Analysis
2
The Social conditions in France are miserable. French Society is divided into three classes— the Clergy, Nobles and Common People.
The Clergy belong to the First Estate. The Clergy is sub¬divided into two groups i.e. the higher clergy and the lower clergy. The higher clergy occupy the top position in society. They manage the churches, monasteries and educational institutions of France. They do not pay any tax to the monarch.
They exploited the common people in various ways. The higher clergy live in the midst of scandalous luxury and extravagance. The common people have a strong hatred towards the higher clergy. On the other hand, the lower clergy serve the people in true sense of the term and they lived a very miserable life.
The Nobility is regarded as the Second Estate in the French Society. They also do not pay any tax to the king. The Nobility is also sub divided into two groups-the Court nobles and the provincial nobles. The court nobles live in pomp and luxury. They ignore the problems of the common people of their areas.
The Third Estate was The farmers, cobblers, sweepers and other lower classes and like the farmers their life was very miserable.
They paid the taxes. The Bourgeoisie formed the top most group of the Third Estate. The doctors, lawyers, teachers, businessmen, writers and philosophers belonged to this class. They had the wealth and social status. But the French Monarch, influenced by the clergies and nobles, ranked them as the Third Estate.
So they influenced the people for revolution. They aroused the common people about their rights. Thus, the common people became rebellious. The lower Clergies and the provincial nobles also joined their hands with the common people along with the bourgeoisie. So the French Revolution is also known as the ‘Bourgeoisie Revolution’.
The economic condition of France formed another cause for the outbreak of the French Revolution. France has been impoverished by foreign wars and the extravagant expenses of his queen Marie Antoinette.
Finance Minister Turgot tried to minimise the expenditure of the royal court. And advised the king to impose taxes on every classes of the society. But due to the interference of Queen Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI dismissed Turgot.
Through incompetent management the national debt of France increased from 300,000,000 to 600,000,000 Franks only in three years.
When the finance minister proposed to impose taxes on all the classes he was dismissed by the king. The economic instability formed one of the most important causes of the French Revolution. Particularly when the entire burden of taxation was placed on the third estate.