InNo+kathryn_chang+08.25.10

My Notes on Pg. 4-14 of the Revolution in France


 * 1789-millions of French people took part in a violent revolutions
 * cities, towns, and villages, people used violence to change the way they lived
 * by the end of the year- they destroyed their system of law and government
 * Most people belonged to four social classes: the peasantry, the town working class, the middle class or bourgeoisie, and the nobility
 * According to French law, people belonged to estates not to classes
 * said there were three estates
 * first were the clergy (people who worked in churches)
 * second were the nobility
 * third was everyone else
 * first and second estates got privileges, or rights
 * Clergy: had their own law courts, did not have to pay certain taxes
 * Nobility: had the right to carry a sword, got special treatment in law courts, did not have to pay certain taxes, did not have to do military service
 * Everyone else: NONE
 * The greatest inequality in French society was in people's wealth
 * peasants are extremely poor, nobles and clergy extremely rich
 * even though the peasants were the poorest, they had to pay the most tax
 * most people didn't question the way their society was organized because they didn't know any other way of life
 * handful of educated people questioned it, the //philosophes//, a group of writers, journalists and scientists
 * resulting of the writings of //philosophes// of injustice, of major wrongs in French society, the public opinion began to change
 * they wanted changes in the way France was governed

Summary People belonged to four social classes: the peasantry, the town working class, the middle class or bourgeoisie, and the nobility. People also belonged to estates not to classes. first were the clergy (people who worked in churches), second were the nobility, and the third was everyone else. The clergy and the nobility had a lot og privileges and the third estates had none. Peasants were really poor but the clergy and nobility were really rich.

Question Didn't the peasants complain before the Revolution?

My Awesomeness A Picture from my Vacation to Paris These two pictures show the difference in the first/second estate and the third estate's houses/wealth.

media type="custom" key="6773975" The special privileges that the rich first and second estates get.

My Citation