4.1 Time of Wigs

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

You can explain the Estates Society in France in the 18th century by giving 2 characteritics of each Estate

Lesson Goals:

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

Is life in Europe full of freedom, equality and brotherhood in 2023?

Maybe not.. but what if you compare it to an estate society.. what are estates?

Why France revolted

In 1789, a revolution tore France apart. Some causes had been building up for years. 

King Louis XVI was an absolute ruler.

• He and his nobles lived in luxury. Nobles did not have to pay most taxes. For ordinary people life was hard. They had to pay most taxes. 
  
• The Church supported the king. It told people to obey him as a ruler chosen by God. It, too, did not have to pay all taxes. Ordinary people had to give the Church part of their income as a tax. 
  
• From 1770, there were many bad harvests, which pushed up the price of grain (and therefore the price of bread). The population rose, pushing bread prices up even more. Bread was the main food of the poor.
  

King Louis XVI (16th)

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The Three Estates

(de 3 standen)

All the people in the country belonged 

to one of the 3 estates.

An estate is a group of people 

you belong to from birth.

An estate is hereditary.

You can not easily 

change into 

another

etstate

1st estate: clergy

The First Estate

The clergy were people who worked for the Roman Cahtolic Church.

They were the closest to God and so the most important Estate

They payed no taxes and were very powerful because they owned a lot of land

Besides that, almost everyone believed in Christianity in the 18th century 

1st estate: clergy

2nd estate: nobles

The Second Estate

The nobility was the Second Estate.

They were powerfull because they were rich and owned land and sometimes cities.

They had to pay no taxes and owned armies to use in combat.

3rd estate: peasants

3rd estate: peasants

The Third Estate

The Third Estate included everyone else. So rich citizens and poor farmers all belonged to the Third Estate.

The rich people in the third estate are called: bourgeoisie

The Third Estate had to pay all taxes.

So, despite the fact that bourgois people were just as rich as many nobles, they lacked the same rights as nobles. 

3rd estate: city workers and farmers

3rd estate: bourgeoisie

Which Estate had to pay all the taxes in France?

1. First Estate
2. Second Estate
3. Third Estate

Who were part of the bourgeoisie?

1. Rich farmers
2. Priests
3. Rich citizens
4. Knights

Why was the Clergy the First Estate

1. They were the only one who did pay taxes
2. They were send by God to rule the world
3. They were the closest to God
4. They owned a lot of land

• In 18th century France, people were divided into 3 groups called "estates" (= standen)
• 1st estate: the clergy (= geestelijkheid)
• 2nd estate: nobility  / aristocracy (= adel)
• 3rd estate: the rest, but can be subdivided into:
•        - poor, uneducated people: city-workers and farmers
•        - wealthy, educated people: lawyers, bankers, merchants,               doctors. This group was called the Bourgeoisie

                    

Lesson 4.1  Problems in France

Looking at the rights and duties of the 3 estates, 

it becomes clear why the 3rd estate 

(90% of the people) were unhappy.

Source A: A cartoon about the Three Estates, published in the 1780s.

Which estates do the people in the source represent?

1. A : clergy B: nobility C: commons
2. A: commons B: clergy C: nobility
3. A: nobility B: commons C: clergy
4. A: nobility B: clergy C: commons

What do you think the stone on top of the figure lying on the ground is supposed to mean?

The stone symbolizes the taxes the third estate had to pay (which is a
heavy weight) and the first and second estate did not.

Meeting of the Estates-General

• In 1789 the king called for a meeting of the Estates-General.
  
• He had run out of money and he wanted to ask the representatives of the 3 estates to agree to his plans to raise the taxes.
• In May, 1200 representatives gathered in Versailles 
• to listen to the king.

The 3rd estate members wanted to make some radical changes though......

The meeting would lead to the start of the French Revolution

How to vote?

This is when trouble started..

The Estates-General sat for several weeks in May and June 1789 but came to an impasse over the first item on the agenda: whether they should vote by estate, giving the first two estates an advantage, which was the King's choice, or vote all together, giving the Third Estate the advantage.

first estate:        300 representatives

second estate:  300 representatives

third estate:       600 representatives

1 vote

1 vote

1 vote

2 votes

1 vote

The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath

June 20, 1789

The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath

June 20, 1789

The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath

• We want a CONSTITUTION that gives us:
• - more power for the people
• - less power for the king
• - equal rights

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Napoleon's Legacy.

• France needed to give back the countries Napoleon had conquered.
• Many changes that Napoleon had made though remained in many European countries, like:

•         the Code Napoleon (burgerlijk wetboek): more equality by law.
•         the same measures: kilo, liter, meter. (the metric system)
•         the registry office (burgerlijke stand), last names for everybody.
•         military conscription (dienstplicht).

•         In many countries that were conquered by Napoleon people became more           nationalistic: they loved (and were proud of) their own country and culture
•         In the 19th and 20th centuries this would lead to new wars....

Which 19th century inventions and developments did you see in the video? Mention as many as you can.

what positive effects of the Industial Revolution were shown in the video?

what negative effects of the Industial Revolution were shown in the video?