Asher K. Sisneros
Prof. Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Western Civilization Since 1493
November 5, 2024
By all measures, King Louis XVI was a moderate king. King Louix XIV enjoyed absolutist rule, reveling in the worship of his subjects and having an aggressive foreign policy. Yet by King Louis XVI, all of the glory associated with the French monarchy had vanished.
Because of the wars waged by his predecessors, King Louis XVI inherited a nearly bankrupt nation. The national debt was astronomical. And half of the national tax revenues were spent on the debt’s interest payments alone, excluding repayment of the principal itself.
Given the economic tumult—and recognizing that the French government would soon collapse—Louis reversed one of the actions of Louis XV’s chancellor and reinstated the parlements that were disbanded. Then he tasked the Estates General with finding a solution to the growing crisis in 1789.
The Estates General in France was an assembly of delegates meant to represent each class of people. The First Estate represented the clergy; the Second Estate represented the nobles; and the Third Estate represented the proletariat working men. Delegates assembled in each estate brought up grievances on behalf of their estate and crafted legislation and governmental policy. Delegates within each estate would cast their vote, and then the triumphant election would result in a formal policy for that estate. Then the three estates would assemble together, each with one vote, and vote on the matter itself in the Estates General.
The only problem with the Estates General: the proletariat class heavily outnumbered the clerical and noble classes put together, but they all received the same voting power in the Estates General. This resulted in a battle of classes. Since the clerical and noble classes often had aligned interests, the proletariat often found themselves outvoted, with their interests completely neglected.
Upon the calling of the Estates General, the Third Estate demanded double the delegates and double the vote in the assembly, a paltry concession since there were 240,000 clerics in France, 400,000 nobles, and 27,000,000 working men. Louis granted them double the delegates, but the Third Estate would still only receive one vote, making this concession completely redundant.
Without their desired concession, the Third Estate essentially seceded from the other estates and formed their own assembly, the National Assembly. Delegates then swore loyalty to each other in June of 1789 inside of a tennis court, known as the Oath of the Tennis Court. They swore not to leave the tennis court until the Third Estate had written a new constitution for France and overturned prior law. This was the grand catalyst that gave rise to the French Revolution.
Even though there were reasons to sympathize with the Third Estate, from a legal perspective, there was no justification for secession and drafting a new constitution on their own. It was a coup d’etat. And that is one distinguishing feature between the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The Americans had a legal defense for their actions; historical custom was on their side. However, the French did not have this benefit. While it may be formally known as the French Revolution, it was really a coup. And the end result was not a pretty one. Criminals in Bastile were let loose, thousands were killed during the Reign of Terror, King Louis was deposed and executed without a trial, church property was desecrated, and all of France suffered. In the name of individual liberty, law was desecrated.
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