My Final Essay
In the 18th century, France reached the pinnacle of its success, both culturally and
economically before collapsing and eventually dissolving the Ancien Regime. Although
France experienced an increase in economic growth in the 18th century, wealth was not
evenly distributed. In fact, French society was grounded on the principle of inequality,
and experienced
a very rigid class structure governed by corrupt officials. Initially, the French
Revolution started as a moderate attempt at reform, and led by the Enlightenment ideals of
"Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity"erupted into a blood thirsty revolution,
eventually destroying the political, economic,
and social practices of the old order.
The old rigid order of French society helped aggravate the tensions between the classes in France. French society was divided into three orders or estates; the first estate consisted of the clergy; the second was composed of the nobility; finally the third were the common people, composed mostly of the peasantry. As illustrated in the caricature of French Society in the late 1700's, the peasant is represented by the old man who must carry the weight, or financial burden of the upper estates. Coming out of the peasant's pocket are sheets of paper, representative of the taille and corvee. The peasantry was forced to pay these taxes, but the clergy and nobility were exempted from them. Peasants were also subjected to many obligations and fees that they owed the upper classes. They resented these obligations, as well as the attempt of landowners to enclose open fields, which disabled peasants from grazing their livestock in the pastures. Arthur Young records in his Travels in France that the French peasants were subjected to heavy taxes, which aggravated their misery and eventually led many to be "reduced to beggary." He also described the conditions in France as " . . .ragged . . .savage. . filthy . . .uncultivated, and nearly all of it in misery . . ."
The upper classes held many advantages as compared to the Third Estate.Despite being exempt from many of the taxes, the clergy and nobility held many leading positions in government, the military, law courts, and in higher church offices, and they were also able to buy titles. Corrupt government practices jeopardized the Third Estate's personal freedom by issuing letters de cachet, which enabled government officials to imprison anyone without charges or trial. Finally, the near collapse of government finances, due to the costly wars and royal extravagances, "brought France to her knees," ultimately emphasizing France's dismal economic situation.
The ideals that helped spark the revolution, led to the complete overthrow of the Ancien Regime. The call for Liberty, or freedom from financial burdens and from the corrupt practices of government led many members of the Third Estate to write a list of grievances, called cahiers dedoleances. These lists advocated a regular constitutional government that would abolish the fiscal privileges of the church and nobility. In a list of grievances presented to the Estates General in 1789, the Third Estate demanded that taxes be abolished, as well as many other remnants of feudal society, such as obligations or fees they owed to the landowners. In What is the Third Estate, Emmanuel Sieyes stated that the Third Estate is "All; but an 'all' that is fettered and oppressed." Without the two upper estates, he declared, the nation would not be worse, but better and free. Triumph over despotism was achieved first in the moderate or first stages of the revolution, when the Bastille fell, symbolizing the destruction of the old repressive society. Then, in August of 1789 the National Assembly abolished feudalism and manorialism, and eventually the rights of each citizen were finally secured through the passing of the Declaration of the Rights ofMan and Citizen. This declaration guaranteed the "natural rights of man" which are liberty, property, and security. It also guaranteed freedom of speech, thought, and religion, and that taxes could be imposed only by the consent of the governed. Consequently, the desire for liberty and equality led members of the National Convention to advocate strong opposition against those who refused these ideals.
In addition, members of the Third Estate advocated equality among all classes. This is seen in their demands, included in many of the Cahiers, for the equal status of all citizens, equal distribution of taxes among all citizens, and for the abolishment of the sale of titles and offices. In fact, many advocated a merit system in which offices were given to those who were capable of fulfilling those positions and not because of social status. Emmanuel Sieyes also stated that the special rights that the upper classes held made them foreign to the nation since a nation is ruled under common laws. Ultimately, the Third Estate was granted equality under the law as a result of the Declarations of the Rights of Man and Citizen. It guaranteed that the right to rule was not only the King's, but the whole nation's; taxes would be distributed equally among all citizens, and that all citizens could participate in government. In the decrees abolishing feudalism, equality was secured through the abolishment of all "peculiar privileges", as well as the guarantee that "All citizens, without distinction of birth" could participate in government.
The Ancien Regime was dominated mostly by members of the first and second estates. The
first estate, or clergy heldmany advantages in comparison to the Third Estate. The
religious orders controlled large amounts of land, but were not taxed at all. In
accordance with the establishment of equality among all, the Civil Constitution of the
Clergy was drafted. According to this document, convents and monasteries were
abolished, clergymen were paid by the state and had to swear an oath of allegiance to the
nation. If some clergymen did not make the oath, their position was taken away. Therefore,
the state now controlled the church. In the more radical stages of the Revolution,
revolutionary groups such as the Jacobins and Sans-culottes grew in number, and as a
unified entity these groups created much disorder and chaos. Joined together, they were
able to force the king away from Versailles. This event, including the
"mourning" of the King's servants, symbolizes the slow destruction and
decomposition of the conservative ways of the Ancien Regime. The new order led by the
revolutionaries, who wore white, blue, and red clothing, "decorated everything,
sanctioned everything, justified everything. Together they were able to get rid of the
king, completing the absolute overturn of French society. The "tyrant was no
more," and as stated in the Proclamation of the Convention to the French people,
"The National Convention and the French people are now to have only one mind, only
one sentiment, that of liberty and civic fraternity." As a result of this unified
movement, they were able to achieve their goals of liberty and equality, and consequently
led to the development of nationalistic sentiments.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen affirmed the destruction of aristocratic privileges by proclaiming an end to
exemptions from taxation, freedom and equal rights for all men, and access to public
office based on talent. The abolishment of feudalism and financial burdens guaranteed
liberty from the old order by enabling the lower classes to prosper under the new. In
1789, Napoleon Bonaparte will eventually come into power and continue to put into practice
many of the ideals of the French Revolution. However, despite all the success gained by
the French Revolution, some would argue that France wound up with a government as absolute
as when it had began.
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