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Areas that people had issues with in 1780s France (Rural Poverty (Small…
Areas that people had issues with in 1780s France
Rural Poverty
Small Holdings
Farmers only owned a small portion of land and were only capable of struggling to grow for themselves, they also couldn’t use new methods such as crop rotation as well
Poor Harvests
Poor harvests between 1770 and 1789 led to food prices rising due to a lack of supply and also a lack of income for peasants who owned farms, in addition the variability of the wine crop led to either low yields or over supply
Land Incheritance
Because the land inheritance system led to land being divided amongst the heirs instead of the eldest son, by 1789 around 1/4 of French Farmland was made up of small plots, which led to plots being rented out by their owners
Subsistence
Subsistence farming meant that peasants couldn't implement new methods such as crop rotation in order to increase yields
Agricultural Problems
Agricultural problems led to a downturn in the woollen industry as peasants were both the producers and the buyers of it. Poor harvests prevented them from buying woollen goods, leading to a decline in the industry, and reducing the work available for spinners and weavers
The Tax System
Tax Imbalance Amongst The Estates
The Third Estate were not pleased that they were taxed more heavily than the 1st or 2nd, as The Church only contributed 5% of their income (16 million livres), the clergy didn't pay any tax, and the nobility paid less tax than the Third Estate
Taxes that the Second Estate didn't pay
Taille (a tax on land and the heaviest), 'corvees royales' (forced labour service to improve roads)
Noble's Rights
Exemption from some Taxes
The Third Estate were not pleased that the nobles didn't have to pay some form of taxes such as the taille and the corves royales.
Feudal Rights
Feudal Rights such as peasants paying their lords taxes, lords having control of manorial courts, exclusive rights to hunting and fishing to lords annoyed the peasants
Control over Heavy Industry
Nobles had control over mining and metal working industries through ownership and investments, which led them to have a monopoly which made the public aspire or criticise their privileged position
Corruption at Court and in the Church
Venality
The system of venality allowed people to purchase one of the around 70,000 offices in the royal bureaucracy to bring in revenue for the monarchy, however it led to corruption, incompetence and a blockade n talent
Cures vs the Higher Clergy
There was a considerable wealth gap between the Cures (around 1000 livres per annum) and Higher Clergy (more than 100,000 livres a year) because Cures didn't receive the entire tithe collected by abbots and bishops who then paid the cures a percentage of it.
Nobles and their control of the Higher Clergy
Nobles often attempted to gain these positions for their sons (1789 - all but one of the 135 bishops wasn't born a noble and a quarter came from 13 families). This led to bishops pursuing political power and did not live in their doceses and some held more than one
Internal Conflict
The Jansenists believed that the Pope and bishops were too corrupt and powerful, which led to them being persecuted by the Archbishop of Paris by denying them the sacraments in the 1750s. As a result, the church hierarchy and the monarchy was criticised by the Jansenists, for being not conciliar enough and for not providing enough power to the people respectively
Life in the Towns
Growth of Towns
The growth of towns (such as 20% for Paris, 50% for Lyon, and Nantes by 100%) due to their industries experiencing growth as well as a rise in foreign trade led to overpopulation and income inequality in the area. The division of the wealthy in towns and the poor in unhealthy tenemants (with poor water supplies and sewage system) both fueled tension between both classes.
Rise in Food Prices
The frequent as well as dramatic sudden rises in food prices (bread, grain etc.) triggered unrest amongst townsfolk as they led to disorder by peasants, bakers and grain dealers being threatened and shops & warehouses being looted.
Low Life Expectancy
Because of the poor sewage and water systems for peasants in tenements that led to diseases spreading and high infant mortality rates, life expectancy for France as a whole was only 28.5 years in the 1780s
New Ideas: The Enlightenment
The spread of new ideas through The Enlightenment angered the monarchs as they challenged traditional beliefs and explanations of the world such as the monarchy. The French Enlightenment had a strong influence in France and led to the publishing of the Encyclopaedia between 1750 and 1772. The government feared these new ideas and banned & burned books by authors such as Jean Jacques Rosseau, with books such as La Nouvelle Heloise (with ideas of rural happiness) and Emile (with themes focused on educating men and women for citizenship)
American Influence
Because France joined the American War of Independence in 1978, it meant Lafayette and his 8000 troops that returned home in 1783 brought home with them renewed ideas of Democracy and liberty