It should be noted that the
privileged class (clergy and nobles) indirectly contributed to the
revolution since their privileges were at the expense of the peasants
and middle class. The role of the unprivileged Clarks i.e. peasants and
middle class were direct since they actively participated in the
revolution due to the numerous grievances they had against the
privileged class and the ancient regime.
ROLE OF THE CLERGY/CATHOLIC CHURCH
1.
The clergy fostered religious intolerance where Catholicism was the
state religion yet there were Protestants and Moslems in France.
Protestants and Moslems were not allowed to worship publicly and were
often subjected to intimidation, Imprisonment, torture and exile. These
robbed the church and the government of support from the anti-Catholic
elements in Prance and forced them to revolt in 1789.
2.
The Catholic Church had unjustifiable influences on State affairs and
state policies. Most of the clergy including the pope were very poor
advisors who made Louis xvi to mess up with state affairs.
3.
The Catholic Church was the most privileged institution in France. The
clergy enjoyed a yearly income of500 million francs and dominated Land
at the expense of the peasants. They exploited peasants on such land
through Feudalism and serfdom. This made the peasants who were the
producing agents to revolt for redistribution of Land.
4.
Inspite of the vast resources it had, the Catholic Church was exempted
from all forms of taxes, clergy made "a free' gift" to the government
than contribute appropriate revenue to the nation treasury from its
wealth. This contributed to financial crisis since they should have been
the best contributors to the government revenue.
5.
While the Catholic Church was exempted from all forms of taxes, the
church tithe was compulsory for everybody in France. The church
therefore fostered economic motives more than religious objectives in
the exploitation of the common man. This dragged the non-Catholics to
the revolution of1789.
6. The French education
system prior to 1789 was controlled by the clergy other than the state.
Education policies were manipulated to indoctrinate the Frenchmen with
ideas favourable to the state in an attempt to frustrate anti-government
critics. This made the French men to revolt in order to reinstate
education under state control.
7. Besides
education, the Catholic Church controlled the press. It censored all
newspapers, journals, pamphlets and other publications that were against
the king and the monarchy. Liberal books and ideas were prohibited with
a false hope that it would keep the Frenchmen ignorant. However, this
boomeranged and made the Frenchmen more conscious of the need for
change, hence the revolution.
8. The clergy were a
corrupt, embezzlers and extravagant group of people. They lived a
parasitic life at the expense of the poor peasants. This led to economic
hardship and the revolution of1789.
9. The
dominant position of the Catholic Church and the clergy provided the
philosophers with something to criticize and incite the Frenchmen to
revolt. Voltaire for instance condemned the catholic religious
intolerance and its privileges at the expense of the oppressed peasants.
10.
The representatives of the clergy together with the nobles provoked the
third estate into the revolution by insisting on the ancient system of
voting and deliberations during the estates general meeting of5 many
1789.This brought a very chaotic disagreement which forced the third
class to form the national assembly, take the tennis court oath and
progress with the revolution. NB. By 1789, the Catholic Church was badly
in needs of reforms. Its role provoked hostility, hatred and criticism
from liberals and philosophers because it was corrupt, oppressive,
exploitative and conservative to forces and demands of reforms.
However,
some section of the clergy betrayed the king and supported the
revolution at the eleventh hour. These were the lower clergy who were
less privileged like their counter parts the upper clergy. For instance
the salary of a Bishop was about 100 times that of a parish priest and
much more than that of a catechist. Sortie clergy fell out with the
monarchy because of its too much concern with economic motives other
than religious objectives
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