Demands: The key issue in this question is the identification of the groups that benefited and those that lost as a result of the social changes that occurred in France.
Introduction
The French Revolution of 1789-1799 ushered a new social structure that had both benefits and disadvantages to various groups amongst the Frenchmen. The nobility, clergy, royalists and the monarchy were the main groups that greatly suffered while the third estate gained political mileage. It will be seen in the forthcoming assessment that the French Revolution had indeed profound social changes that greatly affected various groups of people.
a) The Tennis Court oath saw the third estate gaining political power whilst the first and second estates lost the privilege of separate deliberations.
b) The abolition of privileges and feudal dues on 4 August 1789 gave the peasants all they wanted e.g. there was less burden of taxation while it is also deprived of the nobility and clergy of former privileges. The clergy also lost its land.
c) The Civil Constitution of the Clergy saw the church and the clergy losing their wealth and influence. The Pope was no longer allowed to exercise his authority through this constitution. Louis XVI also lost his royal prerogative and control of the French society due to the implementation of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. 7
d) City workers had not yet gained the vote or a higher standard of living. The National Assembly exacerbated the situation by passing laws banning trade unions and strikes-two of the great weapons of the working class advancement in later times.
e) Louis XVI’s flight to Varennes resulted in him losing more political power and eventually his life. f) The Girondists and the Jacobins were in control of France’s destiny. The defeat in 1792 by Austria resulted in the loss of political power by the Girondists to the Jacobins.
g) The ‘Reign of Terror’ of the Jacobins resulted in the loss of life of people from the various classes especially the peasants. Political power was largely transferred from the clergy and nobles to the bourgeoisie in the reign of terror.
h) Under the Directory the upper middle classes were excluded.
i) Peasants became privileges of the first and second estates were abolished and given some of the property that was conscripted. Declaration of the rights of men made the peasants to be equal to the upper classes.
Conclusion
To sum up, it is clear after the above analysis that the bourgeoisie who belonged to the middle class seem to have benefited whilst the clergy and nobles suffered from the changes in the social structure of France. Thus the changes in the social structure of France in the years from 1789 to 1799 had far-reaching consequences for various groups of people.