The French Revolution

1789-1799

Preceding the Revolution

Prior to the revolution, France was one of the most

powerful and advanced countries in Europe.

France’s population was booming. It was the

largest country in Europe with around 28 million.

They also had the largest standing army, around

400,000 soldiers ready to go to war!

France also had a large economy. The sheer size

of the country made it one of the premier

economic powers in Europe.

Preceding the Revolution

Despite all this, France in financial crisis.

The past 50 years had seen conflicts like the Seven

Years War (French and Indian War) and the

American Revolution which put France into debt.

Starting with King Louis XIV, the kings incurred great

amounts of debt and passed it on to the new kings

to deal with.

By 1789, France was essentially bankrupt.

The economic disaster had a devastating effect on

the people of France.

King Louis XVI

The king of France at this time was the

absolute ruler, King Louis XVI, who was

an introverted, shy and indecisive king.

He was known for his lavish spending

and borrowing money.

The queen, Marie Antoinette, had no

clue when it came to politics and often

gave her husband bad advice.

She was also well known for her

extravagance and opulence and was

very much disliked by the people.

King Louis XVI

Queen Marie Antoinette

They were way ahead of their time…

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was most known of her

extravagant and very luxurious lifestyle.

She had a love for fashion and indulged herself

with luxury gowns and fabrics, amazing jewelry,

gorgeous shoes and designs made for specifically

for her.

She pampered herself with spa-type treatments

and often had fantastical hairstyles accessorized

with feathers and trinkets, some standing 4ft. high!

She was an extroverted socialite with a bubbling

personality. She enjoyed parties with gourmet

foods and champagne. She most of all loved

masquerades where she could dress in the most

luxurious, gorgeous, imaginative and extravagant

gowns and costumes, jewelry and decorated

masks. These parties tended to be wild, depraved

and sinful events where anything was allowed.

Marie Antoinette

Kirsten Dunst played

the extravagant

queen, Marie

Antoinette, in the

2006 movie of the

same title.

Palace at Versailles

King Louis and Marie Antoinette spend most of their time in at their palace in Versailles, a wealthy suburb just outside Paris.

The palace is one of the largest, most opulent castles in the entire world.

Palace at Versailles

Palace at Versailles

Palace at Versailles

Palace at Versailles

Palace at Versailles

The Château de Versailles complex floor space is

roughly 721,000 square feet.

It includes over 700 rooms, 60 staircases and 1,200

fireplaces.

There are over 6,000 paintings and 5,000 pieces of

furniture.

The grounds consist of over 30,000 acres of gardens including a mile-long canal, 400 statues, 1,400

fountains and a walled-in, royal hunting ground.

The palace was built by King Louis XIV just outside of

Paris to help him escape the turbulence of the city

and offered him protection from civil unrest.

Construction of the palace cost around 116,438,892

Livres. Today, this is approximately $2 billion.

Did you know?

Marie Antoinette commissioned the

construction of the Petit Hameau, a

utopian, fairytale village with lakes,

gardens, cottages, watermills and a

farmhouse on the palace grounds.

The queen and her ladies-in-waiting

would dress up in costumes and

pretend to be in their own little world

at the picturesque rural retreat.

This is just one example of many

elaborate and frivolous spending by

Marie Antoinette.

The Social Divide

The biggest issue leading into

the French Revolution was

the inequalities in society.

The existing social structure

was similar to the feudal

system in the Middle Ages.

It basically was a divide

between social classes and

was a way of determining

taxation.

The Three Estates

The estates varied widely in what they contributed in terms of wealth, work and taxes

•Roman Catholic clergy

•Less than one percent of the

population

•Exempt from taxes

•Owned 10 percent of the

land

– Collected rents and fees

– Bishops and other clergy

grew wealthy

First Estate

•Nobility

•Less than 2 percent of the

population

•Paid few, if any taxes

•Controlled much of the

wealth

•Held key positions

– Government

– Military

•Lived on country estates

Second Estate

•Largest group—97-98% of

the population

•Paid most of the taxes

•Middle Class—city-dwelling

merchants, factory owners,

and professionals

•Peasants—poor with little

hope, paid rents and fees

Third Estate

The Social Divide

2nd Estate 3rd Estate

1st Estate

Social Divide

Each estate was unhappy with the other. (struggle

for wealth and power)

The 3rd Estate was obviously the worst off of the three.

