to offer services to the lord- work in his house and fields, serve the army or participate in construction activities.
When Louis XVI ascended to the throne of France in 1774, he inherited a realm burdened with severe financial problems. The French monarchy’s treasury was indeed nearly empty, a crisis that had been brewing for decades due to various factors.The financial crisis was a critical factor that led to the French Revolution, profoundly altering the course of French history and the monarchy’s fate, including that of Louis XVI himself.
The Church also extracted its share of taxes known as tithes from the peasants and finally all the members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state; which included a direct tax called taille, and a number of indirect taxes which were imposed on articles of even daily use. The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the third estate.
French Society during the late Eighteenth Century
French Society during the late Eighteenth Century: French society was divided into three classes, which were known as Estates. The first estate was known as the clergy, the second estate was known as being of the nobility, and the third estate included the rest of the population including the peasants and the middle-class professionals and merchants.
The first and second estates formed the privileged sections. They had most of the land even though they formed a minor portion of the population, all the important positions of the state were held by them and were mostly exempted from paying taxes. The third estate had received no privileges and was heavily taxed by the state and was imprisoned if the taxes were not paid on time. The peasants also had to perform compulsory unpaid services. Merchants and professionals of the middle classes were denied social parity and political rights. Hence, French society in the 18th century was characterized by extreme inequalities between those privileged and those not.
Table of Content
- French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
- Struggle to Survive
- How a Subsistence Crisis Happens
- A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges