16.2 A Reversal of Roles: The Three Estates of Revolutionary France

Despite the hope for harmony, many soon came to see the revolution as a sharp reversal of class roles. Source 16.2, titled The Awakening of the Third Estate, illustrates this stage of the revolution. In the foreground are male figures representing the three estates of old France. While a member of the Third Estate breaks his chains and takes up arms, members of the clergy and nobility recoil in horror. In the background is the Bastille, the fortress/prison and symbol of the old regime, which was seized by a crowd in July 1789 and subsequently demolished. Also displaying this reversal of class roles is the painting on the chapter opener. Here three female figures symbolize the three estates, with the Third Estate, holding a child, now riding on the back of the nobility and in a superior position to that of the clergy. The caption reads: “I really knew we would have our turn.”

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Source 16.2 A Reversal of Roles: The Three Estates of Revolutionary France Musée de la Ville de Paris, Musée Carnavalet, Paris, France/Giraudon/Bridgeman Images