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The Estates General

The Estates General. Background. By 1787, France’s economy is in ruins for several reasons Lavish spending by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette Poor taxing policies Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the American Revolution (1775-1783). Louis XVI.

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The Estates General

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  1. The Estates General

  2. Background • By 1787, France’s economy is in ruins for several reasons • Lavish spending by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette • Poor taxing policies • Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the American Revolution (1775-1783)

  3. Louis XVI • King Louis XVI promises to call together the Estates General, which had not met since 1614 • Representative body (think Congress) • Louis hopes this will solve France’s problems • The Estates General is scheduled to meet on May 5th, 1789 at Versailles

  4. King Louis XVI of France

  5. What Was the Estates General? • This was a legislative assembly for the different French classes (Congress) • The Estates General was made up of three classes • Clergy - 1stEstate • Nobility - 2ndEstate • Bourgeoisie (including peasants) - 3rdEstate

  6. Clergy • By 1789, the 1st Estate (Clergy) was made up of 100,000 people • Owned 5-10% of the land • All property was tax-exempt

  7. Nobility • 2nd Estate

  8. Nobility • The 2nd Estate (Nobility) was made up of 400,000 people • Enjoyed the better government jobs • Was also tax-exempt

  9. Bourgeoisie • The 3rd Estate (Bourgeoisie, peasants) was made up of 25 million people • The 3rd Estate paid all of the taxes • This means the burden fell on France’s poorest • Each Estate had one vote • The 1st and 2nd Estates usually voted together

  10. Bourgeoisie • The 3rd Estate had to sit by themselves at the Estates General • They had to wear black robes • Had to enter the Estates General through a side door • The 3rd Estate (98% of France) is getting fed up…

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