The Third Estates Success

Brooke Horton
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In this paper, I will examine the three estates of the French government during the French
Revolution. The first, second, and third estate are composed of clergy, nobles, and the rest of the
population, respectively. France was going through some turmoil during this time, and the three estates
could not agree on one stance in a situation. The third estate grew discontent with the rights the upper
classes were granted, so they took matters into their own hands. They joined together to take over the
upper classes and earn their rights back as citizens. I argue that the third estate had the most influence on
France during that time compared to the first and second estates due to the Estates General, Storming of
Bastille, and killing of the king and queen. Even though the third estate was made up of peasants and
laborers, they made a difference in their time period. This group came together to fight for a strong
nation, and it ended in their favor.
First, I will discuss how the Estates General helped contribute to the third estates success in
making an impact in their society. France had been experiencing many problems such as deficit spending,
poor harvests, and high taxes. This caused much stress for the third estate, who had no rights, and they
decided to change their fate. The wealthy demanded an Estates General meeting be called to solve the
countrys problems. As encyclopedia.com states, Consequently, the Estates-General in France had no
institutional permanence, no clearly defined powers, and no archives. The one element that was constant
was the requirement that they meet in three separate chambers, the First Estate, the clergy; the Second
Estate, the nobility; and the Third Estate, everyone else. This reflected the assumption that society was
divided into those who prayed, those who fought, and those who worked. The Estates General did not
solve the problems, so the Third Estate was locked out by the king. The Third Estate then moved to a
nearby tennis court and ran their meetings there, to eventually create the Tennis Court Oath. This oath
stated they would never separate and meet whenever circumstances might require until a solid
constitution is formed. Even though the king kicked them out of the palace, they adapted and made a
group to keep their beliefs alive in action.

Next, I will discuss how the storming of the Bastille was influential in the third estates influence
in society. As history.com explains the storming of the Bastille, Parisian revolutionaries and mutinous
troops storm and dismantle the Bastille, a royal fortress that had come to symbolize the tyranny of the
Bourbon monarchs. This dramatic action signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade of
political turmoil and terror in which King Louis XVI was overthrown and tens of thousands of people
This event is said to of started the French Revolution, which is an accomplishment of itself. The storming
of the Bastille shows how the third estates population increased its chances of changing the ways of the
country. This take over sparked new ideas on how a country should be run, and the people were starting
to get some of their ways. The storming caused a reform and feudalism is abolished and France is reborn.
This proves how the third estate came together towards one cause and made such a big difference.
Lastly, I will prove how the killing of the king and queen was an accomplishment for the third
estate. The king and queen are the main reason that France started to go under. The third estate was taxed
heavily, not permitted to hunt, and did not have the right to political titles. The king and queen had
control over the whole country, and did not allow the third estate to have equal rights. There were many
economic troubles such as deficit spending. As fabiuspompey.org states, Louis XIV left France deeply
in debt, due to deficit spending, or spending more money than it takes in. This caused the king and
queen to borrow heavily, putting the country in even more turmoil. King Louis 16th also decided to help
America during the war, which took away even more money from France. The king and queen made poor
decisions while running the country and caused distress for the third estate. The third estate killed them
because of their actions while in power of the country.
In conclusion, there were three main reasons the third estate had the most influence and
accomplishments over the upper classes during the French Revolution. The third estate was influential
and accomplished because of the Estates General, Storming of Bastille, and killing of the king and queen.
The third estate was treated poorly and came together to fight for their rights. They stuck together
through the tough times to be successful in gaining the privileges they deserved. The Third Estate
reached many obstacles throughout their rebellion, but they came together to overcome the king and
queen. Can you imagine being a peasant that makes little money and find out taxes have risen and you

must eat only bread? What if you were a farmer during the poor harvests, how would you survive? How
would you react if you were in the third estate and being treated this way?