Background Information

• In the late 1800s, society in Paris had a rigid class structure.
• Aristocrats were at the top of the social ladder. They had wealth, large estates, and many servants.
• Below the aristocrats was the middle class. These consisted of merchants, clerks, government workers, and others.
• Middle class families generally lived in modest homes or apartments and could afford to hire a servant or two.
• They were not starving or poor, however they did have a lot less money and social stature as the aristocrats.
• Middle-class women did not work outside the home.
• Below the middle class, there was a huge number of peasants and servants who worked for the rich or farmed the land.
• People would try to own material goods to make themselves look higher in society than they were.
• Both men and women in the lowest class worked hard labor with long hours for the rich.