France
France's Pre-Revolution Taxation
A political cartoon depicting the estates during the late 1700's in France.
The French Revolution (1788-1799) had a major impact on France and all of Europe. One of the main factors that caused The French Revolution was the high tax rates for the members of the Third Estate. The First and Second Estates had privileges such as exemptions from paying taxes and these privileges were not granted to members of the Third Estate. About 97 percent of the people in France belonged to the Third Estate, including members of the bourgeoisie (middle class) and the urban workers of France's cities. This classification of people by their economic class caused great resentment within the country. Members of the lower class wanted change. They felt that they were being taken advantage of by the First and Second Estates and that without the Third Estate, the country would not be able to function. The political cartoon to the left shows members of the First and Second estate riding on the backs of an exhausted and weak member of the Third Estate.
The following video gives a quick description of the unfair taxation leading to the French Revolution
Social Conditions Pre-Revolution France
France had a large population making it hard for everyone to have food. There were 20 million people as of the beginning of the 18th century. Then over the century the population grew to 30 million rather than a 1 million population increase the century before. Most of the people worked the land or lived in poverty in large cities. Food became scarcer as the population continued to grow. The peasants were also not making enough money to support their families while the nobel and wealthy were in opposite conditions and had money to provide for their families and some extra. The separation of the population into the three estates created tension between groups, since they were living in luxury while the majority of the population was poor. 97% of people were in the third estate making the middle and lower classed. The gap between the rich and the poor in France was so huge that when laws were made they favored the rich and did not help the poor. On top of this, the Third Estate paid almost all the taxes. When the Estates General was called, fear over how many votes the third estate would get. This was feared by the first and second estates since if the third estate got more votes they would have a bigger say in the government and they wanted to keep them as powerless as they can. However, the meeting was called to tax the nobel. The motion failed and this riled the third estate even more. Eventually out of frustration with the system, the third estate form the National Assembly as there new political group.