Union

of

Equals

In 1757, a man plotted to remove the King. He was condemned to death by torture, which was popular in the age of absolutism. The executioner torn his flesh. Afterwards, boiling oil was poured over his wounds. Then the ropes that were to be harnessed to the horses were attached with cords to the condemned man's arms and legs. The horses tugged hard, each pulling straight on a limb, each horse held by an executioner.

Similar punishments were quite common in Absolutism. After Medieval times, the King became the "absolutus", that means, he had unlimited authority. He secured his position by sustaining the inequality of classes.

Absolutism did not come all of a sudden. It was the result of the medieval social organization called feudalism, were the working people had to work for land owners who in turn gave them much less money than they had produced.

In 1689, under the reign of King Louis XVI, there was a great financial crisis. The King announced his intention to call a parliament. It was made mainly of the clergy, nobles and commoners. The commoners had a majority

of members. They argued that France needed a radical reform. These proposals were rejected by the King, and in turn they took matters in their own hands, and founded the National Assembly. The King moved the National Guard against them. The people revolted and led to the storming of Bastille.

After the Industrial Revolution, the problem of exploitation was being even more grave after the Industrial Age. Whole families used to work under terrible conditions, hours and hours everyday. There were no Trade Unions and Working People had no opportunity to study.