The Estates-General
History: KS3, topic 13.1.2
The Estates-General, 1789
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.
1789
- By 1789, France was facing financial crisis:
- The country had war debts.
- Prices were rising at an alarming rate.
- Bad harvests meant that many peasants faced starvation.
The ‘Estates-General’
- France’s king, Louis XVI, agreed to call a meeting between France’s three ‘estates’ (key groups), so that they could discuss the problems and advise the king on what to do.
- This meeting was known as the ‘Estates-General’.
The Estates
- The First Estate was made of up the clergy (people who work in the church like bishops, priests, etc).
- The Second Estate was made up of the nobility.
- The Third Estate was made up of the rest of the population (the middle-classes, workers and peasants).
- Although the Third Estate contained the vast majority of the population (around 98% of French society were within the Third Estate), they had no more political power than the First Estate or Second Estate.
Disagreement
- The meeting did not go well.
- The Estates-General would not agree to the king’s demands for more taxes, and the Third Estate, in particular, was angered by their lack of political power and their treatment within society.
The National Assembly
- Desperate for more political recognition and a greater say in how the country should be run, the Third Estate broke off to form a new group called the National Assembly.
- They demanded political reform and wanted to have their say in French politics.
Test yourself on The Estates-General
Which of the following was NOT a cause of the financial crisis in France 1789?
Who was King of France in 1789?