Oppression of the Third Estate

The Third Estate (comprising the common people of France, including peasants, urban workers, and the bourgeoisie) faced significant oppression during the period leading up to the French Revolution. Economically, they bore a disproportionate burden of taxes while the First Estate (clergy) and the Second Estate (nobility) enjoyed various exemptions. The taille (a direct land tax), the gabelle (a tax on salt), and the vingtième (an income tax) were among the levies that disproportionately impacted the Third Estate. Although the peasants made up roughly 80% of the population, they were often left with minimal resources after fulfilling their tax obligations and rents to their feudal lords.

Socially, the Third Estate suffered from a lack of privileges and representation. At the Estates-General (the representative assembly convened by King Louis XVI in May 1789), voting procedures disadvantaged them since each estate had one vote, enabling the clergy and nobility to outvote the larger Third Estate despite its numbers. This inequitable system contributed to growing resentment and a sense of disenfranchisement among the common people.

Feudal privileges for the nobility further exacerbated the oppression. The nobility had exclusive hunting rights, imposed banalités (compulsory dues for using the lord's mill, oven, or wine press), and extracted corvée labor (unpaid labor, usually on roads or other public works) from peasants. These feudal obligations added to the financial and physical burden on the Third Estate, perpetuating systemic inequality.

Intellectually, the Enlightenment ideas propagated by philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu began to resonate among the bourgeoisie of the Third Estate. These new political ideas promoted concepts such as equality before the law and a merit-based society, challenging the inherent injustice of the Ancien Régime (the political and social system in pre-revolutionary France).

The conditions faced by urban workers and peasants were particularly harsh. Many peasants dealt with famines and poor harvests, exacerbated by the Little Ice Age (a period of cooler climate between the 16th and 19th centuries). Urban workers faced high bread prices due to economic mismanagement and inflation, leading to food riots and unrest in cities like Paris.

This systemic oppression ultimately contributed to the radicalization of the Third Estate. The formation of the National Assembly on 17 June 1789 marked the beginning of an active challenge against the established order. With the Tennis Court Oath on 20 June 1789, members of the Third Estate vowed not to disband until they had drafted a new constitution for France. These actions initiated a period of substantial political change, leading to the fall of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 and subsequently, the series of events that comprised the French Revolution.

• The Third Estate constituted about 97% of the French population, including peasants, urban workers, and the bourgeoisie (the middle class), yet they had little political power or representation in the Estates-General.
• Members of the Third Estate were burdened with heavy taxes, while the First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (nobility) enjoyed numerous privileges, contributing to widespread discontent.
• In 1789, the Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly, marking a crucial turning point in the Revolution as they aimed to assert their rights and represent the people's will.
• Many revolutionary ideas emerged from the Enlightenment, where thinkers like Rousseau and Voltaire criticized the oppression of the Third Estate, advocating for equality and liberty.
• On 14 July 1789, the storming of the Bastille became a symbol of the Third Estate’s fight against oppression, as it represented the tyranny of the monarchy and the need for change.