First And Second Estate Analysis

In the 1700’s, France had a medieval styled, ridged class structure made up of the monarch and three groups, the first, second, and third estates. At the top of the social ladder as the highest-ranking person in the country was the king, followed by the members of the First Estate, the clergy. The Second Estate consisted of the nation’s nobility, and finally, at the lowest rank was the Third Estate made up of the bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants. While the First and Second Estates had little political power, they were granted many privileges such as how the First Estate was able to collect tithe as well as was exempt from taxes and only had to make an annual donation to the king, or the Second Estate had an exemption from military …show more content…
King Louie wanted the nobles and the church to give up some of their privileges and to pay taxes to help relieve the financial crisis that both Marie Antoinette and his lavish lifestyle had gotten the country into, but the clergy of the First Estate wanted to remain exempt from taxes and wished to keep their privileges. The First Estate was completely happy with the current system of government as not only were they not taxed, but also they could collect from the common people bringing in revenue. On the other hand, the nobles of the Second Estate told Louie that they would only accept being taxed if they gained political power in return. Giving the nobles political power would break apart the centralized administration brought about by King Louis XVI and would allow the noble’s input into all major decisions, something King Louie was opposed to. While all this was happening, the Third Estate, representing the majority of the French population, simply sought equality and representation along with a tax system reform that would free the peasants from the large tax burden imposed upon them as having the burden fall only on the poorest of the society was extremely difficult and unsustainable. Many members of the Third Estate lived in poverty and were even starving, as the taxes were too high. The Third Estate desired a reform of the …show more content…
Following this action was the Tennis Court Oath, where the National Assembly called for a new constitution of France, and when the king did not meet their needs, the common people stormed Bastille in the first act of the French Revolution. For years the French system of government had been dysfunctional and outdated and finally the people were fighting back against the unfair rule. Because King Louie XIV created a centralized administration that eliminated diversity in the governing of France, and Louis XV and Louis XVI both ignored the financial and social issues that arose as a result of the government structure, the common people of French were overlooked and their struggles ignored. King Louis XVI failed to cut down on spending, created an image problem for himself, and allowed the commoners to starve, and because of this the people revolted in hopes of political, social, and economic reforms that would ensure equality for the people of