The major social groups in France on the eve of the revolution consisted of the first estate, second estate, and the third estate. The first estate was made up of the clergy, the second estate was made up of the nobility, and the third estate was made up of the commoners. The commoners' aspiration was to try and gain more power and freedom while the clergy and the nobility were trying the hold on to their power and not lose any.
The first estate, which was made up of the clergy, had the aspiration to hold onto the power that they had and not to lose it. The clergy couldn't do this and they lost some of it. This was due to the changes in religious life made by the National Assembly. One of the things that happened was religious freedom was granted to French Jews and Protestants.
English: The Third Estate carrying the Clergy and ...
"Cleric, Knight, and Workman": the three estates i...
black square sun hypeЯReally eclipsed through lay...The church also lost its property. This made a big impact on the church, all of the property was nationalized and monasteries were abolished. The church's land, which was acquired by the government, was used as collateral for a new paper currency. The land was then sold to speculators and the rich in large blocks, the peasants also bought some of the land when it was divided smaller. The National Assembly was only interested in the church for it's land so it could be used for the good of the state. The national church that was established had priests chosen by voters and they were required by the National Assembly to take a loyalty oath to the government.
The second estate, which was made up of nobles, tried to hold onto its power like the first estate. The nobility lost a lot of its power and advantages over the...