The Old Regime: the Three Estates

1
The Old Regime the Three Estates

• Legally aristocratic and some ways feudal
• Social and economic distinctions were obsolete
• First estate- The Church-owned 5-10
• Second estate-the nobility
• Monopolized positions of influence
• Great resurgence since death of Louis XIV(1715)
• Blocked tax reform through parlement

2
Third Estate

• Bourgeoisie, the upper crust grew in influence
  thanks to fivefold increase in foreign trade
  between 1713 and 1789
• Common people as well off as most those in most
  countries but not compared to the upper classes
  as price of consumer goods rose at 65 but wages
  only 22, the gap between classes widened.

3
Collision of Interests

• The Revolution was the collision of two moving
  objects, a rising aristocracy and a rising
  bourgeoisie. Palmer

4
Agrarian System

• Peasants worked for themselves on their own land
  or rented land, or they hired themselves out to
  others
• Manors still somewhat feudal
• Hunting rights
• Banalities
• Seigneurial privileges
• Eminent property
• but . . . landownership was widespread

5
Revolution changes the law of property

• Frees the private ownership of land from indirect
  exuberances (manorial fees, eminent property
  rights, communal village practices, and church
  tithes) and establishes property in the modern
  sense. It most especially benefited the
  landowning peasants and the bourgeoisie.

6
Prerequisite of political unity

• Unity gave rise to nationwide public opinion,
  nationwide agitation, nationwide policies, and
  nationwide legislation
• Unity a prerequisite AND a cause of the
  Revolution
• Central Europe lacked these conditions
• People saluted eachother as citizen and shouted
  viva la nation!

7
Feudal reaction

• In the 18th century, as a consequence of the
  resurgence of the aristocracy, manorial lords
  collected their dues more rigorously or revived
  old ones that had fallen into disuse
• Main problem was that the property system no
  longer bore any relation to real economic
  usefulness or activity

8
Critical spirit of public opinion

• Developed in salons, coffeehouses, and literary
  arguments spread rapidly into a developing public
  sphere of political debate
• Campaigns appealed for public support in the name
  of reason, rights, or justice
• In these ways the critical thought of
  Enlightenment culture entered into the political
  conflicts during the Old Regime

9
Revolution precipitated by a Financial Crisis

• War costs overloaded the government
• Although French debt was only half that of Great
  Britain, less than that of the Dutch Republic,
  and no greater than 1715, it could not be carried
  because revenues fell short of necessary
  expenditures
• Repudiation of the debt was no longer an option,
  sure sign of the economic progress of well-to-do
  classes

10
The Calonne plan

• Proposed a general tax to fall on all landowners,
  without exemption, instead of the taille
• Lightening of indirect taxes and eliminating
  internal tariffs to stimulate the economy
• Confiscation of some properties of church
• Establishment of provincial assemblies of
  landowning interests without regard to estate

11
Calonne and Brienne plans fail

• assembly of notables convened in 1787 but
  deadlocked over concessions, and king dismisses
  Calonne
• Parlement of Paris blocks similar plan by Brienne
• Brienne and Louis XVI try to replace the
  parlements which leads to revolt of nobles and
  their demand that the Estates General decide the
  issue of taxes
• Provincial estates and parlements refuse to
  cooperate and government brought to standstill,
  political clubs active
• King promises to call Estates General on July 5,
  1788

12
Aims of Nobility

• By forcing the summoning of Estates General, the
  nobility actually initiated the Revolution
• King requests advice on how Estates General
  should be organized, led to outburst of public
  discussion
• Revolution begins as another aristocratic
  resurgence against the absolutism of the king
• Although the nobles had a LIBERAL program, they
  hoped to govern France permanently through a
  Estates General, unthinkable to THIRD ESTATE

13
Third Estate

• Wanted to avoid a permanent Estates General
• Abbe Sieyes What is the Third Estate
• Argued Nobility a useless caste and could be
  abolished without loss
• Ideas of Rousseaus Social Contract entered
  thought of the Revolution
• Class antagonisms poisoned the revolution and
  France has suffered from them over since

14
National Assembly

• Formed over deadlock over bloc voting
• June 17th Third Estate declares itself National
  Assembly
• Tennis Court Oath June 20th (promise to write
  constitution)
• Revolutionary act of assuming sovereign power!

15
Weakness of Louis XVI

• Attempted to compromise and postpone a crisis
• Failed to make use of the profound loyalty felt
  by the bourgeoisie and common people
• Ultimately he chose to side with nobles, a break
  with tradition
• Third Estate did not fear a return to the
  absolute monarchy, but a country controlled by
  nobility

16
Revolution spreads to lower classes

• Bad harvests led to higher price of bread
• Government paralyzed and unable to take measures
  of relief
• Fear of brigands
• Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789) saves
  Assembly
• King now accepts situation orders nobles and
  clergy to join the National Assembly

17
The Great Fear of 1789

• the brigands are coming
• Great Fear became part of a general agrarian
  insurrection, in which peasants intended to
  destroy the manorial regime by force

18
Reforms of National Assembly

• Night of August 4
• Feudalism was abolished
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
  established principles of
• Rule of law
• Equal individual citizenship (except women)
• Collective sovereignty of the people

19
Further reforms included in Constitution of 1791

• 1789-1791 (also known as constituent assembly)
• Abolishes Old Regime
• Creates 83 equal departments, administration
  decentralized in reaction to royal bureaucracy
• Local officials were to be elected
• Created a unicameral elected assembly (called the
  Legislative Assembly) while king provided
  suspensive veto
• Flight to Varennes destablizes the situation
  and weakens any movement for a strong executive

20
Counterrevolution gains strength

• Count of Artois and other aristocrats emigrate to
  foreign parts
• Emigres agitate abroad against the revolution
• More conservative revolutionaries drop out of
  Assembly after seeing constitutional questions
  settled by mobs
• In France, clubs organized to further reforms,
  most importantly, the Jacobins (middle class)

21
Active v. Passive Citizens

• Limits placed on democratic rights
• All citizens had equal civil rights
• Only active citizens had the right to vote for
  electors
• New political order was to develop through
  manly opposition to the feminine corruptions
  of the Old Regime
• Women excluded from government institutions

22
Economic policies favor middle class

• Public debt never disowned because owed mainly to
  middle class
• Establish a new currency called assignats, and
  confiscated all Church land to back it
• Sold land to raise money since tax collection was
  sporatic
• Favored economic individualism and all guilds
  were abolished
• Le Chaplier law (1791) banned trade organizations
  as well

23
New political culture nationalized the French
people

• New flag
• New forms of democratic language
• New clothing
• New festivals
• New public monuments
• Liberty trees
• Liberty caps

24
Civil Constitution of the Clergy of 1790

• Constituent Assembly regarded the Church as
  subordinate to the sovereign authority
• Provided maintenance for church
• Set up French national church
• Parish priests and bishops elected
• Paid salaries
• Vatican denounces Civil Constitution and
  Revolution in general
• Assembly required oaths leading to two churches,
  one public, one secret (refractory priests)

25
Constituent Assembly disbanded

• Civil Constitution greatest tactical blunder of
  Revolution
• French church, long enjoying Gallican liberties
  now turned to papacy
• Created a constitutional monarchy in which a
  unicameral Legislative Assembly confronted a king
  unconverted to the new order
• Ruled that none of its members could sit in
  Legislative Assembly