
Enlightenment Ideas

The Three Estates of
France

The Three Estates

 First Estate:
 - Made up of clergy of Roman Catholic Church,
scorned Enlightened ideas.
 Second Estate:
 - Made up of rich nobles, held highest offices in
government, and disagreed with Enlightened ideas.
First and Second Estate

Third Estate

 Included bourgeoisie, urban lower class, and peasant
farmers.
 Had no power to influence government.
 Embraced Enlightened ideas.
Third Estate of France

The three estates

 First estate- owned 10% of the land, provided
education and relief services to the poor.
 - Contributed 2% of its income to the government.
 Second estate- 1.5% of the population, owned 20%
and paid no taxes.
 Seems fair right….
The three estates

 Third estate – 98% of the population and differed
economically from merchants and well educated to
peasants.
 - All heavily taxed.
What led to the decline
of France?

 What typically leads to a decline of a nation?
 Economic hardship and weak leadership.
Economic hardship

 Expanding population with extremely high taxes
made business impossible to flourish.
 Cost of living rose and crops began to fail.
 - 1789 price of bread doubled.
 King Louis XVI lived an extravagant life and spent
money wastefully.
 - Borrowed money to help Americans fight the
British.
Weak Leadership

 Louis XVI became king in 1774.
 Preferred to hunt and play rather than govern.
 Age 15 married Marie Antoinette who was only 14.
 Marie was from Austria (long time enemy of France)
 Marriage was extremely unpopular.
 Marie spent money lavishly on gowns, jewelry, and
gifts #Madamedefecit
Weak leadership

 Rather than cutting expenses and raising taxes Louis
put the issue off.
 Facing bankruptcy attempted to tax nobles.
 Estates-General – representatives from all 3 estates.
 - first meeting in 175 years- May 5, 1789 at Versailles.