GOVERNMENT WHICH WAS TYRANNICAL,
INEFFICIENT AND INSENSITIVE TO THE
NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE.” DO YOU AGREE?
The Third Estate revolted against a
government they felt to be tyrannical because
of its adherence to the doctrine of the “Divine
Right of Kings”. The Bourbon monarchy made use
of the doctrine of the “Divine Right of Kings.”
This was a religious concept that stated that
monarchical power was a God-given privilege. It
implied that people had no right to challenge or
seek any explanations from the king over the
use of his power since he did not owe it to them.
The people also did not have any right of seeking
his removal even if they were dissatisfied with
him. Such a doctrine would have been suitable in
a theocratic or highly Christian state. The
France of the late eighteenth century had
become far more secular and the ideas of
philosophers like Rousseau captured the
imagination of the bourgeoisie. Rousseau was one
of those who rejected the divine source of
political power and argued that people in any
society were the true source of all political
power. He further asserted that those who held
political power did so by agreement and
permission of the nation which was the owner.
That implied accountability and also the need to
govern in the interests of the nation. It also
implied participation of the nation in politics and
that they could remove any ruler they no longer
deemed to be exercising power in their
interests.
The Third Estate also regarded the government
as tyrannical because of its persistence in
excluding them from politics. Much to their
frustration, the bourgeoisie were excluded
from politics along with the rest of the Third
Estate. This exclusion was maintained despite
the bourgeoisie’s great wealth and education. To
them their continued exclusion had no
justification. They regarded themselves as
victims of a tyranny which was founded on an
alliance of the monarchy, nobles...
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