Third Estate And The French Revolution

The French Revolution was a fight for equal rights of all people and a push away from the Old Regime social structure. Under the French Old Regime there were three estates, or classes. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was the nobility, and the Third Estate was the working class. It was made of the Bourgeoisie, or middle class, the workers, and the peasants. The clergy and nobility were in control and did not pay taxes. The Third Estate, however, paid extremely high taxes and did all the farming, building, and other labors. In 1770s, this system was still in place, but the ideas of the Enlightenment, the extreme debt of the French treasury, and France’s weak leader, King Louis XVI, caused the Third Estate to question the government …show more content…
The two privileged estates could easily destroy any protest from the third. The third estate felt cheated by this system, and wanted more representation in the government. They decided to form the National Assembly, a new government, and create a new constitution. The National Assembly adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man in 1789. The Declaration opposed the structure of the Old Regime, stating that “the aim of all political association is to preserve the natural and unalienable rights of man” (Document E).The government system at the time did not protect the citizens’ natural rights. The system favored the First and Second Estates, leaving the Third to struggle. In the new declaration, it is stressed that all people are born with certain rights which the government must protect. America’s victorious revolution was also inspiration for the French lower class to fight their oppressors.Lectures on the French Revolution, by Sir John Dalberg-Acton, comments on the effect of the American Revolution on the French Revolution. In the opinion of Acton, “the spark that changed thought into action was supplied by the Declaration of American independence,” (Document F). While the American Revolution did not necessarily cause the idea of a French revolution, its success may have been an example for France. Knowing that the Americans were able to win in the fight for freedom inspired the oppressed French, giving them the hope they needed to begin a revolution. The plan for a new system in France which protected the people’s rights and the prosperous revolution in America gave the French hope. This hope made them confident that they could fight the oppressors and