French Society in the 18th Century

Introduction

The French Revolution of 1789 was a decisive event in modern -west European history. This revolution continued for almost 10 years and brought a dramatic change in the social and political structure of France during the eighteenth century. This revolution not only brought changes in France but also in other parts of the world. After the revolution in France other European countries also started to revolutionize their sociopolitical structures. The French Revolution had universal significance with the end of Feudalism in most European countries. There were several reasons for the outbreak of the revolution but the division of society and political instability played a vital role in this.

Social Structure

The social structure of France was feudal in nature. French society was segregated into three parts and came to be known as the Three Estates, namely; the first estate, the second estate, and the third estate.

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• The First estate comprised the clergy who were associated with religious functions and duties of the church such as fathers in the church.

• The second estate mainly comprised the aristocracy and the nobility. Mostly, this nobility was to be given on a hereditary basis but sometime it could be purchased by paying heavy taxes and providing outstanding services to the royal class.

• The third Estate comprised almost 96 percent of the population. In the third estate, there were two categories: the first category consisted of merchants, big bourgeois, advocates, etc. The second category had peasants, laborers, and servants of the two estates, they were given the lowest position in the society.

The First and Second Estate were the privileged sections of society, who were owners of large tracts of land and exempted to pay taxes. They lived at the expense of the Third Estate, who had the entire burden of taxation. Even the members of the Third Estate had to pay tithe and taille.

Moreover, inspite of paying all taxes, the third estate was not given representation in political and social structure. This led to discontent amongst the vast majority of the population which was there in the third estate.

At the same time with the rise of trade and commerce in Europe, there emerged a new middle class, which comprised the upper layer of the third estate. This middle class had acquired economic power.

This new class was also against the special rights and exploitation of resources by the clergy and aristocracy. Since this new class was educated and economically powerful, they started spreading the ideas of equality and freedom and rejected the notion of the ‘Divine right theory of kingship’ Therefore, this class asked for equal opportunities for all based on the merits of a person, in the form of political representation. With their continuous efforts, ultimately, the democratic republic was established in France by the end of the revolution.

Politics

During the eighteenth century, France was ruled by an autocratic hereditary monarchy. The king strengthened this autocracy by centralizing powers in his hands and gave no place to people’s participation in the governance.

King Louis XVI came to power in 1774, by that time the majority of the population was already dissatisfied with the political instability of France. On top of that, the extravagant life of the king and his wife Marie Antoinette started exhausting the royal treasury. As a result, the taxation on the third estate had increased, which made this section more furious against the ruling power. Besides, the monarchy in France was not at all concerned about the welfare of the French people. Similarly, the corrupt and selfish administrative officials were inefficient and least bothered about the welfare of the common people.

King Louis XVI sent French troops to confront Britain in the American war of Independence, in which many soldiers lost their lives and put more pressure on the exchequer. This further aggravated the situation and made common people raise their voices against the existing ruling authority and demanded a change in the socio-political structure of eighteenth-century France.

Conclusion

The French Revolution, which lasted from 1789 to 1799 was a turning point in European history. The outbreak of the revolution was the long-drawn political instability, where the despotic monarch and incapable officials were guided by personal motives instead of the welfare of the common people.

Besides, the excessive burden of taxation on the Third Estate without any political representation made the people of this section of society disgruntled against the existing ruling power. On June 1789, the members of the Third Estate, in a revolutionary move, declared themselves as a National Assembly, thus marking the beginning of the revolution.

FAQs

Q1. What were tithe and taille?

Ans. Tithe and taille were two kinds of taxes that the people of France had to pay. The tithe was one-tenth of the income that the people had to pay to the church while taille was a direct tax on land paid by the members of the third Estate.

Q2. What do you understand by feudal society?

Ans. Feudalism was a kind of socio-political system which was prevalent in France till 18 the century. In this system, the land was given by land owners or lords to peasants or vassals (tenants) in lieu of their services mainly the military services to their lords.

Q3. What were the ideals of the French Revolution?

Ans. The ideals of the French Revolution were liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Q4. Why did France help America in the American war of Independence?

Ans. France helped America against Great Britain in the American war of independence because the former shared the bitter rivalry with Britain from very old times dating back to the 12th century. France was defeated by Britain in the Seven Years’ War in 1756-1763, as a result of which France had to cede most of its colonies of North America. When France got to know about the rebellion of American colonies against England, both countries joined hands against a common enemy i.e Britain.

Q5. What were the impacts of the French Revolution?

Ans. The impacts of the french revolution were as follows −

• Setting up of democratic rule.

• A political order based on the equal right was established.

• The welfare of the common man became a priority.

• It instilled a spirit of nationalism in the whole of Europe.