The Ancien Regime is a french term used to refer to an older form of government that has been dissolved by a more recent one. The term in this context refers to the old french absolute monarchy, under which the french peasants suffered profusely. After the French Revolution (1789), the series of these monarchs was considered to be the ancien regime.
Socially and even politically, Europe was quite universal in the mid 18th century. Peasants did better during this time than their more recent struggles. With the exception of eastern Europe, Scotland, and Ireland, whose status was closer to serfdom than the middle class, peasants were well represented politically and had relative financial stability. Nobility through all countries had similar sub-types and often functioned and lived the same way.
The rise of peasants in France, with the support from peasants elsewhere in Europe, evident in their steady increase in financial and political power, gave the lower class the ability to make social reforms by revolt. Peasants' ability to rebel was only aided by not only members of other social classes, but also a rise in enlightenment thought which implied rights to the peasants that were revolting.
No comments:
Post a Comment