The Three Estates of the French society- Complete Set.pptx

The French society before the French revolution was divided

1. 3 THE THREE ESTATES HIERARCHY & PRIVILEGE The government of France was based on two important ideas – hierarchy and privilege. Hierarchy, or rank, was the belief that some classes of people were born to rule over others. Kings ruled over their nations, nobles ruled over peasants, husbands ruled over wives, and God ruled over everyone. Going against this system meant that a person was also trying to go against the natural laws which God had created. Belonging to different groups also gave people special privileges. In France, society was organized into three major groups known as Estates. THE FIRST ESTATE The First Estate made up only about 1% of the population. It was made up of members of the church from powerful leaders to ordinary priests, monks, and nuns. Church leaders were chosen from noble families and often had much more interest in government and politics than religion. The Church controlled huge amounts of land and also grew rich by forcing ordinary people to pay fees and taxes. Members of the church had many privileges including the right to be tried by their own courts and not having to pay any taxes themselves. THE SECOND ESTATE The Second Estate made up about 2% of the population. It was made up of France’s nobles who also owned most of the nation’s land. Owning land was very important because it gave nobles what were known as

2. “Seigniorial” rights. This meant that they could demand taxes from peasants who would have to pay in food, money, or work. They were also paid special fees when peasants wanted to grind their grain, bake bread, or make wine and beer. Many nobles ran their own courts where they could put peasants on trial and punish them for almost any reason. Like the 1 st Estate, nobles also had their own courts and didn’t have to pay taxes. THE THIRD ESTATE The Third Estate made up the remaining 97% of France’s population. This meant that it included everyone from the educated and wealthy middle class (the bourgeoisie) to the poorest of peasants and workers. No matter how wealthy or poor they were, members of the Third Estate had no say in France’s government even though they paid almost all of France’s taxes. Peasants also had to pay extra taxes – called the Corvee - in the form of labor on France’s roads or other government building projects. CHALLENGES & CHANGES TO THE ESTATE SYSTEM During the 1700s the Estate System began to experience many changes and challenges. France’s population increased from 21 to 28 million people between 1700 and 1790. Many merchants and factory owners became very wealthy by selling products to these people. However, the growth in the population actually made many peasants poorer. Tradition said that land should be divided up between sons but with more people this meant that each son got less and less land. Eventually many people ended up not having enough land to survive. Many peasants moved to France’s growing cities in search of work. However, most ended up living in poverty as they were only paid very low wages. They also had to live in overcrowded buildings where diseases quickly spread.

3. Members of the 3 rd Estate who had grown rich also began to change the whole Estate system. Many wanted to become members of the 2 nd Estate by buying titles or government offices. The demand for these offices was so high that their price rose over 400% in just a few decades. The dividing line between the 2 nd and 3 rd Estate was also blurred by marriages between the two groups. Some nobles had grand titles, houses, and lands but little wealth. They solved this problem by marrying their sons and daughters into wealthy middle class families in exchange for money. By the mid-1700s the entire Estate System was beginning to fall apart even though on the surface it appeared that nothing had changed. Many members of the 3 rd Estate were beginning to demand a much bigger share of power and wealth. They were often bitterly opposed by members of the 1 st and 2 nd Estates who were anxious to keep their privileges. THE THREE ESTATES : BOOKLET Task : Create a booklet about the Estate system in France. Include short summaries and illustrations to help answer the following questions: 1 : Who was in each estate? 2 : In what ways were members privileged or discriminated against?

4. Who was in the First Estate and what privileges did they have? Who was in the Second Estate and what privileges did they have? Why did many peasants become poorer? What other problems did peasants face? How could members of the 3 rd Estate join the 2 nd Estate? Who was in the Third Estate and how were they discriminated against?

5. Who was in the First Estate and what privileges did they have? Who was in the Second Estate and what privileges did they have? Why did many peasants become poorer? What other problems did peasants face? How could members of the 3 rd Estate join the 2 nd Estate? Who was in the Third Estate and how were they discriminated against? Priests, monks, and nuns / Church leaders. Owned land and forced people to pay taxes and fees. Didn’t have to pay taxes themselves. Could be tried in their own courts. Nobles Owned land. Demand taxes and labor from the peasants. Ran and had their own courts. Didn’t pay any taxes. Everyone else in France. Had no say in government. Paid most of France’s taxes. Paid special labor taxes if they were peasants. They didn’t have enough land to feed themselves because it was divided between sons. Peasants had to work in factories as workers for very low wages. Peasants lived in overcrowded buildings with many diseases. They could buy titles or government offices. They could marry into the nobility in return for money.

6. 3 THE THREE ESTATES French society under the king was divided into three different groups called Estates. THE FIRST ESTATE : 1% OF THE POPULATIOON Was made up of members of the church from powerful leaders to ordinary priests, monks, and nuns. Leaders were chosen from powerful noble families and were more interested in government than religion. The Church owned large amounts of land and forced ordinary people to pay fees and taxes. Church members had the privilege of being tried in their own courts and did not have to pay any taxes. THE SECOND ESTATE : 2% OF THE POPULATION Was made up of nobles who owned most of France’s land. These nobles had “Seigniorial” rights which meant that they could demand taxes from peasants in the form of food, money, or work. They were also paid fees by peasants who wanted to grind their grain, bake bread, or make wine. Nobles ran their own courts to put peasants on trial and punish them for almost any reason. Nobles accused of crimes were tried in their own courts and also didn’t have to pay taxes. THE THIRD ESTATE : 97% OF THE POPULATION Was made up of everyone else from the educated and wealthy middle class (the bourgeoisie) to poor peasants and workers. Members of the estate had no say in government even though they paid almost all the taxes. Peasants had to pay an extra tax called the Corvee which forced them to work on government building projects like roads and canals. Create a booklet about the Three Estates summarizing and illustrating who was in each estate and either what privileges they had or how they were discriminated against.

7. THE THREE ESTATES THE 3 RD ESTATE

8. THE 1 ST ESTATE THE 2 ND ESTATE