Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/563

 The Eve of the French Revolution 423 at large, which was made up in 1789 of about twenty-five million souls. The privileged classes can scarcely have counted altogether more than two hundred or two hundred and fifty thousand indi- viduals. A great part of the Third Estate lived in the country and tilled the soil. Most historians have been inclined to make out their condition as very wretched. They were certainly oppressed A CHATEAU AND PIGEON HOUSE The round tower at the right hand in front is the pigeon house. The wall inside is honeycombed with nests, and the pigeons fly in and out at the side of the roof by an abominable system of taxation and were irritated by the dues which they had to pay to the lords. They also suffered frequently from local famines. Yet there is no doubt that the evils of their situation have been greatly exaggerated, for it has commonly been thought that the Revolution was to be explained by the misery and despair of the people, who could bear their burdens no longer. 737. Relatively Favorable Position of French Peasants. If, however, instead of comparing the situation of the French peasant under the old regime with that of an English or American farmer today, we should contrast his position with that of his fellow