estate general Flashcards
What is an estate general
legislative assembly of the different estates of French society- had separate assembly for each of the three estates which were called and dismissed by the king
no true power in its own right and was not required to approve royal taxation of legislation
What did the old procedure of the EG state
the estates met separately to discuss issues before voting
voting system by estate not by head
How did the third estate want to change the procedures of the EG
wanted voting my head and double representation
What concessions does Louis make about the voting prcedures
agrees to increase the representatives of the third estate but not change the vote
Who wrote the pamphlet ‘What is the third estate’ and when
Abbe Sieyes- Jan 1789
What was the nature of Abbe Sieyes pamphlet
argued that the 3rd estate was ‘everything’; it alone represented the nation
written in simple language so that the message was clear- led to a growing desire not just to have a voice in a future assembly but to act as its leaders
How much did textile production fall by in 1789
50%
How much of their wages were parisian workers spending on bread to keep alive by spring 1789
88%
How many cahiers were produced
40,000
What was written in the cahiers
most spoke about the need for more representative government
third estate cahiers more concerned about taxation and those from peasant districts tended to reflect very local and specific concerns
Who was the first estate represented by
mainly parish priests
291 parish priests, 51 bishops, 16 monks/abbots and 32 others
Who was the second estate represented by
majority were old traditional voters
90 of the 282 could be considered liberal, the rest conservative
Who was the third estate represented by
no peasants of artisans (couldn’t support themselves without work)
40% were civil servants, 30% lawyers and 13% from trade and industry
580 in total
What was the focus of the meetings
tax reform
Why did the third estate refuse to do anything
wanted the EG to convene in one assembly hall
When did the third estate declare themselves a national assembly
17th June
When did the first estate vote to join the third estate
two days later- 19th June
When did the King arrange a seance royal
23rd June
What did the King express in the seance royale
declared the National Assembly and its decisions null and void
he ordered the estates to continue to meet separately
the king didn’t concede restrictions to his own power such as the abolition of lettres de cachet, no taxation without consultation, abolition of the corvee and gabelle
abolition of internal custom barriers and freedom of the press
How many deputies met with the National Assembly on 24th June
151 deputies
How many nobles joined the national assembly on 25th June
47 nobles
