Time period Conditions
During the French Revolution and prior to it, conditions in France were either wonderful or miserable, depending on the estate one lived in. Estates were simply classes of people.
1st Estate- Clergy
The clergy was the most powerful estate in France. Members of the clergy could be either rich or poor, but they did not have to pay taxes.
2nd Estate- Nobles and Royalty
People within this class lived extravagantly and abundantly, and were often wasteful and spent enormous amounts of money on things they didn't need. This estate was also exempt from paying taxes.
3rd Estate- Common People and Peasants
Common people and peasants were the most unfortunate class of the three. They were forced to pay taxes, and most of them did not have even enough money to support themselves and their families. This led them to live in utter poverty, with little to no food, while the money they barely managed to scrape up went towards supporting the life of excess much of the 1st and 2nd estates practiced.
The 3rd Estate realized the unfair life they were living, and this led to the French Revolution.
The clergy was the most powerful estate in France. Members of the clergy could be either rich or poor, but they did not have to pay taxes.
2nd Estate- Nobles and Royalty
People within this class lived extravagantly and abundantly, and were often wasteful and spent enormous amounts of money on things they didn't need. This estate was also exempt from paying taxes.
3rd Estate- Common People and Peasants
Common people and peasants were the most unfortunate class of the three. They were forced to pay taxes, and most of them did not have even enough money to support themselves and their families. This led them to live in utter poverty, with little to no food, while the money they barely managed to scrape up went towards supporting the life of excess much of the 1st and 2nd estates practiced.
The 3rd Estate realized the unfair life they were living, and this led to the French Revolution.
Art was one of the main motivations of the common people to overthrow the upper estates and make France a land unoppressed for the people.