French+Revolution+Notes+Nicholas+Lim

= The French Revolution = =What Is The French Revolution =
 * 1789: Millions of ordinary French people revolted against the government to overturn the system of law and government.
 * In the next decade, they would goon to create their own just way of governing the people.

=The French People And Their Society = - Special treatment in law courts - Exempt from certain taxes and military service || = = =Poverty =
 * Population of 28 million
 * 20 million peasants and country farmers
 * 2 million townsmen, shopkeepers, traders, builders, craftsmen and laborers
 * 2 million "bourgeoisie" or middle class French consists of ship owners.
 * 120,000 to 350,000 Noble Families (Like the Duke of Penthievre) :land-owning ruling class with titles such as Duke. Marquis or Viscount to distinguish themselves from the "commoners"
 * Estate || Population || Classification || Privileges ||
 * **First Estate** - Clergy || 130,000 || Archbishops and Bishops, Canons and Priors, Nuns and Monks, Parish Priests || **-** Permitted to have their own law courts
 * -** Exempt from certain taxes ||
 * **Second Estate** - Nobility || 120,000-350,000 || Kings and Queens, Nobles, Princes, Dukes Marquises, Counts, Barons, Viscounts and Knight || - Allowed to carry swords
 * **Third Estate** - Everybody Else || 27 Million || Lawyers, Doctors, Businessmen, Merchants, Soldiers, Craftsmen, Shopkeepers, Peasants || - None ||
 * French were classified in estates and not classes.
 * 1789: Clergy and Nobles were not as important since people found this system unfair and outdated.
 * Before this the Nobles (Soldiers) and Clergies who were in charge of education and religious life got special privileges.
 * Wealth is the greatest inequality between the people, not unequal privileges or different estates.
 * The poor lived in single rooms with cheap and limited furniture, constantly thrown out for owing rent. Moving from hole to hole similar to refugees.
 * People were so poor they had to rely on charity by the church.
 * A family of five required at least 435 livres a year to survive

Unequal Taxation
= = =Critics of the French Society =
 * As poor as people were, still forced to pay taxes
 * Two kind of taxes
 * Direct taxes paid to the government
 * Indirect taxes paid through purchase of goods
 * Average family had to pay about 10%-15% of annual savings in taxes
 * Nobles and clergies were exempt from most of the taxes although they had no problem paying
 * In addition to paying taxes, the poverty-stricken still had to pay landlord
 * Tithe was paid by people in the parish, paid a tenth of their annual income or product
 * Feudal rights and dues: Seigneurs, or landlords. Rented land to the peasants in return for their money or crops
 * The organization of their society was along for such a long time that no one knew any other way of life.
 * Philosophes were writers, scientists and journalists who shared a thought called Reason. They believed that the only way to find out the truth was to observe and test it.
 * Refused to accept anything without questioning the concept.
 * **Lavosier** was a scientist who discovered that oxygen allowed things to burn
 * He helped create new farming methods, abolish the taille (tax on land and income), introduced old age pensions and new hospitals

The Calas Affair

 * Volataire was a famous philosophe, he questioned the powers and beliefs of the French Church, was involved in the Calas Affair.
 * Helped to clear the name of Jean Calas and brought up some of the wrongdoings in the French society.

Changes in Public Opinion

 * As a result of philosophe writings public opinions changed.
 * Around 1780s, most educated people agreed on a more humane, torture-free system of law accepting other non-catholic religions
 * They wanted to change the way France was governed.



=Summary = The French society was divided into three estates since the Middle Ages, the top two estates were given better privileges and lived better lives. These were the clergy and the nobles.The last estate was everyone else, these people did not have any privileges and often had to work all day in order to earn enough just to feed their families. Many had to rely on charity from the church.The poor were often looked down upon, forced out of the homes and made to pay 10%-15% of their income to the government. Few complained because they did not know about any other way of life besides this unfair and rigorous governmental system. Soon philosophes (people who believed in questioning something in order to determine the truth) began to bring about the unfairness and cruelty in this society. More and more of the educated began to demand changes in the government.

=Questions = Did any signs of rebellion show up during these difficult times? If so what happened to these incidents. How was the French Church like during these times?

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