EURO-UA 511 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Pillnitz, Church Tax, Maximilien Robespierre
Document Summary
The french revolution (1789: old regime, 1st estate clergy, tax exempt, owned 10% of land, 2nd estate nobility, almost no taxes, 20% of land, 3rd estate everyone else, 98% of population c. i. Many too poor to own land, otherwise owned small plots c. iii. Bourgeoisie (successful businessmen) didn"t like being lumped into this estate. Economic strife: crop failure food shortage higher prices, had lots of debt due to 7 year"s war lots of taxes, 1st + 2nd estates refused to pay taxes. 3rd estate made itself into a national assembly d. ii. Vowed to write a constitution: an angry mob stormed the bastille (symbol of injustice) Moderate reforms: nobles abolished feudalism, declaration of the rights of man (1789) b. i. Made wealth rather than blood the basis of social classes: civil constitution of the clergy (1790) c. i. Ended papal authority + power of catholic church c. ii. Banned church from holding land, ended tithes (church tax) c. iii.