Revolutions in France

Question 1

What were the three Estates in the feudal aristocracy system?

Answer 1

The three Estates were the Clergy (First Estate), the Nobles (Second Estate), and the Peasants and Middle Class (Third Estate).

Question 2

What financial issues contributed to the French Revolution?

Answer 2

The financial crisis caused by the king’s expensive wars and extravagant lifestyle, along with the burden of taxes falling solely on the Third Estate, contributed to the French Revolution.

Question 3

What hardships did the peasants face in the 1780s leading up to the French Revolution?

Answer 3

The 1780s were marked by famine and bad harvests, causing peasants to go hungry and lose their jobs.

Question 4

In what year was the Estates General? And what for

Answer 4

In 1789, money problems forced the king to call the ‘Estates General’ ‐ a kind of parliament. He wanted to
raise taxes.