Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Peasants during the French Revolution


During the French Revolution, the peasants felt as though they were being treated unjust. The lowest class, the Third Estate, formed the National Assembly. As a result of food shortages, the Great Assembly created a decree abolishing the remnants of powers including the right to compel peasants to labor for the landlords as well as the bondage of serfdom. As well as abolishing serfdom bondage, the National Assembly abolished tithes for the church.

The Third Estate did such rebellious things, because they wanted equal representation in the government and treated justly. These desires appear in the written document, "Declaration of the Rights of Man of the Citizen". Such things as equal representation, "Every citizen has the right to participate personally, or though his representative" and freedom of speech, "The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man" were discussed in the document as a desires of the peasant people.