The Rise Of The 19th Century - 1210 Words

France in the late 1700 s was based on a feudal system where they were divided into estates based on their birth. The king was at the top of the absolute monarchy and did not have to consult with anyone to pass a law. He had complete control over the country and could do things such as kill someone for no reason. This did not go well with most people and especially people of the Third Estate. Privileges were very common amongst the First Estate. One very famous privilege was being exempt for the Taille-the major tax in France at the time. The First Estate was made up of the Clergy and they were the richest and had the most power. The Second Estate was made up of the nobles who were also wealthy and held high positions in the French†¦show more content†¦During the years of 1787 and 1789, the hatred increased. With two years of bad harvest, the price of wheat doubled which increased the price of the peasant food, bread, immensely. A new movement called the Enlightenment became popular in France. Writers such as Voltaire and Rousseau encouraged people to question the world that they live in. Thoughts of the right of kings and being part of an unfair society were brought into consideration. To make everything worse, after realizing that France was practically bankrupt, Louis calls together a meeting with the Estates General. In this meeting he believes he would have no problem in trying to raise taxes in only the Third Estate. This was the sad truth for the Third Estate because the Estates General only had one representative from each estate, which meant that they were outnumbered by the First and Second Estates. They finally broke off from the Estates General and formed the National Assembly. Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes, most commonly known as Abbey Sieyes was born on May 3, 1748 in Frejus, France and died in Paris on June 20, 1836. His concept of popular popular sovereignty guided the National Assembly in its struggle against the king and the nobility during the beginning of the French Revolution. Later on, in 1799, he was part of organizing the famous coup d à ©tat that over through Louis XVI and brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power. Sieyes was educated and rose in the church to become vicar general in 1780 and