Name _____________________________
Homework - Chapter 20 Section 3 – AGS Textbook - The French Revolution
In the early 1770s, France probably had more money than any other nation in Europe. Throughout
Europe, most educated people spoke French. Many of the most important ideas of the Enlightenment
came from French thinkers. However, France had two big problems. First, French society was still like
the feudal societies of the Middle Ages. Second, the king - an absolute monarch - was a weak ruler.
What Were the Three Estates?
French society was divided into three estates, or classes. The clergy - 1 percent of the
population - made up the First Estate. These religious leaders owned 10 percent of the land. The
nobles - 5 percent of the population - made up the Second Estate. They held all the important jobs in
the government. They also controlled most of the wealth, or money, in their country. The Third Estate
included three different groups of common people. At the top were doctors, teachers, bankers,
business people, and lawyers. In the middle were city workers. At the bottom were farmers, who
made up more than 80 percent of the population.
Who Paid Taxes in France?
The clergy and the nobility paid no taxes to the government. But the three groups of the Third Estate
had to pay taxes on the money they made and on their land. They also had to pay taxes when they
bought salt, tobacco, and soap.
How much tax money did the farmers pay? About half of what they made. They also had to work
once a year on government projects without pay. The members of the Third Estate paid a lot of taxes,
but they had little or no political power.
Why Did the French Government Need Money in 1789?
In 1789, the French treasury was empty. France had spent money helping the American colonies
revolt against Great Britain. To raise money, the government decided to find a way to tax the nobles.
They did not like this and demanded that the king call a meeting of the Estates-General. This was a
government body made up of the representatives from the three estates. The last time the
Estates-General had met was in 1614.
Louis XVI agreed. The Estates-General met at Versailles on May 1, 1789. At this meeting, the
representatives would decide if the nobles had to pay taxes. But each of the three estates had only
one vote. So, the First and Second Estates-the clergy and the nobles-could defeat the Third Estate,
which was already paying all the taxes.
What Did the Third Estate Do in 1789?
The 610 representatives of the Third Estate wanted everyone at the meeting to have a vote. They
could then outvote the 591 representatives of the other two estates. But the king said that the meeting
would follow the old rule of three votes.
Mr. Drach
Europe – An Age of Revolution and Nationalism
Page 1
What did the representatives of the Third Estate do? They declared that they were a National
Assembly that represented the French people. The king locked them out of the meeting hall. But they
simply marched outside and decided to write a constitution and call for an end to absolute monarchy.
Under pressure, Louis XVI ended the meeting of the Estates General. He told the clergy and the
nobles to join the National Assembly.
What Did Mobs Do in Paris in 1789?
In the 1780s, many poor people lived in Paris. Mostly, they ate bread. If the price of bread increased,
they starved. Sometimes, mobs-large groups of people-seized carts of grain and bread because of
their hunger.
In 1788, the grain harvest in France was poor, so bread doubled in price. In the spring of 1789, the
starving people in Paris got mad. Angry mobs rioted in the streets. On July 14, 1789, these mobs
attacked a city prison called the Bastille. The government kept a few political prisoners there as well
as gunpowder. When the French soldiers joined the mob, the Bastille fell!
A noble woke Louis XVI from his sleep and told him what had happened. The angry king said, "Why,
this is a revolt!" “No," the noble said. "It is a revolution!” Today, the French people celebrate Bastille
Day on July 14. It was the beginning of the French Revolution.
Mr. Drach
Europe – An Age of Revolution and Nationalism
Page 2
Homework - SECTION 3 REVIEW
Choose the letter of the answer that correctly completes each sentence. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.
1) In the early 1770s, France probably had more _____ than any other nation in Europe.
a. bread
b. grain
c. money
d. population
2) The Third Estate was made up of_____
a. clergy
b. kings
c. nobles
d. common people
3) Members of the Third Estate wanted an end to France's _______
a. clergy
b. absolute monarchy
c. grain harvest
d. Bastille
4) The Bastille in Paris is a __________
a. prison
b. palace
c. castle
d. navy yard
5) The French Revolution began in __________________
a. 1775
b. 1780
Mr. Drach
c. 1789
d. 1791
Europe – An Age of Revolution and Nationalism
Page 3
Extensions - Homework - Activity 59 – Chapter 20 Section 3 – AGS Textbook
The French Revolution
Directions: Read the words in the Word Bank. On the line before each sentence, write the letter of
the word that correctly completes each sentence.
Word Bank
a) Bastille
b) clergy
c) estates
d) Estates-General
e) farmers
f) French Revolution
g) land
h) money
i) National Assembly
j) Versailles
______ 1) French society was divided into three __________ .
______ 2) In France, the __________ paid no taxes to the government.
______ 3) The __________ was the French governmental body.
______ 4) Angry mobs attacked __________ on July 14, 1789.
______ 5) Members of the First Estate owned 10 percent of the __________ of France.
______ 6) The Estates-General met at __________ on May 1, 1789.
______ 7) The Third Estate declared that they were a __________ .
______ 8) The attack on a French prison began the __________ .
______ 9) In the early 1770s, France had more __________ than any other nation in Europe.
______ 10) __________
Mr. Drach
Europe – An Age of Revolution and Nationalism
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