A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges
In the late 18th century, the French social hierarchy was starkly divided into three estates, with the Third Estate, comprised mainly of the bourgeoisie, being heavily taxed while the first two estates (nobility and clergy) enjoyed numerous privileges, including tax exemptions. A prosperous and educated middle class emerged from this estate, consisting of merchants, manufacturers, and professionals like lawyers. This group was deeply influenced by Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, who argued against the divine rights of kings and promoted ideas of merit-based social structures and government by social contract.
Amid increasing economic hardship, including famine and high bread prices, the middle class began seeking to dismantle the existing feudal privileges upheld by the nobility. They participated in salons and discussions that popularized Enlightenment ideas, ultimately leading to protests against the monarchy. The historical context reveals how the revolutionary actions of the bourgeoisie significantly challenged the status quo, marking the inception of the French Revolution, which sought to establish a society based on equal rights and opportunities.
This section emphasizes how the aspirations of the middle class for social change were foundational in the revolutionary movements that followed, fundamentally altering the power dynamics in French society.