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define this in 200 to 250 words.(class 9 history ch 1 french revolution)
"The Ancient Regime-Society of Estates and its crises".( of france )
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The Old Regime was a period of time often considered by many to be representative of a crashed society. Under the Old Regime in France, the king was the absolute monarchy. King Louis XIV had centralized power in the royal bureaucracy, the government departments that took care of his policies. King Louis’ reign in France played a significant role in its history and economy. He was a king to all during the most important events of the time, but he was also a financial king to the rich because he created a tax system that only benefited those who were wealthy. During the time of the Old Regime, society was broken down into three orders or classes, known traditionally as estates. The most important class of the three consisted of the rebellious Nobility of the Second Estate which contained about 400,000 individuals who held all the public offices in the kingdom.1 The first two estates numbered the least but held the most influence in the whole kingdom.
Most of the King’s ministers of state were of Noble birth, and even the highest order of the First Estate, the Clergy, was filled with the younger sons of Noble families.2 Like the First Estate, the Second Estate paid hardly any taxes and generally consisted of the richest members of society. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy, or the Church. The First Estate owned nearly ten percent of all the land in France. This estate paid no taxes, but to support church activities such as running schools and caring for the poor, it collected a tithe, or a tax on income.3 .4 . The Third Estate consisted of French citizens who weren’t classified as either Clergy or Nobility. Since the first two estates were exempt from taxes, the Third Estate had to provide almost all of the country’s income. Yet the Third Estate, easily the largest since it encompassed every Frenchman who was neither an aristocrat nor a clergyman, was the least influential of the estates. In general, Peasants mainly led the lives of farmers. In contrast, the Middle Class was composed of the most important people in society. However, the Middle Class often worried about its social status, for it wasn’t socially recognized because it was part of the Third Estate. The Urban Workers, on the other hand, held much weight in society before and during the Revolution. Their anger at low wages and shortages of bread and other staple foods often resulted in mob violence during the Revolution.6 While the first two orders enjoyed many advantages, the commoners of the Third Estate had none. Barred by law and custom from possessing any kind of political power, these people were also burdened with taxes. Despite this growing tension in France, the King continued to resist the demands of his people. As a result of his constant refusal to grant his people equal rights, many rebellions and wars broke out and diminished the country’s treasury. Furthermore, a series of bad harvests between 1688 and 1694 brought about total catastrophes.9 For example, the cold and wet summers reduced harvests by more than one-third. The overall result was widespread starvation, and, in many provinces, a death rate that rose to several times the normal figure.10 These unfortunate circumstances hurt the Peasants even more than the disadvantages they faced before the famine. In addition to these events, food riots, lack of work, and the issuance of political pamphlets all played key roles in fuelling the fire of the French Revolution.11 This revolution symbolized equality for all classes around the world. The Metropolitan Museum offered many different kinds of displays of French art and architecture that illustrated the contrasting classes of French society. Upon inspection of these displays, one can easily notice that kings and nobles dominated French art and paintings. These displays show an observer the unequal society that the people of that day were forced to live in. For example, the paintings exemplified the prestige, privileged, and rich nature of the Nobles; these were conditions that the Third Estate could not experience. The first two estates endured very fruitful lives, and this is reflected in the art exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. Peasants weren’t considered anything but lowly peasants, and were thus never really recognized until during the Revolution. The Peasants in the Third Estate became accustomed to their lifestyles and knew they would never become part of the rich society. There were two rooms in the Metropolitan Museum that illustrated the wealth and honor possessed by the first two estates.
Most of the King’s ministers of state were of Noble birth, and even the highest order of the First Estate, the Clergy, was filled with the younger sons of Noble families.2 Like the First Estate, the Second Estate paid hardly any taxes and generally consisted of the richest members of society. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy, or the Church. The First Estate owned nearly ten percent of all the land in France. This estate paid no taxes, but to support church activities such as running schools and caring for the poor, it collected a tithe, or a tax on income.3 .4 . The Third Estate consisted of French citizens who weren’t classified as either Clergy or Nobility. Since the first two estates were exempt from taxes, the Third Estate had to provide almost all of the country’s income. Yet the Third Estate, easily the largest since it encompassed every Frenchman who was neither an aristocrat nor a clergyman, was the least influential of the estates. In general, Peasants mainly led the lives of farmers. In contrast, the Middle Class was composed of the most important people in society. However, the Middle Class often worried about its social status, for it wasn’t socially recognized because it was part of the Third Estate. The Urban Workers, on the other hand, held much weight in society before and during the Revolution. Their anger at low wages and shortages of bread and other staple foods often resulted in mob violence during the Revolution.6 While the first two orders enjoyed many advantages, the commoners of the Third Estate had none. Barred by law and custom from possessing any kind of political power, these people were also burdened with taxes. Despite this growing tension in France, the King continued to resist the demands of his people. As a result of his constant refusal to grant his people equal rights, many rebellions and wars broke out and diminished the country’s treasury. Furthermore, a series of bad harvests between 1688 and 1694 brought about total catastrophes.9 For example, the cold and wet summers reduced harvests by more than one-third. The overall result was widespread starvation, and, in many provinces, a death rate that rose to several times the normal figure.10 These unfortunate circumstances hurt the Peasants even more than the disadvantages they faced before the famine. In addition to these events, food riots, lack of work, and the issuance of political pamphlets all played key roles in fuelling the fire of the French Revolution.11 This revolution symbolized equality for all classes around the world. The Metropolitan Museum offered many different kinds of displays of French art and architecture that illustrated the contrasting classes of French society. Upon inspection of these displays, one can easily notice that kings and nobles dominated French art and paintings. These displays show an observer the unequal society that the people of that day were forced to live in. For example, the paintings exemplified the prestige, privileged, and rich nature of the Nobles; these were conditions that the Third Estate could not experience. The first two estates endured very fruitful lives, and this is reflected in the art exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. Peasants weren’t considered anything but lowly peasants, and were thus never really recognized until during the Revolution. The Peasants in the Third Estate became accustomed to their lifestyles and knew they would never become part of the rich society. There were two rooms in the Metropolitan Museum that illustrated the wealth and honor possessed by the first two estates.
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The French Revolution was a period of major social upheaval that began in 1787 and ended in 1799. It sought to completely change the relationship between the rulers and those they governed and to redefine the nature of political power.
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