Social background of officers and other ranks in the French Army, 1750–1815

The French Army in the years between 1750 and 1815 was made up of two groups of people: officers and other ranks. Officers were the people who were in charge and gave orders, while other ranks were the soldiers who followed the orders. The officers were mostly from wealthy, privileged backgrounds, while the other ranks were mostly from poor, working-class backgrounds. Soldiers in the French Army rarely moved from one social group to the other because officers were expected to have the knowledge and experience to lead soldiers into battle and the rich background to support them while they were in the army. The other ranks were often very poor and worked hard in the army to earn money to support their families.