The Third Estate and Abbe de Sieyes
The third estate, according to Abbe de Sieyes, was “a set of men that fall into a traditional order” considered to be governed by a wealthy social class or nobles under the old regime. The Church and the Nobles are the other two groups. On the contrary, the interests of commoners have been neglected, according to Sieyes, who also claimed that the election of political leaders has not always been free and equal and that they have not always been chosen by the people. He also claimed that all political power positions were chosen by nobles, so there was no way for a commoner to achieve any political stance. Again he argued that so many citizens struggled by doing manual labor, paid taxes, planted and harvested food. The nations of France in actual of facts were the third estates, and this particular estate was underneath the two classes mentioned above (Church and the nobility). There was no one to stand in for the commoners, and all political rights were void in the national assembly, owing to lack of representative and political rights. They lacked the capability to convince others in their decision-making policies. Therefore their status in the society meant nothing to the prominent people belonging to the Church and the nobility class.
The Regime and Nepotism
The regime is a type of nepotism stated, “All executives power division have fallen to the Stereotype which endows the church, the swords, and the Robe, it a brotherhood spirit which causes the nobles to prefer themselves special to the rest of the citizens.” Sieyes demands for a new constitution was placed because of the privileged social class resentment, the stand-in for the commoners be chosen by people who are of same class and not the nobles, The government is known to be biased, electing representatives from Church and Nobility to represent the Commoners. Secondly, Equality in numbers among both classes (Commoners and privileged class power), house of congress votes by head but not by order and lastly he is confident that members who are not privileged are able of acting as deputies and electors in the national assembly.
Sieyes Condemnation on the Nobility and his Political Principles
In Sieyes pamphlet “What is the Third Estate,” he wrote about the contemporary state of affairs and third estate in general, the written message was very straightforward; the privileged order only favors the nobles but not the whole nation. The monopoly that dominates the current state of affairs in the nation was seen as restrictive and oppressing to other classes who do not fall under the privilege class order such as (the nobility and the church). The remaining class, who did not fall under the privilege class order, made up the third estate, which explains the ninety-nine percent of the population remaining (Sieyès, 1789).
The third estate known as the commoners consist of a group of people who carried out manual labor that supports society, and they include people who work in the countryside, those who purchase and retail raw materials, finished goods and manual labor of all kinds. They were the traders of the nation, and they act as the private professions that serve the citizens from all classes. Contrary to the Commoners known as “Third Estate,” we have the noble order which includes the military, churches, administrations and the courts. These positions were only offered to the prominent and lucrative orders in the society such as (Aristocracy and the Church).
Sieyes description on Aristocracy “nobility” as an order and as an administrative center that reckons itself a different and separate order than that of its citizen. Claiming that the aristocracy and the church under the privilege order had all the benefits like exceptions, privileges and constitutional rights that were distinctive than the rest of the citizens (“Abbe Sieyes What is the third estate?” 2017). Sieyes preordained the present political and social composition of the privileged order, accusing them of taking advantage of the current system by oppressing the commoners well known as the “Third Estate.” He added that the noble order “privilege order of the nobility and the church” was a “Law unto itself”
The difference between the commoners and noble orders body gave the citizens the reasons to question their existence in the society. Nobel order was a bias system that only favors the privileged; it is not even part of society itself. It was seen as abhorrent, oppressive and an act of treason against the public goods, only favor a group of citizens. Sieyes pamphlets, criticized the nobility as a social class because he believed that only a few people labeled privileged were determining the future of the rest of the citizens of the nation without the right of the other remaining group. He believed that the current French government state of affair was comparable to the ancient history of Egypt which was oppressive and shameful. This was seen as a burden to their nation by civil activists and the public in general, the noble order was seen as nothing as a platform for the greedy, lazy individuals and bad morals that made them outsiders to work of society (“Abbe Sieyes What is the third estate?”, 2017).
Sieyes also proposed that the privileged class known as the “Noble class” in government is not to be trusted, if this privileged orders should be eliminated then the country would be nothing less but something more. Sieyes wants economic and political development in a nation, but for this to occur, they need to get rid of the “Noble order” also known as the nepotism regime. This is whereby an individual is born and raised in a particular social class, therefore having a position and superior influence in the government decision that biases the conclusion of the executive judgments. He believes that the most important people in society are the same people who give back to that same society (“Abbe Sieyes What is the third estate?”, 2017).
Conclusion
Sieyes’ condemnation of the third estate regime is a declaration of the rights of Man and citizen of a nation, independence lies in the hands of the country and acts as an important element, nobody is allowed to exercise authority that doesn’t directly come from the nations; no one is above the law. All the citizens of a country they have the right to expr``ess themselves freely, resistance to any oppression. Personal property is also a human right, and no citizen is to be deprived of their personal belonging such as “Land” unless it was acquired unlawfully. All citizens, both the “Third estates and the nobles” are seen as same under the law governing the country; they are also innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and lastly allowed free communications with responsibility. This depicts Sieyes as a man of unexceptional knowledge, his arguments are remarkable, from his argument, he looks at the situation of the nation's interest as a whole and gives credit to the people who deserve it.
References
Abbe Sieyes What is the third estate?. (2017). Age-of-the-sage.org. Retrieved 29 March 2017, from http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/historical/biography/abbe_sieyes.html#third_estate
`Sieyès, E. (1789). What is the third estate? (1st ed.). New York [etc.]: Frederick A. Praeger.
