The French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century- An Insight!

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Updated July 31, 2022

The crippling French Society in late eighteenth is an insightful read and the post is all about that. In 1774, at the age of 20 years, Louis XVI ascended the throne of France. He was belonged to the Bourbon family of kings. And, he married the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. Upon his accession, he found an empty treasury. Because, France had fought many wars and, long years of war had drained all financial resources.

Not withstanding, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived an extravagant life. The spending was exorbitant to retain their royal life. Also, the cost of maintaining the palace of Versailles was extreme. Under the reign of Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain. France had already borrowed more than 2 billion livers and, this war added more than a billion livers to debt.

Lenders who gave loans to France now began to charge 10% on loans. So, for the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices, and universities, Louis XVI increased the taxes. The French society divided into three estates and, only third estate peoples paid taxes. The society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the medieval period. And, the old regime is a term that is, usually used to describe the society and institution of France before 1789.

How the System of Estates in French Society was Organised?

The population of peasants in French society of late Eighteenth was about 90%. However, only a small number of them had their land for cultivation. About 60% of the land owned by richer members of third estates include nobles and the fathers of churches. French society in the eighteen century was divided into three estates.

The members of the first two estates did not pay any taxes, they had an exemption from paying taxes and, they enjoyed their privileges by birth. The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges. So, they extracted feudal dues from the peasants.

The Church extracted its share of taxes from the peasants, called tithes. And, the direct taxes which were paid by the members of third estates, called taille.

The Struggle to Survive

In 1715 the population in France was about 13 million in 1715 and, it increased to 28 million in 1789.  This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. The farmers could not produce enough food to meet the demands. So, the price of bread was increased rapidly.

Most farmers were employed as laborers in workshops in fixed wages, but these wages did not meet their needs. Whenever droughts or hail reduced the crop a subsistence crisis arose. It frequently occurred in France during the Old Regime.

How did a Subsistence Crisis Happen?

When an extreme situation where the basic means of livelihood are endangered then, the situation is known as the Subsistence crisis. These are factors which were responsible for a subsistence crisis in France:

(a) When in 1715 the population in France was about 13 million in 1715 and, it increased to 28 million in 1789. This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains. The farmers could not produce enough food to meet the demands. So, the price of bread was increased rapidly. Most farmers were employed as laborers in workshops in fixed wages, but these wages did not meet their needs.

(b) Whenever droughts or hail reduced the crop a subsistence crisis arose.

A Growing Middle class Aiming end of Privileges

In the past, members of the third estate, that is, peasants and, workers were participating in revolts against increasing taxes and food scarcity. But they were lacking in implementing such a program on the full-scale measures, which could change their social and economic status. this was left to those groups within the third estate who had become prosperous and had access to education and new ideas.

The middle class earned their wealth through expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods include woolen and silk textiles, which was either brought by richer members of society or exported in other countries. Not only merchants and manufacturers were belonging to the third estate but also the administrative officials and lawyers were belonging to the third estate.

They were well educated and believed that no person should be privileged by birth and, a person’s social positions depend on his merit. These ideas were based on freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all, were put forward in society by philosophers such as John Locke and Jean Rousseau.

The doctrine of divine and absolute right of the monarch had been denied by Locke in his “two treatises of government”. Rousseau carried the idea forward, a form government based on a social contract between people and their representatives. Montesquieu in his book “The spirit of laws” introduced a division of power within the government the judiciary, the executive, and the legislative.

Peoples of France discussed intensively of the ideas of the philosophers in salons and coffee-house and spread across France through the books and newspapers. Ideas were frequently read aloud in a group for the benefit of those people who could not read and write. when the members of the third estate got the news that Louis XVI planned to further increase taxes to be able to meet the expenses of the state then, people protested against the privileges system.

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