Social Classes In The Middle Ages Essay

Before the Black Death, peasants had to be in debt to the lords in order to use their land. This system was unfair and it burdened peasants with obligations. When the Black Death happened, this system was changed. Many peasants died because of the plague, so there was a shortage in labor. Fields were abandoned and crops were not harvested.

The events of mistreatment of the poor leads to a rebellion called the French Revolution. During this revolution, the roles of the people switch and the poor become the ones who mistreat the aristocracy. In the book, the major theme is shown through the oppression of both the rich and the poor that often times, oppression is like a cycle that brings justice to the oppressors. First, the aristocracy

The lower class had to deal with horrifying living standards and food shortages due to famine and World War 1. While rural agricultural peasants had been liberated from serfdom in 1861, they still resented paying redemption payments to the state and demanded communal tender of the land they worked. Increasing peasant troubles and sometimes full revolt occurred, with the goal of securing ownership of their land. Russia consisted mainly of poor farming peasants, with 1.5% of the population owning 25% of the land (

Then the Great Fear took place where the revolutionary ideas were spreading and bringing fear all around Europe. Many peasants were revolted because of the many years of inequality and exploration of the government. They made riots and strikes and fought for more equal rights. A radical called Maximilian Robespierre, which is opposite of the French King, decapitated many nobles. This was the Reign Of Terror.

But what causes a rebellion and eventually revolution? The first and most obvious cause to the French Revolution was the royal family themselves. During the period before the revolution the royal family was known for their extravagance, for throwing parties when their people were starving and couldn’t afford bread. Another contributing to the rebellion and revolution were the Class System called the Privileged Estates. France was severely in debt at that time, banks couldn’t give people who needed money because they didn’t have any to give, even with the high taxes.

Shays’ Rebellion occurred mainly throughout western Massachusetts. Daniel Shays, a former leader of the Continental Army, lead the rebellion throughout Massachusetts. The taxes, imposed by the government, caused many farmers to go into debt. Farmers became angry about this because government officials arrested those who were unable to pay off debts. Farmers, fighting against high taxes, followed the lead of Daniel Shays in an attempt to infiltrate the Springfield Armory.

The ideas of the Protestant reformation of the 1500’s had been in the minds of peasants for years because of the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. Many people felt the clergy (church members) had taken advantage of the people, by becoming wealthy while the people were poor and hungry. There was also a rising sense of nationalism in Europe, that combined with the anger of the economic and political demands made by the Church, further angered the people. The church was spending money in many ways. The Pope was competing for political power in Italy, and had to fight off invasions from other countries.

The peasants were angry at the king because, he was taxing them, even though they barely have land to live on (spielvogel, 341). Nearly at the end of the French Revolution, a new regime was created, the directory. this regime lasted for almost five years until Napoleon Bonaparte came to power. There were many problems that contributed to the rise of Napoleon, but the most important problems were the division of French citizens, wars against foreign enemies, and economic growth problems. One of the most important problems that contributed to the rise of Napoleon was the division if French citizens.

The third estate was sub-divided into the poor and the bourgeoisie. As the revolution started, peasants became rebellious as they wanted change. The Bourgeoisie obtained wealth however it was taken away which led them to collaborate with the lower class. This source demonstrates how unequal each class was and how the failures of the country fell on the peasants as they bared most responsibility and contributed the

These people and their writings had a huge impact on the French Revolution. FRENCH SOCIETY: Prior to the revolution, the French society was buried under the burden of taxes-levied by the State, rents paid to the lord, contributions collected by the clergy, as well as under the forced labor exacted by all three. People were reduced to foraging for food because of the recurring famines. The famines were caused by both manmade and natural factors. The manmade factor was because of the flocking of hundreds and thousands of people to Paris and other centers from rural areas in search of better living conditions which created an imbalance.

The rise and fall of the Populist party all started when farmers from all over the nation gathered together and addressed some common problems that they were facing. Farmers were stuck in a bad economic cycle. Prices for their crops were falling, and unfortunately farmers often had to mortgage their farms so that they could buy more land and produce more crops in order to “flourish”. There was very little suitable land to farm and cultivate and banks were foreclosing on the mortgages of farmers who could not make the payments on their loans. Moreover, the railroads were being taken advantage of farmers by charging excessive prices for shipping and storage.

Farmers were forced to by expensive machinery to increased crop production, which were sold at low prices and caused even more debt..In a vicious circle, their farm machinery increased their output of grain, lowered the price, and drove them even deeper into debt. In 1890, many farmers lost land due to mortgages. Farmer then began sharecropping in order to survive. Water scarcity and over-used land made it hard for farmers to pay local taxes. Farmers were hit with barbarous trust like the harvester trust, the barbed-wire trust, and the fertilizer trust.

The Red Scare started right after the civil war was over. There had been many riots to accrue during the time of the red scare. In the term the red scare had been a form of lose to many successful people. It took at huge toll on the government as they tried to stop and contain the many job losses, but as the time went by people start to riot in the streets because the of the cuts from their jobs had really affected them. People were losing their lives and the government did all they could to try and stop it.

In addition, large industrialized farm corporations targeted such areas such as the Hoovervilles primarily because of how inexpensive their labor would cost them and how many desperate migrant farm laborers they could choose from. They pay was incredibly low and not enough to well support themselves and their work conditions as well as living conditions were atrocious. Every possible method their employers had on running their farm was created just to make them feel “inferior and insecure. The environments of these work places were always of “hatred and suspicion.” This of course led to agricultural stikes such as the Salinas lettuce strike in

Causes of World War I World War I was one of the worst battles in history. The number of money spent and deaths are unbelievable. Nations spent millions on the war. Militarism was a huge factor as to why the war was caused, as too many other reasons including Imperialism and Allies. The war was caused because of the distrust and accusations made by one nation to another.