The French Society during the Late 18th Century

In 1774, Louis XVI, a 20 year young from Bourbon dynasty ascended the throne of France.

He was welcomed by empty treasure, France was reeling under tremendous debt which had mounted Up to 2 billion lives.

For meeting these expenses increase in the tax was inevitable. The French Society was divided into three estates. First, two enjoyed all the privileges.

1st Estate: Clergy 

2nd Estate: Nobility

3rd Estate: Big businessmen, merchants, court officials, peasants, artisans, landless laborers, servants, etc.

Some within the Third Estate were rich and some were poor.

The burden of financing activities of the state through taxes was borne by the Third Estate alone.

The Struggle for Survival: The population of France grew and so did the demand for grain. The gap between the rich and poor widened. This led to subsistence crises.

Subsistence Crisis :

An extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.

The Growing Middle Class: The 18th century witnessed the emergence of the middle class which was educated and believed that no group in society  should be privileged by birth.

These ideas were put forward by philosophers such as Locke the English philosopher and Rousseau, French philosopher. The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example of political theories of France.

These ideas were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people through books and newspapers.