Since the Middle Ages, everyone in France had belonged to one of the three social classes, called Estates
The 1st Estate – ClergyThe 2nd Estate – NoblesThe 3rd Estate – Peasants
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20
40
60
80
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Prrecentage of Frenchpopulation
1st Estate2nd Estate3rd Estate
The 1st & 2nd Estates were rich and powerful
They had many special privilegesFor example, they did not have to pay taxes
– They made up about 2% of the total population of France
Most (98%) of French people belonged to the 3rd Estate
Although they were poor, their tax burden was the heaviest
In 1789, France faced several crisesFor many years the French government had been spending more money than it had earnedBad harvests caused food prices to rise
Many peasants did not have enough to eat– In towns and in the countryside, starving people
rioted
To deal with these problems, King Louis XVI met with the leaders of the 3 Estates
Most common people wanted financial relief, but the elected members of the Third Estate wanted government reform
After weeks of meetings, its leaders took a daring step
They created a new government called the National Assembly
Some reform-minded nobles and clergy joined them
The National Assembly promised to write a new constitution for France
However, dangerous rumors, increasing food shortages, and an attack on the Bastille (a Parisian political prison) kept the problems from being solved
A violent revolution was starting
Declaration of the
Rights of Man and
the Citizen
Revolutionary groups took over Paris and demanded an end to the monarchy
Finally Nobles agreed to give up their special privilegesKing/Queen virtual prisoners of Paris
The National Assembly began making reforms
They agreed to abolish feudalismIn 1791, the assembly finished writing a new constitution that used Enlightenment ideas
But when the assembly took control of the French Catholic Church and sold its lands to pay back the government’s debt, the pope, clergy, and many peasants rejected the revolution
News about the French Revolution spread across Europe
While many Europeans supported the revolution, rulers and nobles were afraid that revolutionary ideas would spread to their own countries
After the French king and his family made an unsuccessful attempt to flee, the king of Prussia promised he would fight to save the French monarchy
In 1792, France declared war on Austria, Prussia, Britain, and several other European states
The fighting lasted for over 20 years
The war with other European powers went badly for the French forces
People thought the king was helping the enemy
Mobs attacked the kings guards and killed nobles
Radical revolutionaries, supported by Paris crowds, took control of the Assembly in 1792
These radicals ended the monarchy, made France a republic, and wrote another constitution
In 1793, they executed, or put to death, the king and queen for treason