Objective: Identify the major social groups in France on the eve of the 1789 Revolution. Assess the extent to which their aspirations were achieved in the period from the meeting of the Estates-General in May 1789 to the declaration of the republic in September 1792.
From the Middle Ages to the start of the Revolutionary Age, France functioned as a feudal society in which each member of the population belonged to a societal order, or estate. The first estate was composed of the high clergy, while the second was made up of the hereditary nobility and the remainder of the population constituted the third estate. Members of all three estates were involved in the French Revolution of 1789. During this period of intense political reform and upheaval, members of differing social orders aimed to make social, political, and economic gains. Each social order met with varying degrees of success following the meeting of the Estates-General in May of 1789 and leading up to the establishment of the French Republic in 1792. The first, second, and third estates each had individual objectives that they attempted to reach during the French Revolution.
The first estate had a single goal during the French Revolution, to preserve its traditional privileges. However, the first estate was largely unsuccessful. The first major development was the abolition of the tithe. In the August 4 reforms of the National Assembly, the tithe, a tax of 10% collected by the clergy, was abolished throughout France. Prior to its abolition, the tithe had functioned as a source of considerable income for the Catholic Church and the clergy. Its eradication was a great loss for the members of the first estate. Moreover, the clergy lost their tax exemption in the same set of reforms. The second development was the seizure of church lands by the French government. It was typically reclaimed by the National Assembly and later became French land. This resulted in another loss of income for the French...