Student Question
Why did the Third Estate push for social and economic change?
Quick answer:
The Third Estate, representing France's common people before the French Revolution, sought social and economic change because they viewed themselves as the true embodiment of the nation, unlike the privileged clergy and aristocracy, whom they saw as parasitic. This perspective was articulated in the pamphlet "What Is the Third Estate?" which argued for the Third Estate's exclusive political power, fueling revolutionary sentiments and challenging the existing social order.
The Third Estate was made up of the common people of France in the years leading up to the French Revolution. They chose the name "Third Estate" to define themselves in contrast to the First and Second Estates, the clergy and aristocracy, who the common people considered to be dead weight. They argued that the third estate comprised a complete nation within itself and that those clergy and aristocracy who fancied themselves as "in charge" were actually parasites that could simply be disposed of. The argument was made in the pamphlet "What Is the Third Estate?" that despite the fact that the common people were politically irrelevant before, they should actually be the only people who have political power. These ideas were crucial in driving the French Revolution.
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