Tennis Court Oath

What seem to be the grievances of the Third Estate? Pick one or two of the apparent complaints and ANALYZE them in a BLOG POST, that seeks to explain the grievance type. Is it financial? Physical? Mental?


There were many grievances such as Corvee, which is forced work. People in the Third estate or the remainder of the population, owed the king money from debt of land and other things. The first estate, the clergy, and second estate, the nobility, didn't have to pay taxes while the Third Estate, who were poor, had to pay taxes. They also had almost no money and since France was almost bankrupt, so they wanted to establish more taxes upon the Third Estate. The people in the Third Estate had little wealth because the wages were diminished while the taxes were rising. This is one of the reasons why the third Estate wanted to rebel. Also because of the Enlightenment, which inspired them to have more rights and equality.

During 1788, the third estate asked King Louis for a higher population in their own class to equal the first and second estates. Louis agreed because he wanted to support the third estate in the upcoming assembly. This grievance is a financial and physical grievance because they had problems with money and they had a lot of pain from low wage labor. It was also difficult for the people in the Third Estate in those times until the rebelled.

Another grievance is when Bourgeoisie or the middle class (Merchants, scientists, etc.). Enlightenment thinking influenced the middle class to want equal privileges to the second class. They beileved in the ideas of equality and social justice, called the reform of the tax system. The tax structure for the bourgeoisie was that they paid a smaller percentage of their income compared to the peasants. This grievance is also financial which was another cause of the rebellion.