This brings up the reason for why this period is also known as the enlightenment period. Before we started the unit, we learned about the new ideas all the philosophers were making, for example: Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquie. Even though the peasants were not as strong as the other estates, they became independent and fought for their rights. And even they knew that this government structure was not fair to their people which is why it was a necessity to change it, even with force. New ideas and talents also broadened the minds of people on what they believed and whether it was fair and logical or not.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The French Revolution
During the years of the French Revolution, King Louis XVI was in power. Many events occurred during this time period leading to cruel deaths and radical changes in society. Speaking of society, there were three parts to the society during the French revolution: 1st estate were the clergy, 2nd estate were the nobles, and the 3rd estate were the commoners. The rage all began because taxes were only to be payed by the 3rd estates while the rest of the people did not have to. Since there was a bad harvest that year, the peasants did not have enough money to pay for bread, leading a violent rage to do anything in order to get food for them and their families. On top of this issue, there was no leader to stand up for the rights and rules of the third estate, and this marked the point of the storming of Bastille. The lower people were unhappy with the absolute monarchy, ran by the king himself, so by destroying his power, it would bring justice to their issues of surviving.
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I think you really hit the nail on the head here. The problem that the peasants faced was that there was no leader to stand up for the rights of the third estate (as you said). The peasants and bourgeoisie (despite the fact that they comprised a significant majority of the population) didn't have enough political power to make any significant legal changes. Put the simply, the king did not ask for input from the third estate when making decisions that would affect his country's future. He rarely held assemblies, and even when he did, the second estate usually sided with him, thus overruling the third estate. Also, as a ruler he was unaware of the problems that the majority of his country faced (out of sight, out of mind). That, on top of his indecisiveness, prevented the king from making any real reforms that the third estate desperately called for.
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