inNO+julies+2013+08.+26.10

= = = France Before the Revolution =


 * 1789 - the French were involved in the violent revolutions
 * Violence was used when they wanted to change the way they lived

French people and their society:
Source: __ jspivey.wikispaces.com/peasants+al?f=print __
 * Before the French Revolutions, 28 million people lived in France
 * Peasants: 20 million, made a living by farming
 * Town workers (shopkeepers, traders, craftsman, builders and laborers): 2 million
 * Bourgeoisie (middle class): 2 million, were ship owners

Source: http://www.historyguide.org/images/jan21_1793.jpg Source __ : jspivey.wikispaces.com/Aristocracy%20JJ __
 * Noble family: 120,000 - 350,000, land-owners

The Three Estates:

 * As of the law, people belonged into estates, not social classes
 * Three esates by law:
 * clergy, nobility, everyone else
 * The clergy and nobility had special rights, this caused them to have more advantages than everyone else.
 * In the middle ages, the clergy was in charge of education and religious life, the nobles were soldiers, therefore the king had given then their own estates and privileges

Poverty:

 * In France, there were people that were rich and people that were poor, this caused many problems.
 * The poor lived in single room houses, no bed covers, they barely had anything.
 * 1790, the government had noticed that poverty was a big problem and they took act
 * 435 pounds were given each family every year

Unequal taxation:

 * People had to pay two kinds of taxes; government taxes and whenever they brought something
 * Certain people didn't have to pay the main taxes, the nobles and clergy didn't have to pay many taxes
 * Peasants were also to pay taxes to their landlords, the clergy and nobles were the landlords
 * Peasants had to use the landowners equipment for many things, and then had to pay a fee for it
 * Everyone every year also had to give the Church a tenth of the earnings

Critics of French Society:

 * The French society was very organized

A Philosopher at work
(Lavoisier, the philosopher) Source: www.personsfamous.com/Scientist100/Antoine-L...sier.html 
 * A known philosopher, Lavoisier,during the 1770s and 1780s tried to find out whether the theory of burning was correct
 * He joined involved himself in social and political issues
 * He helped the farmers find out new methods to improve their crops
 * 1787 - suggested many ways to help the poor

(Voltaire) Source: cagilkasa...press.com/200911/16/voltaire-come-back/
 * Voltaire questioned the Church in their power and beliefs (famous philosopher)
 * He became involved in the case of injustice - the Calas affair
 * Jean Calas (a clothes merchant) was a Protestant, in 1761 one of his sons hanged himself in his fathers warehouse
 * Rumores spread that Jean Calas had killed his own son because his son wanted to become a Catholic.
 * Jean Calas was sentenced to death, he was strangled and burned
 * Voltaire believed that Jean Calas was innocent, and for the next three years tried to clear his name
 * 1765 he was declared innocent and was forgiven

(Jean Calas's son is found dead and Jean Calas is blamed for his death)

Source: http://michel34.midiblogs.com/tag/jean+calas+est+exécuté+à+toulouse

Changes in Public Opinion

 * The philosophers writing became to change that basic ideas and values of the French society

Summary: The French Revolution caused a lot of problems in France at that time, people were fighting for their life. There was four social groups, the nobles, middle class, town workers, and then lowest the group the peasants. There were also three different estates, which were similar to social classes but exactly. The three groups were; clergy, nobility, everyone else. Some had more rights than others. During the French Revolutions there were also many philosophers that made huge influenced on the community.

Question: Why did they think that Jean Cala would kill his son? Who started it?