Introduction:
The National Assembly of France was formed in 1789, after the Third Estate, which represented the common people, broke off from the Estates-General. The Estates-General was an assembly of representatives from the three estates of France – the clergy, the nobility, and the common people. The National Assembly was formed with the intent of representing the interests of the common people of France and to bring about political and social reforms.
Reasons For The Breakoff:
The Third Estate broke off from the Estates-General for several reasons. First, the Third Estate felt that the Estates-General was not a fair representation of the French people. The Estates-General had not met since 1614, and the representation of the Third Estate had not been updated to reflect the changes in French society since then. The common people felt that they were not being fairly represented and that their voices were not being heard.
Second, the Third Estate felt that the Estates-General was biased towards the nobility and the clergy. The voting system in the Estates-General was set up so that each estate had one vote, regardless of the number of representatives they had. This meant that the common people, who had more representatives, were still outnumbered by the nobility and the clergy. This made it difficult for the common people to get their voices heard and their interests represented.
Third, the Third Estate was concerned about the financial crisis that France was facing. France was deeply in debt, and the common people were bearing the brunt of the financial burden. The nobility and the clergy were exempt from many taxes, which meant that the common people were paying more than their fair share. The Third Estate wanted to address these financial issues and bring about reforms that would benefit the common people.
Intent Of The National Assembly:
The National Assembly was formed with the intent of representing the interests of the common people of France and to bring about political and social reforms. The National Assembly declared itself the true representative of the French people and set out to draft a new constitution for France. The new constitution would reflect the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity, and would ensure that the common people had a greater say in the governance of France.
The National Assembly also set out to address the financial crisis that France was facing. They passed several reforms that aimed to redistribute the tax burden more fairly and to reduce the financial burden on the common people. They also abolished feudalism, which was a system that had allowed the nobility to extract labor and resources from the common people without providing anything in return.
The National Assembly also passed several laws that aimed to improve the lives of the common people. They passed laws that abolished slavery in the French colonies, granted religious freedom to Protestants and Jews, and established the metric system as the standard system of measurement in France. These laws were aimed at promoting equality and liberty for all people, regardless of their social status or background.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the National Assembly was formed with the intent of representing the interests of the common people of France and bringing about political and social reforms. The Third Estate broke off from the Estates-General because they felt that their voices were not being heard and that the Estates-General was biased towards the nobility and the clergy. The National Assembly passed several reforms that aimed to redistribute the tax burden more fairly, reduce the financial burden on the common people, and improve the lives of all people in France. The National Assembly was an important step towards the democratization of France and the promotion of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
