The Enlightenment movement influenced the departure from a monarchy and religious government for France and served as a catalyst in the French Revolution. The Enlightenment was the embodiment of criticism of government and society. The ideas of the French Enlightenment were secular, scientific, critical, and skeptical. It promoted reasoning, reform, and freedom. When King Louis XVI agreed to call the Estates General in 1788, one question remained, Would the assembly vote by order or head? Abbé Sieyès, who was a middle-class clergyman responded to this question in 1789 with the pamphlet, What Is the Third Estate? which drew on the language of the French Enlightenment and influenced the French Revolution. The main message of the pamphlet was
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What is the Third Estate? Everything, 2. What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing., 3. What does it want? To become something….” These questions established the basis of his argument which advocated equality among the three estates. He goes on to describe the burden that the Third Estate has. He states, “What does a Nation require to survive and prosper? Private employment and public offices.” According to Sieyès, the Third Estate is crucial to the survival and prosperity of a nation because it carries out the four classes of work. He states, “the Third estate makes up everywhere 19/20ths of their number, excepted that is it charged with all the really hard work, all the work that the privileged order refuses to perform.” However, the Third Estate is excluded and “only the lucrative and most honored places are taken by the members of the privileged order.” Sieyès purposely marginalizes the noble and exposes it while commending the Third Estate. He furthers his argument by stating that “such places should naturally be the prize and reward for recognized talents and services.” Sieyès believes that the nobility represents themselves rather than the nation as he states, “defending, not the general interests but the private interests of the nobility.” It is apparent that the other estates are rather detrimental to France than beneficial. Sieyès compares the nobility and clergy to “a malignant tumor that torments and
What is the Third Estate? Everything, 2. What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing., 3. What does it want? To become something….” These questions established the basis of his argument which advocated equality among the three estates. He goes on to describe the burden that the Third Estate has. He states, “What does a Nation require to survive and prosper? Private employment and public offices.” According to Sieyès, the Third Estate is crucial to the survival and prosperity of a nation because it carries out the four classes of work. He states, “the Third estate makes up everywhere 19/20ths of their number, excepted that is it charged with all the really hard work, all the work that the privileged order refuses to perform.” However, the Third Estate is excluded and “only the lucrative and most honored places are taken by the members of the privileged order.” Sieyès purposely marginalizes the noble and exposes it while commending the Third Estate. He furthers his argument by stating that “such places should naturally be the prize and reward for recognized talents and services.” Sieyès believes that the nobility represents themselves rather than the nation as he states, “defending, not the general interests but the private interests of the nobility.” It is apparent that the other estates are rather detrimental to France than beneficial. Sieyès compares the nobility and clergy to “a malignant tumor that torments and