Preconditions for revolution: why prudent people challenge their government

French Revolution

Seemingly prudent people go to war against their government when conditions under current laws make it impossible to earn a living and provide for their families, such as the conditions which led to the French Revolution.

The French Kingdom was divided into districts headed by an individual, the "intendant," appointed by the crown, who had complete authority and total control, except in military matters (Young pp). So enormous was his power that he could exempt, change, add, or diminish at pleasure, thus, friends, acquaintances, and dependents of the intendant as well as their friends, acquaintances and dependents formed a chain of class who were privileged under existing laws at the expense of the common people, including basic human rights (Young pp).

This chain of privileged persons would be favored in taxation and protected in court (Young pp). With nobility and clergy exempt from taxation, the burden of taxes was forced upon those who could least afford them, The Third Estate (What pp). The "corvees," a tax paid through labor service rather than money ruined numerous farmers, many of whom were forced to beggary (Young pp). Moreover, commoners were forced to watch their crops destroyed by game, such as deer and boars, for it was illegal for them to kill them even to save the food for their families (Young pp). Furthermore, it was illegal to hoe or weed in areas that might disturb the shelter of partridges or other birds desired by noblemen and even certain crops, such as corn were restricted or forbidden in order to prevent injury to the birds (Young pp). Thus, commoners were merely slaves of the kingdom. On August 11, 1789, the feudal system was abolished, returning the rights to farm the land to the Third Estate, and restricting game reserves of the nobility (Decree pp). Within the Declaration of the Rights of Man of 1789, was Article 1, "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights...Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good," while Article 2 protected the right of liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression (Declaration pp).

With the justice system existing for the nobility alone, as judges were often charlatans who held their court in taverns, the gross majority of Frenchmen, The Third Estate, were without representation, making it impossible to defend themselves if brought upon charges of any kind (Young pp). Even smuggling salt or buying smuggled salt resulted in up to nine years in prison (Young pp). Among the list of grievances and declarations presented by The Third Estate in Cahier of 1789 was Article 12 which stated, "to remove forever the possibility of injury to the personal and proprietary rights of Frenchmen, the jury system shall be introduced in all criminal cases, and in civil cases for the determination of the fact, in all the court of the realm" (Cahier pp).

So corrupt was the clergy of France that The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, July 12, 1790 declared that each department form a single diocese and each diocese shall have the same extent and limits as the department (Civil pp). Moreover, bishops and parish priests were now to be chosen by election only and must live in the place where they discharge and be provided a suitable dwelling of which they will be responsible for repairs and must not be away from his parish for more than two weeks a year (Civil pp).

When Louis XVI tried to ignore the demands of the Third Estate by refusing them entrance to the palace, they moved their meeting to the tennis courts and rather than disbanding, bonded firmly together under what is now referred to as The Tennis Court Oath of July 20, 1789 (Tennis pp). This oath was an assertion that sovereignty of the people did not reside in the king, but in the people themselves and their representatives and was the first assertion of revolutionary authority by the Third Estate (Tennis pp).