The 18th Century: the

Ancient Regime in crisis

Unit 1
What is the Ancient Regime?
It is the social, economic and political system in Europe in the
18th Century.

It was similar to the feudalism, and it consisted of three main

factors:

Rural economy

Stratified society

Political system: Absolute Monarchy

 Economy

It was mainly rural, over the 80% of the population

worked the land.
The clergy and nobility owned the land and it was
entailed, which means it had to be inherited, so they
couldn´t sell or divide the properties.
Peasants had to pay taxes to them and also to the
Church (10% of the harvest).
 Society

Society: It was an stratified society. People belonged to a

social group depending on their birth, and not on their personal
achievements. There were three main states:
Clergy and nobility: Privileged. They didn’t work and they
receive taxes. They have more rights.
3rd State: Non Privileged. Peasants, workers and
bourgeoisie… they had to work and to pay taxes to the
nobles and Church. They didn´t have much rights.
 Political System

Absolute Monarchy by divine right.

The king controlled all the powers: he made the
laws, applied them as he wanted, appointed judges,
ministers, etc.
He only had to obey the church in some cases.
Louis XIV of France was the perfect example.
 Why the crisis?
since the middle of the 18th century, some changes occurred:

The population grew in Europe from 100 to 200 millions of people from 1650 to 1800 (fewer
epidemics, low death rate and an increase in birth rate). It meant more demand and the
following rise in prices (inflation).

The Bourgeoisie was growing in importance and power because they became wealthier. But,
they had to pay many taxes and couldn´t take part in politics. So, they were very upset.
The 3rd State became poorer because of the inflation, and their wages didn´t grow. They hardly
could survive. They were very upset, also.
The Nobility started to lose power. In some cases there were marriages between bourgeoisie
(got money) and nobles (got titles).

A new ideology emerged: The Enlightenment. Its ideas entailed the beginning of a new way of
thinking: a new social and political system that ensure everyone has rights. It was the seed for
the incoming revolutions.
 Exercises
Define these words:

Ancient Regime
Bourgeoisie
Third State
Peasant
Absolute monarchy
Wage