Monday, September 22, 2008

The French Revolution


1.) The kings, nobles, and clergy enjoyed certain privileges that the peasants didn't, like for instance only the higher estates could hold important positions and even though the higher estates were the richest they did not have to pay taxes.
2.) In 1789 a French peasant would've probably complained about maintaining the burden of carrying the higher estates on their back as if they were put here to do everything someone rich tells them to do.
3.) The cartoonist was probably pointing out that they are being used as mules to carry and maintain everything a higher estate commands. Then with the quote he is asking when all this unfair or unequal treatment will end.
4.) The author of source B describes the lives of French peasants as really unfair because they barely have enough to live by and they still have to pay taxes to the nobles. The author was joined by a poor woman who complained her husband only had a morsel of land , one cow and a poor house, she exclaimed "The taxes and feudal dues are crushing us".
5.) Yes, sources A, B, and C are part of the reason peasants resented the rich but their was also other reasons. The peasants and the rest of the third class always had to carry the weight of the Upper classes on their backs: they payed more in taxes and earned less for their hard work.
6.) The ones influenced by Rousseau's words would most likely be the third class and down. Being treated like dirt for such a long time, they would be inspired by his words and lead a revolution towards their king.
7.) The pamphlet was banned because the first and second class probably thought that this might inspire the third class to lead a revolt, which they were right and the king ruling above all was brought down.

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