They thought that the taxes should not be placed

solely upon the 3rd Estate. They felt the other estates

should share the financial burden.

There was also long standing resentments against the

monarchy.

King Louis XVI was a shy, indecisive king and Marie

Antoinette was an unpopular, self indulgent queen.

What is the best way for King Louis

to get France out of debt?

What actions do you think he will

take? (Think American Revolution)

Do you think he will be successful?

Response to Crisis

Louis responds to the financial crisis by raising taxes

to get France out of debt.

This has a terrible domino effect.

Prices on goods, services and rent were raised

while wages stayed the same (inflation).

People in the Third Estate suffered greatly from this

inflation.

It was determined that as much as 1/3 of France

were now considered peasants (poor).

This angers many people who are now starving,

unable to afford a simple loaf of bread.

Whispers of revolution start to abound.

Did You Know?

The people were starving in

the streets. Bread was so

scarce and the price of a

loaf was nearly a month’s

wage for a peasant.

When told of the crisis

plaguing the people, Marie

Antoinette supposedly

replied, “Let them eat cake,”

referring to the abundance

they had at the palace…

Enlightenment Ideas

Enlightened ideas would play a major

role leading up to the revolution.

There were inspiring writings of people

like English political writer, John Locke

who preached in favor the people’s

rights such as freedom and equality.

Some people wished to adopt a model

of government such as the one

proposed by Baron de Montesquieu. Dividing the government on to 3 Branches (executive, legislative and judicial)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an enlightened thinker

who stirred things up prior to the French Revolution.

His most important work, the Social Contract, argued

that people should do what is best for their

community.

He felt that society had too many restrictions and

that controls on the people should limited.

Furthermore, he said only governments who had

been freely elected should be able to impose any

sort of controls.

He also stated that people were naturally good and

their innocence was corrupted by the evils of society,

especially the unequal distribution of property. “Man is born free, and yet everywhere

he is in chains.” -Rousseau

Voltaire

Another Enlightened French writer also played an

important part in the ideas of revolution.

He went by the pen name Voltaire.

Voltaire used sarcasm to expose the abuses of daily

life.

Voltaire wrote against intolerance, corruption, injustice and criticized the laws and customs of

France.

He was especially critical of the monarchy and the

Catholic church.

He preached “reason and rationalism”.

Voltaire defended freedom of speech, but that got

him exiled from France and his books were banished

or burned.“My trade is to say what I think.”

-Voltaire

Voltaire Quotes

“It is dangerous to be right,

when the government is wrong.”

“I disapprove what you have

to say, but I will defend to the

death your right to say it.”

“God created

woman to

tame man.”

“Common sense is not

so common.”

“To learn who rules over you, simply find

out who you are not allowed to criticize”

“What is history?

A lie that everyone

can agree on.”

Did you know?

Voltaire was eventually allowed to

returned to Paris where he spent the

remaining years of his life.

On his deathbed in 1778, a priest

was brought in to read him his last

rites.

According to accounts, the priest

asked Voltaire if he would renounce

Satan before his death.

Voltaire quipped, “this is no time to

be making enemies…”

Ideas of Revolution

The English Revolution was a

struggle between king and

parliament, which Parliament

won and led to a decrease of the

king’s power and an increase in

the power of the people.

The success of the American

Revolution showed that

common people could

overthrow a king and establish

a new style of government, a

“democracy”.

Examples of previous revolutions played into the ideas of

a French Revolution:

Other Factors: Drought, Famine, Cold

Closer to the start of the

revolution, France had a

severe drought that

destroyed much of the

crop just before the winter

harvest.

To add to that, the coming

winter was especially harsh

and cold.

The people of France were

left freezing and hungry.

The Estates General Meeting

Things in France got so

bad that they called

for the Estates General.

This was the first time

this meeting had

happened in over 150

years! (1614)

Representatives of

each estate met to

discuss the financial

crisis facing them.

The Flaw of the Estates General

The Third Estate, being the largest, had the most

representatives.

The Third Estate especially thought the burden of taxation

should be addressed.

They wanted to set up a constitutional government that

limited the king’s power and would also abolish the tax

exemptions for the clergy and nobility.

However, the voting system was flawed.

Each Estate only had one vote.

The Third Estate argued that it should go to an individual

(popular) vote, but King Louis XVI denied them.

The National Assembly

In reaction, the Third Estate called

their own assembly to draft a

constitution.

The next day, the they were locked

out their own meeting and were

forced to meet on the tennis court

next door.

Despite this inconvenience, they

swore that they would continue to

meet until their constitution was

drafted.

This is known as the Tennis Court Oath.

The constitution officially

proposed a new

government called the

National Assembly (similar to

parliament), which would

include the King, and act in

the interests of the people.

The King Resists

Upon hearing of the National Assembly, he

orders the 3 Estates to meet once again.

His goal was to restore the “Old Regime”.

Louis then addressed the 3 Estates at the

meeting and declares that they resolve the

issues and restore the Estates General.

At the conclusion of his speech, he was met with

dead silence.

He then closed the meeting and ordered all to

disperse, which the nobility and clergy complied.

The 3rd Estate; however, did not move, remaining

in silence, refusing to leave in protest.

The Great Fear

People were afraid this proposition of a new order would anger the king and nobility and that they would strike back at the 3rd Estate.

Rumors started to swirl that King Louis was hiring foreign soldiers to attack them.

There were also rumors of massacres taking place across the country.

With no way to defend themselves, the people panicked.

This is known as the “Great Fear”.

The people started to attack their feudal lords, the members of the 2nd

Estate.

Storming The Bastille

On July 14th, 1789, angry and afraid

for their lives, thousands of

peasants gathered and stormed

the Bastille looking for weapons to

protect themselves.

The Bastille was a fortress/prison

and also housed guns and

ammunition.

The peasants stormed the fortress in

search of weapons, killed the

guards, hacked up their bodies

and paraded their heads around

on sticks.

Storming the Bastille

The Bastille

Bastille Day Celebration – July 14th

Similar to our 4th of

July Independence

Day celebration,

the French

celebrate Bastille

Day to

commemorate the

beginning of the

French Revolution

and the start of

freedom.

News Comes to King Louis

On July 14th, 1789,

King Louis was out on

a day long hunting

trip.

When he returned, he

had heard the news.

He asked a duke, “is it

a revolt?”

The duke replied, “no

sire, it is revolution!”

Did you know?

Because the French

were so inspired by

the American

Revolution, a key to

the Bastille was

presented to George

Washington, the

general of the

Colonial Army and first

American president.

The key currently

hangs in his home at

Mt. Vernon.

A Declaration

Soon after the storming of the Bastille, the 3rd Estate’s National

Assembly came up with a constitution.

Wanting to mimic the U.S. Constitution, their constitution revoked the

special privileges of the 1st and 2nd Estates.

They called it, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

Revolutionary leaders use the slogan, “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

The constitution stated that there would only be one common

assembly like Parliament (as opposed to three separate Estates)

and the king would have special “veto power”.

Additionally, it stated many other things similar to the American

Constitution such as freedom of speech and religion.

It also stated that women had equal rights… so long as they stayed

out of politics and remained at home.

Louis’ Denial

Although they have drafted a

new constitution and created

the National Assembly to

revise the current government,

Louis denies to observe it.

Louis kept himself in Versailles

and refused to accept and

recognize this proposed

government, wishing to remain

absolute monarch and

protect his throne.

Women’s March on Versailles

Meanwhile, there continued to be many major problems including

debt and food shortages.

Angered by Louis’ refusal of the new government, thousands of

women marched on Versailles with pitch forks and pikes.

They also wanted Queen Marie Antoinette. They were especially

angry that she, as a mother herself, could not relate to them and

the condition of their starving children.

