Ancien Regime
An old order that was a system of government in pre- revolution France.
Estates
France was divided into three social classes. The First Estate was made up of the clergy. The Second Estate was made up of nobility and the Third Estate was made up of the rest of the population.
Bourgeoisie
The middle class it included bankers, merchants, manufactures, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and professors.
Deficit Spending
This is a situation when the government spends more money then it has or needs to.
Louis XVI
Louis XVI was the last king of France (1774-92) in the line of Bourbon monarchs preceding the French Revolution of 1789. He was executed for treason by guillotine in 1793.
Jacques Necker
Was overpraised in his lifetime for his somewhat dubious skill with public finances and unduly deprecated by historians for his alleged vacillation and lack of statesmanship in the opening phases of the French Revolution.
Estates- General
A legislative body that consisted of representatives from three estates.
