The Ancien Regime
History: KS3, topic 13.1.1
The Ancien Regime
Although France was very powerful throughout most of the 1700s, towards the end of the century it faced financial and political problems. These problems caused tensions within society, which led to demands for change.
France in the 1700s
- In the early and mid 1700s, France was an extremely powerful country in Europe.
- But many aspects of French society and politics had not progressed much for hundreds of years.
- This was known as the ‘Ancien Regime’, meaning the ‘old regime’.
Absolutist monarchy
- For example, France was still ruled by an absolutist monarch (the king).
- This meant that the king had absolute power, and did not have to rule with the help of a parliament.
Inequality
- Also, the spread of power and wealth across the country was still very unbalanced.
- The nobility were incredibly wealthy.
- They made up less than 2% of the overall French population, but owned 25% of all the land in the country!
The peasantry
- On the other hand, 75% of the French population were peasants, who mostly lived a life of hardship and poverty.
- Although the peasants already struggled to survive, they had to pay disproportionate amounts of tax to the government, their noble landlords, and the church.
Test yourself on The Ancien Regime
What was French society before the Revolution known as?