HIS102Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 24: Charle, Middle Ages, Absolute Monarchy
Document Summary
The revolution is still with us - and will be fought constantly, in france where certain elements that arouse come under scrutiny. Prior to 1789 - everything was driven by a set of expectations by traditions that we could explain, either by war, or something thinkers could explain. A new structure arouse, new ideas arouse - from enlightenment - revolution is the working out of the enlightenment program. Europe was a different place after the revolutions - so it is impt to understand what happened and why. The nature of french society, the shape of the nation - prior - it was archaic - based on its feudal past. There were 3 estates - clergy, nobility and all else. The clergy was the smallest - a consequence because of rationalism and anti-clericialism. The small # of clerics reflected the monopoly of positions of advancement - high offices of the church on the part of the nobility.
