To compare the complaints of a peasant and a merchant during a revolution, here is the relevant context from the French Revolution as an example: Peasants:
- Complaints centered on economic burdens: heavy and unfair taxes such as the taille (land tax) that they alone had to pay, manorial dues to nobles, the church tithe, and indirect taxes on basic goods like salt.
- They faced subsistence-level hardship, were vulnerable to famine and high bread prices, and held strong resentment against the feudal system, nobles, and landlords.
- Peasants often wanted abolition of dues and manorial rights, relief from taxes, and the restoration of stability or "normalcy." Their grievances were more about survival and escaping exploitation than lofty political ideals.
- They also reacted to rumors of aristocratic conspiracies and perceived threats from nobles employing brigands to suppress them, leading to fear and violent uprisings including burning manors.
- Peasants were less politically motivated and more driven by immediate material conditions and abuses they suffered.
Merchants:
- As members of the bourgeoisie within the Third Estate, merchants' complaints were often about social inequality and lack of political representation.
- They resented the privileges of the nobility and clergy, such as exemptions from taxes and exclusive rights.
- Merchants sought broader political reforms, an end to aristocratic privilege, and more economic opportunities to expand their businesses.
- They were less focused on feudal dues (which mostly affected peasants) and more on legal and economic changes that would allow them to grow wealth and influence.
- Their grievances had a stronger political and economic reform dimension compared to the survival-based complaints of peasants.
In summary, peasants primarily complained about harsh taxes, feudal obligations, and threats to their very subsistence fueling violent reactions during the revolution; while merchants focused more on inequality, lack of political power, and reforms favoring business and social mobility. The peasants’ grievances were more immediate and material, whereas merchants pursued structural socio-political changes. This comparison is based on the social dynamics and complaints during the French Revolution, which is a common model for analyzing revolutionary complaints of different classes.
