French Revolution DBQ

DBQ Project Before the French Revolution began, previous wars of religion led to the revolution. Between 1562 to 1598, the wars consisted of The War of the Three Henry’s, the Thirty Years’ war, the War of Spanish Successions, and others. Soon after these wars, France was facing financial difficulties and extravagant spending by the monarchy, which led to high taxes and economic hardships for the rest of the people (Third Estate). Fast forward to late-mid 18th century France, the First and second Estates both voted the third Estate to pay off all the debts and the taxes that the previous religious wars caused. The Third Estate found this unfair and began to resent the clergy and nobility so they had decided to leave the Estates general and create …show more content…
In Document 2, a petition by women of the Third Estate was sent to the king about how women are not educated and not given jobs; therefore they are asking the king for these common rights that women and men should have. Another way that women discussed their issues with the lack of education setting them up for economic failure was in Salons. Salons allow for the exchange of ideas and a spread of awareness of the economic system. In Document 4, a Decree of the National Assembly about the abolition of the feudal system for public liberty was set in place in August 1789. In Document 5, an Address presented to the National Assembly by a delegation of Jewish people living in Paris discussed their appreciation of the acts of justice presented by the National Assembly towards Jewish people. On page 274, Kagan discusses The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. He states that it was about the political language of the Enlightenment. Documents 2, 4, and 5, all show communities/members of the Third Estate enduring poverty, limited job opportunities, and heavy …show more content…
In Document 3, a political cartoon showing a figure that represents the Third Estate carries two other figures representing the First and Second estates while rabbits and birds eat the Third Estates harvest is shown. This picture illustrates the pressure the Third Estate had to pay off all the debt and the increased taxes from the clergy and nobility and how they were nearly unable to support themselves. In the Cahier of 1789, the Third Estate of Versailles, a similar idea is told. This is a list of complaints that the Third Estate has towards the government, and how they want to have it rectified. In The State of the French Economy, 1789 written by Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière, she discussed the waste of products and manufactured goods she had seen during the time of the Industrial Revolution and how the manufacturers were treated horribly. On page 272, Kagan discusses The Great Fear. He states that during The Great Fear legal records were destroyed and people began to refuse paying feudal taxes. Another way debts and taxes were seen was through the Issuance of Assignments. Assignments were paper money that the French government

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