Women’s March on Versailles

The mob of nearly 20,000 women (and men)

gathered outside of Versailles and

demanded King Louis return to Paris and

comply with the new constitution.

As the king and queen refused to come out,

the mob stormed into the palace and tore it

apart.

The people beat or killed the guards, many

of who's heads were then raised upon pikes.

King Louis and Marie Antoinette narrowly

escaped the horde of angry people through

a secret passage; however, they had no

choice but to comply and return to Paris.

Storming Versailles

Louis’ Return to Paris

King Louis Tries to Escape

Louis, worried about his future, attempts to escape France.

The family dresses like lower class citizens and tries to flee into Austrian controlled Netherlands (Marie Antoinette was from Austria).

Revolutionaries recognize him and catch the royal family near the border.

The were only 30 miles from their destination and freedom.

Did You Know?

Louis was actually

recognized by a

shopkeeper after

using a coin with his

face on it to buy

goods at a store!

A Country Divided

Although a new constitution has

been written, the country

remains split.

Some people think the King

should be put back into power

while others think that even

more change needs to happen.

Some countries such as Austria

and Prussia, who also have

absolute rulers, threaten to

attack if the king is not placed

back into power.

France in Turmoil

Mobs start to break

out in Paris and

members of the

royal family are

imprisoned and

their guards are

killed.

Thousands of

supporters of the

king are killed as

well.

The Jacobins

Pressured by the mobs, the

National Assembly deposes the

king and then effectively,

dissolves.

A new, radical political group

known as the Jacobins come to

power in 1792 led by the

influential Maximilien Robespierre.

Robespierre was a very outspoken

and prominent figure in the years

leading up to the revolution.

What is Radical? What does

it mean to be a Radical?

The Fate of King Louis

Still feeling that a major

change needed to be

made, the Jacobins bring

King Louis XVI to trial.

King Louis is tried for

treason and, in a close

vote, is found guilty.

He is sentenced to

beheading by guillotine.

Did you Know?

King Louis XVI thought that the old way of execution, the breaking wheel, was too inhumane.

He commissioned Dr. Joseph Guillotine to come up with a new, more efficient way of capital punishment without the infliction of torture and pain.

Talk about ironic…

King Louis’ Execution

At his execution, thousands of people gathered to see the king.

He was marched up onto the stage where he delivered a short speech

proclaiming his innocence.

He then was placed in the guillotine and the blade dropped.

King Louis’ Execution

According to some

accounts, Louis let out a

blood curdling scream as

the blade did not

completely sever his neck.

The blade was raised and

dropped again.

It was said that many

people rushed the stage to

be covered in Louis’ blood

and to dip their

handkerchiefs in it to

commemorate this historic

moment.

Marie Antoinette Executed

Just nine months following

King Louis’ execution, Marie

Antoinette is also tried for

treason and found guilty.

She meets the same fate as

her husband at the

guillotine.

Just before she beheaded,

they cut off her hair, much

to the enjoyment of the

cheering onlookers.

Robespierre’s Reign of Terror

Following King Louis XVI’s execution,

Robespierre assumes full control of

France.

In effect, he becomes a dictator.

He must assure that all France

becomes united by any means

necessary.

To do this, he starts execute people

who are deemed “enemies of the

state”.

This is known as the “Reign of Terror”.

Robespierre’s Reign of Terror

Under Robespierre, thousands of people will

be arrested and die.

During his 10 month reign between 1793-

1794, over 200,000 people would be

arrested for “treasonous activity”.

Another 17,000 people would be executed

by the guillotine.

Of those executed; many are former allies

of the king, but 85% of them are people

from the 3rd Estate, the very people who’s

rights he was supposedly standing up for…

The Reign of Terror

Another Change in Government

In July 1794, Robespierre is arrested

and then executed.

The Reign of Terror results in public

opinion shifting away from radicals

and another, more conservative

group comes to power.

These new, moderate leaders write

a new constitution; but most

importantly, they appoint the

young, brave and ambitious

Napoleon Bonaparte as the

general of the armies…