Question

Who constituted the third estate? Explain the economic condition in France that led to the revolution

Answer 1

The third Estate was made up of French citizens who did not belong to the clergy or nobility. They were made of primarily of the Bourgeoisie, or middle class, and wage laborer's throughout the country. In 1789 France, years of elite rule led to massive wealth inequalities with a small group of nobility and priests controlling much of the land and wealth. The most important economic issue was landownership, as many French peasants were forced to work the land of their local lords and give him a portion of their harvest.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates_of_the_realm#Third_Estate

Answer 2

read this article to know detailed information about economic conditions in frech revolution. http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h33-fr.html

Answer 3

In the 1780s, for example, the 600 miles between Paris and Toulouse was only an eight-day journey, rather than the fifteen days it had taken in the 1760s. But the advance in commerce did not produce well-being for the common people. The population of France had grown to between 24 and 26 million -- up from 19 million in 1700, without a concomitant growth in food production. Farmers around Paris consumed over 80 percent of what they grew, so if a harvest fell by around 10 percent, which was common, people went hungry.. People suffered too with a decline in the 1780s in France's textile industry. The importation of British textiles, cheaper and of better quality than French textiles, created unemployment among France's spinners and weavers.The city of Paris had a population of roughly 650,000, many of them getting by without regular jobs. Alongside the unemployed textile workers were people who sold second-hand goods or worked at odd jobs such as carrying waterDuring the Seven Years' War and during France's help for the American Revolution, the monarchy had fallen deeper in debt. The government was taxing common people regularly and paying half of its revenues to cover debts owed to aristocrats and other lenders.and in last...In July, 1788, a hailstorm destroyed crops. France had its worst harvest in forty years, and the winter of 1788-89 was severe. Getting no relief from their hunger, people rioted. The economy declined further. In Paris, construction workers were joining the ranks of the unemployed. People were being evicted from their rented homes. With bread more scarce, its price rose. People had been in the habit of eating mainly bread, and it now took most of the wages of those still working to obtain it. The Church was handing out bread and milk, and the king's economic minister, Jacques Necker, was doing what he could. He forbade the export of grain and launched a program to import food. This was with little success. Food was in short supply in Europe in general and frozen rivers and canals were hampering transport.