Revolution In France Who Benefited Most From

Revolution In France: Who Benefited Most From The Collapse Of The Ancien Regime. Essay, Research Paper

The Ancien Regime (French for Old Order) was the way society was run, in a period in French history occurring before the French Revolution (1789 . 1799). France was ruled by an absolute monarchy (a system where the king was classed as divine . an infallible role) King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The French society was separated into classes or Estates.

The first Estate was the Clergy who were extremely rich. There were about 100,000 of these people. They had control over censorship of the press and of educational institutions Their wealth came from the Roman Catholic Church, which was made up of the upper and lower Estates. The upper, Bishops and Abbots who had the authority and the lower, Priests and Monks who had a modest income and had no say in church affairs.

The Second Estate was the Aristocracy or Nobility, which was made up of about 400,000 people. They owned 20% of all the land in France and paid no taxes. They were very wealthy and enjoyed a carefree life. Their only grievance was the power that the First Estate held. The Second Estate were the men who held positions in the government. They were also exempt from taxes. The special concern of the Second Estate was to see that the King did not introduce tax reform. They wanted more political power to make sure events like this did not happen. While they denounced the monarchy.s absolutism they wanted to set up their own form of it.

The third and largest Estate was made up of the Bourgeoisie (educated and privileged middle class) and the Serfs (peasants). The King and the Aristocracy enjoyed parties, banquets and tax exemptions, while the Bourgeoisie and serfs had to pay heavy taxes. Many of the serfs died from starvation and the living suffered under enormous financial hardships. The Third Estate had no success in voting because of the differing opinions about the tax system between them and the Second Estate.

The Third Estate despised the privileges of the Second Estate and hated the tax system, which involved only themselves, the majority, paying the heavy taxes. There was a huge need amongst the Third Estate, who represented the .people. of France for tax reform. The Second Estate worsened this situation because they were determined not to give up their tax concessions. This was a big problem for Louis and his advisors. King Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette were running the country into massive debt due to extravagance and ignorance. They needed the revenue that the Third Estate provided and yet the King was eager to have the Second Estate as his allies and did not want to displease them. Louis.s chief financial advisor, Turgot knew that France desperately needed tax reform. The country couldn.t continue to run in deficit, due to the debt that Louis had forced them into, because of Louis.s fear of upsetting the Second Estate. Turgot was forcibly dismissed from court, due to Marie Antoinette.s detest for him. Neckers became the new financial advisor, and because of what happened to Turgot, Neckers was also fearful of advising any tax reform that would be too radical. Instead, Neckers brought in a loans repayment scheme, which brought France further and further into debt. Louis, being a weak king, recognized the power that the Second Estate had upon him so he did not want to upset them. All, because of the sheer size and beauty of Versailles, could see the overspending of the court. Eventually, the government became bankrupt. Under Louis XIV and Louis XV, France had gone to war several times. They had not gained any territory and had been humiliated. The worst war was the Seven Years War leaving France economically drained. Louis and Necker.s involvement with the American War against England further worsened the economy and yet they still refused to tax the Second Estate.

America was fighting for freedom against the harsh tax system that Britain had enforced upon them. The Bourgeoisie, whom many were soldiers in this war, could see that they were in a similar situation to the Americans, but this tyranny was from within their own country. The Americans, were fighting for the right of no taxation without representation, the right to bear arms against tyranny, the basic right of freedom that was only for the rich and noble, and that a Republic was superior to a Monarchy. The Bourgeoisies, who were businessmen, philosophers, lawyers and other educated men, began to expand on these new ideas. Any business expansion that occurred in France was met with increased taxes. These taxes were the unhappy responsibility of the Third Estate alone. The Bourgeoisie favoured a uniform tax system. People like Voltaire and Rousseau and others combined with new theories presented a new idea of a liberal society that thrived with free commerce. This period was called the .Age of Enlightenment..

The Bourgeoisie.s ideas were totally in conflict with the Ancien Regime, and the Monarch.s absolute power. The Bourgeoisie believed that the people should have the opportunities of life and commerce through freedom, liberty and intelligence not because of wealth or riches, or just because they were born into nobility. The peasants and serfs of the Third Estate had only contact with the Bourgeoisie who were most often their masters. The peasants saw the idea of tax reform and equality as the