The French Revolution ..The Roots Of .. Some Questions

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The French Revolution

• ..The Roots Of..

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Some Questions.

• Why would France be ripe for a revolution based
  on what we already know?

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Some Questions.

• Is Revolution contagious?????????

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Some Questions..

• When does revolution become inevitable?????

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The Basic Reasons

• Uneven distribution of wealth
• Inequality of rights and privileges

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First Estate

• 130,000 people
• 10 land ownership
• Exempt from the taille
• However.church people are radically divided.
  Why???

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Second Estate

• 350,000 people
• 25 to 30 land
• Leading positions
• Government
• Military
• Law
• industry

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Second Estate Divided

• Nobles of the robe
• Office holding
• Dominated royal law
• Nobles of the sword
• Medieval nobility
• Poor noblesAll exempt from the taille

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Third Estate

• 75 to 80 population
• 35 to 40 land
• Divided by occupation, education, and wealth

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Third Estate

• Serfdom on a small scale
• Relics of feudalism despised

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Third Estate

• Artisans, shopkeepers, wage earners
• Urban workers suffered under low purchasing power
• Struggle for survival
• (FYI these people are key!)

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Third Estate

• Bread
• No control over prices
• Led to angry mobs

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Third Estate

• Bourgeoisie
• 2.3 million people
• 20 to 25 land
• Merchants, industrialists, bankers, lawyers,
  doctors, writers
• Muy importante!

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Third Estate

• A lot in common with the nobility..
• But..
• Excluded from social and political privileges
• Enlightenment ideals appreciated by both
• Liberal political thought in bothFYI This is
  new history

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Issues

• Bad harvest 1787-1788
• Unemployment
• 1/3 population classified as poor
• The Enlightenment bug

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The Big Issue

• Near collapse of government finances
• Wars
• Interest on government debt was half of the
  governments spending
• Why was this the biggest issue??????

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