Pre-Revolutionary France

History of the French Revolution

The Country

Pre-revolutionary France was not created as a ___________________ but was instead a ___________________ of lands
which had been haphazardly ___________________ over the preceding ___________________, the different
___________________ and ___________________ of each new addition often kept ___________________. The latest
addition was ___________________, coming into the French crown's possession in ___________________. By 1789
France comprised an estimated ___________________ people and was divided into provinces of vastly varying
___________________, from the huge ___________________ to the tiny ___________________. ___________________
varied greatly from ___________________ regions to rolling ___________________. The nation was also divided into 36
___________________

for

administrative

purposes

and

these

again

varied

in

___________________

and

___________________ to both each other and the ___________________. There were further ___________________ for
each level of the ___________________.

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___________________ varied too. There were thirteen ___________________ ___________________ of appeal whose
jurisdiction unevenly covered the whole country: the Paris court covered a ___________________ of France, the
___________________ court just its own tiny ___________________. Further ___________________ arose with the
absence of any universal ___________________ beyond that of royal ___________________. Instead the precise codes
and rules ___________________ across France, with the ___________________ region mainly using customary
___________________ and the south a written ___________________. ___________________ who specialised in handling
the many different layers ___________________. Each region also had its own ___________________ and
___________________,___________________, ___________________ and ___________________. These divisions and
differences were continued at the level of every ___________________ and ___________________.

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Rural and Urban

France was still essentially a ___________________ nation, with ___________________ due a range of ancient and
modern ___________________ from their peasants who comprised about ___________________ of the population. The
majority of these still lived in ___________________ contexts and France was a predominantly ___________________
nation,

even

though

this

agriculture

was

low

in

___________________,

___________________

and

using

___________________ methods. An attempt to introduce modern ___________________ from ___________________

had not succeeded. ___________________ laws, whereby estates were divided up between all the ___________________,
had left France divided into many tiny ___________________; even the large ___________________ were
___________________ when compared to other European nations. The only major region of large-scale farming was
around ___________________, where the always hungry capital city provided a convenient ___________________.
___________________ were critical but fluctuating, causing ___________________, high ___________________ and
___________________.
The remaining ___________________ of France lived in ___________________ areas, although there were only
___________________ cities with a population in excess of ___________________ people. These were home to
___________________, ___________________ and ___________________, with workers often travelling from
___________________

areas

to

___________________

ones

in

search

of

___________________

or

___________________ - work. ___________________ ___________________ were high. Ports with access to overseas
___________________ flourished, but this ___________________ didn't penetrate far into the rest of France.

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Society
France was governed by a ___________________ who ruled thanks to the grace of ___________________; in 1789 this
was ___________________, crowned on June 11th 1775. ___________________ people worked in his main palace at
___________________, and ___________________ of his income was spent supporting it. The rest of French society
considered itself divided into three groups: the ___________________.
The First Estate were the ___________________, who numbered around ___________________ people, owned a
___________________ of the land and were due ___________________ of one tenth of everyone's income, although the
practical applications ___________________ hugely. They were ___________________ from tax and frequently drawn from
___________________ families. They were all part of the ___________________

___________________, the only

___________________ religion in France. Despite strong pockets of ___________________, over ___________________

of the French population considered themselves Catholic.
The Second Estate were the ___________________, numbering around ___________________ people. These were
formed

in

part

from

people

___________________

into

noble

families,

but

certain

highly

sought

after

___________________ ___________________ also conferred noble status. Nobles were ___________________, didn't
___________________, had special ___________________ and ___________________ ___________________, owned
the

leading

positions

in

___________________

and

___________________

almost

all

of

Louis

XIVs

___________________ were noble - and were even allowed a different, quicker, method of ___________________.
Although some were enormously ___________________ many were no better off than the lowest of the French
___________________ ___________________, with a strong lineage and little else besides feudal ___________________.

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The ___________________ of France, over ___________________, formed the Third Estate. The majority were
___________________ who lived in near poverty, but around two million were the ___________________ classes: the
___________________. These had ___________________ in number between the years of Louis XIV and XVI and owned
around a ___________________ of French land. The common development of a bourgeoisie family was for one to make a
___________________ in business or trade and then plough that money into ___________________ and
___________________ for their children, who joined ___________________, abandoned the 'old' business and lived their
lives ___________________, but not excessive existences, passing their offices down to their own children. One notable
revolutionary, ___________________, was a fifth generation ___________________. One key aspect of bourgeois
existence was ___________________ ___________________, positions of power and wealth within the royal administration
which could be ___________________ and ___________________: the entire legal system was comprised of purchasable
___________________. ___________________ for these was high and the ___________________ rose ever higher.

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France and Europe

By the late ___________________ France was one of the world's ___________________ ___________________. A
___________________ reputation which had suffered during the ___________________ ___________________
___________________ had been partly salvaged thanks to France's critical contribution in defeating
___________________ during the ___________________ War of ___________________ and their ___________________
was highly regarded, having avoided ___________________ in Europe during the same conflict. However, it was with
___________________ that France dominated.
With the exception of ___________________, the ___________________ ___________________ across Europe copied
French ___________________, ___________________, ___________________ and more while the main language of
___________________ ___________________ and the ___________________ was French. ___________________ and
pamphlets produced in France were disseminated across Europe, allowing the ___________________ of other nations to
read and quickly understand the ___________________ of the French ___________________. A ___________________
against this French domination had already begun, with groups of writers arguing that ___________________
___________________ and ___________________ should be pursued instead, but this would only bring
___________________ in the next century.

Summarizing
Topic:

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