The Old Regime Essay Research Paper The free essay sample

The Old Regime Essay, Research Paper The Old Regime was a period of clip frequently considered by many to be representative of a crashed society. Under the Old Regime in France, the male monarch was the absolute sovereign. King Louis XIV had centralized power in the royal bureaucratism, the authorities sections that took attention of his policies. King Louis # 8217 ; reign in France played a important function in its history and economic system. He was a male monarch to all during the most of import events of the clip, but he was besides a fiscal male monarch to the rich because he created a revenue enhancement system that merely benefited those who were affluent. During the clip of the Old Regime, society was broken down into three orders or categories, known traditionally as estates. The most of import category of the three consisted of the rebellious Nobility of the Second Estate which contained about 400,000 persons who held all the public offices in the kingdom. We will write a custom essay sample on The Old Regime Essay Research Paper The or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1 The first two estates numbered the least but held the most influence in the whole land. Most of the King # 8217 ; s curates of province were of Baronial birth, and even the highest order of the First Estate, the Clergy, was filled with the younger boies of Baronial families.2 Like the First Estate, the Second Estate paid barely any revenue enhancements and by and large consisted of the richest members of society. The First and Second Estates were grouped together because they had similar political beliefs. The Third Estate strongly resented the advantages of the first two estates. The first two estates were the richest of the three estates. The First Estate consisted of the Clergy, or the Church. The First Estate owned about 10 per centum of all the land in France. This estate paid no revenue enhancements, but to back up church activities such as running schools and caring for the hapless, it collected a tithe, or a revenue enhancement on income.3 In add-on, this estate was made up of the Nobles who lived epicurean lives in major Gallic metropoliss such as Versailles and Paris. The First Estate absolutely illustrates the sum of power and wealth possessed by the Church during a clip when Church and State were non separated. The Second Estate in French life was chiefly comprised of the Nobility. This category, by and large characterized by the richest members of society, enjoyed extended rights and privileges, great land, and much wealth. The Nobles accumulated their wealth by roll uping revenue enhancements, rents, and dues for the usage of their farms or estates. Noblemen traditionally lived by the values of trueness, bravery, refined manners, and service to the King.4 However, while these blue bloods still claimed the privileges of their estate, many had forgotten their responsibilities and values.5 This estate shows how lopsided society was ; most members of the Second Estate weren # 8217 ; t even rich, but were born into a Baronial household and were hence considered Nobility. The Third Estate consisted of Gallic citizens who weren # 8217 ; t classified as either Clergy or Nobility. Since the first two estates were exempt from revenue enhancements, the Third Estate had to supply about all of the state # 8217 ; s income. Yet the Third Estate, easy the largest since it encompassed every Frenchman who was neither an blue blood nor a reverend, was the least influential of the estates. In general, the Third Estate was composed of three groups: the Peasants, the Middle Class, and the Urban Workers. Peasants chiefly led the lives of husbandmans. In contrast, the Middle Class was composed of the most of import people in society. However, the Middle Class frequently worried about its societal position, for it wasn # 8217 ; t socially recognized because it was portion of the Third Estate. The Urban Workers, on the other manus, held much weight in society before and during the Revolution. Their choler at low rewards and deficits of staff of life and other staple n utrients frequently resulted in rabble force during the Revolution.6 While the first two orders enjoyed many advantages, the common mans of the Third Estate had none. Barred by jurisprudence and usage from possessing any sort of political power, these people were besides burdened with taxes.7 They were forced to pay revenue enhancements on their income, land, belongings, harvests, salt, baccy, vino, cyder and even their lives. If a provincial sold a piece of land, he or she paid a gross revenues revenue enhancement, every bit good as an extra revenue enhancement, on the money he or she received. These revenue enhancements were merely excessively much for a difficult working single to pay ; therefore, this category system caused human life to be unequal. Ironically, these people were taught that all were born equal ; hence, they learned that sorting world must was incorrect. However, limitations were still put upon the subordinated Third Estate. In add-on to fiscal restraints, provincials and husbandmans were out to kill any game animate beings, even t hose that threatened their harvests. On top of all these limitations the common mans had to bear, they were faced with yet another load # 8212 ; forced military service. Once in the ground forces, these people were paid really ill and fed even worse. These restraints were merely levied upon the Third Estate ; therefore, this estate became rather infuriated. As a consequence of these limitations, the whole Third Estate was populating in an inferior province of head that caused those within this estate to desire more. The people of the Third Estate were tired of being treated below the belt throughout their mundane lives. The first two estates were basking their tax-exempt life styles while the hapless paid for this unfairness. Clearly, such a system could non last for long. During the 1780 # 8217 ; s, France # 8217 ; s fiscal crisis grew daily as male monarchs drained the state # 8217 ; s exchequer. The Peasants wanted alleviation from their antediluvian and dated responsibilities while the Middle Class desired freedom as a wages for T inheritor industry labor.8 Despite this turning tenseness in France, the King continued to defy the demands of his people. As a consequence of his changeless refusal to allow his people equal rights, many rebellions and wars broke out and diminished the country’s exchequer. Furthermore, a series of bad crops between 1688 and 1694 brought about entire catastrophes.9 For illustration, the cold and moisture summers reduced crops by more so tierce. The overall consequence was widespread famishment, and, in many states, a decease rate that rose to several times the normal figure.10 These unfortunate fortunes hurt the Peasants even more than the disadvantages they faced before the dearth. In add-on to these events, nutrient public violences, deficiency of work, and the issue of political booklets all played cardinal functions in fuelling the fire of the Gallic Revolution.11 This revolution symbolized equality for all categories around the universe. The Metropolitan Museum offered many different sorts of shows of Gallic art and architecture that illustrated the contrasting categories of Gallic society. Upon review of these shows, one can easy detect that male monarchs and Lords dominated Gallic art and pictures. These shows show an perceiver the unequal society that the people of that twenty-four hours were forced to populate in. For illustration, the pictures exemplified the prestigiousness, privileged, and rich nature of the Nobles ; these were conditions that the Third Estate could non see. The first two estates endured really fruitful lives, and this is reflected in the art exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. Peasants weren # 8217 ; t considered anything but humble provincials, and were therefore neer truly recognized until during the Revolution. The Peasants in the Third Estate became accustomed to their life styles and knew they would neer go portion of the rich society. There were two suites in the Metropolitan Museum that illustrated the wealth and award possessed by the first two estates. The first room had to be the sleeping room of King Louis XIV, for this room was nil less so perfect. The walls, surrounded by angels, looked like they belonged to the room of a God. The walls besides contained images, one being of King Louis himself. The King # 8217 ; s portrayal was godlike every bit good, for he bore a confident stance. This room contained a consummate hearth, which would hold decidedly been a sight to any provincial who would hold had the award to see it. The other room that would catch the oculus of any common man would hold to be the room of the Hotel De Cabris. At first glimpse, any perceiver could see that this room signified wealth with its rich furniture and atmosphere. These two suites show how the rich lived and how happy they were while the Third Estate struggled to be. While the first two estates lived in harmoniousness and merely worried about what they wanted, Third Estate members were concerned with how they would go on to populate under the limitations put upon them. These two suites would give provincials a sense of letdown # 8212 ; they would experience that they wouldn # 8217 ; t sum to anything because they weren # 8217 ; t born into a affluent or baronial household. These suites, or any suites of Nobility, would be nil more than a reminder of how unequal the society of their clip was. The architecture of that twenty-four hours was nil less so spectacular ; nevertheless, it was constructed merely to the satisfaction of the rich, and a batch of the things that they built didn # 8217 ; t need to be built. Since holding money was natural to the rich, they decided to populate in luxury instead than assist the hapless societies. One illustration of an unnesscary edifice that was built would hold to be the Palace at Versailles. The King erected this edifice because he wanted all the Gallic Nobles to populate together, yet this topographic point became nil more so a prison for the Nobility. This edifice did non hold to be made, but it was created to demo the illustriousness of the King and his full land. These illustrations of architecture show that a provincial, who was considered to be low in social position, would experience regret in any of these topographic points because they contained things that were built extravagantly for the wealthy. In a society that has nil left but hope, the rich are frequently resented. The Gallic Society in the seventeenth century was made up of unequal categories. Even though the lowest category made up more than half of the Gallic society during that clip, it was treated the worst and given nil but problem. King Louis Fourteen might hold had a tight fiscal clasp on France, but he did so at the disbursal of the hapless. A provincial would experience wholly out of topographic point in a rich scene like the one within the Metropolitan Museum. End Notes 1 ) Dowd, David. Gallic Revolution ( New York: American Heritage Pub, 1965 ) pg. 13 2 ) Dowd, David. Gallic Revolution, pg. 14. 3 ) Corzine, Phyllis. The Gallic Revolution ( San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc. 1995 ) pg. 15. 4 ) Corzine, Phyllis. The Gallic Revolution, pg 16. 5 ) Corzine, Phyllis. The Gallic Revolution, pg. 16. 6 ) Otfinoski, Steven. Triumph and Terror ( New York: Facts on File, Inc. 1993 ) pg. 9 7 ) Corzine, Phyllis. The Gallic Revolution, pg. 20. 8 ) Otfinoski, Steven. Triumph and Terror, pg. 10. 9 ) Dowd, David. The Gallic Revolution, pg. 15. 10 ) Mckay, John P. , Hill, Bennett D. , Buckler, John, A History of Western Society. 6th Ed. ( New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999 ) pg. 544. 11 ) Mckay, John P. , Hill, Bennett D. , Buckler, John, A History of Western Society. 6th Ed. Pg. 545. 12 ) Otfinoski, Steven. Triumph and Terror, pg. 13.