The French Revolution

Setting the Stage: The Estates

• French class system broken up into 3 Estates

• First Estate – High Church Positions

• Second Estate – Nobility

• Third Estate – Everyone Else (Peasants, workers, shopkeepers, merchants, bankers, lawyers, doctors…..)

Setting the Stage: Nation in Crisis

• Bad Harvests• Food Shortages

• Rising cost of Food

• Spending of the Royal Family• Constant War – Support of the American Revolution

• Royal Luxuries – Extravagant spending of the Royal Court

• Maria Antoinette and her lavish parties

Setting the Stage: Estates General

• Louis XVI calls meeting of the Estates General• Representatives of all three estates

• 1st – 300 representatives

• 2nd – 300 Representatives

• 3rd – 600 representatives

• Vote to raise taxes• Voting System unfair

• Tax System unfair

The National Assembly

• Disgusted w/system, 3rd Estate declares itself The National Assembly• Vow to draw up a fair constitution

• Locked out of their meeting place by 1st & 2nd Estate• Tennis Court Oath

• Vow to continue meeting until new constitution drawn up

Storming the Bastille

• Hundreds of Parisians gather around the Bastille• Prison thought to also serve as an armory

• People are hungry and scared of troops

• They break into Bastille to steal guns to defend themselves• Prison warden is beheaded

• No guns, so Bastille is torn down

The Great Fear

• Louis XVI has lost control of Paris• Royal troops have betrayed him

• Peasants revolting all over France• Troops rumored to be coming from other countries to help put down

revolt

• Peasants destroy records of debts

• National Assembly continues action• Takes away legal privileges of nobles and clergy

Change hits the Royal Family and the Estates

• Although his palace is at Versailles, Louis XVI moves to Paris• Forced there by angry mob of women

• Afraid Louis would seek help from allies if not watched closely

• Catholic Church is turned over• All lands sold off for profit

• Church positions would now be elected by people

• Not appointed by pope

Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

• Dealt with the individual rights of man:• Liberty

• Property

• Security

• Resistance to oppression

• Enlightenment Ideas• Freedom of speech and press

The King Tries to Escape

• In 1791, new constitution is signed• Limited the monarchy

• All taxpaying men over 25 could vote

• All positions political and religious were elected

• Louis XVI and his family try to escape Paris• Captured and brought back

War with Austria

• Foreign monarchies are afraid• Revolution may spread outside French borders

• Threaten the French revolutionary government

• France strikes first and declares war• Unorganized, badly beaten

Paris Commune

• French Revolution about to take a violent turn

• Parisian mob attacks new French gov’t & monarchy• Call for new government

• All male citizens can vote

• Paranoia grips the streets• People don’t trust each other

The End of the French Monarchy

• Mobs are now controlling France• Fear of foreign invasion

• Violence in streets

• National Convention called to draft new constitution• Political parties form

• Abolish the monarchy

“Off, with his head…”

• Two major political parties form• Girondins – represent people outside of Paris

• Mountain/Jacobins – represent people in Paris

• Decide the fate of the King• Execution

• guillotine

Things Fall Apart

• The beheading of the king sets off a chain reaction of violence

• Three Men responsible:• Jean-Paul Marat

• Georges Danton

• Maximilien Robespierre

• Danton and Marat condone the use of violence during the revolution

The Reign of Terror

• Maximilien Robespierre – Jacobin, becomes head of Committee of Public Safety• Reign of Terror

• Revolutionary courts that tried “traitors”

• 40,000 killed in a year

• 16,000 guillotined

• The Republic of Virtue

• People referred to each other as “citizens”

• New Calendar

• De-Christianization

A Call to Arms

• To save Revolution again, France goes to war, again• Massive draft

• Largest army ever seen in Europe

• Over a million soldiers

• Defeats all foreign invaders• Success seen as a true people’s war

“Off with HIS head…”

• After the war, Robespierre passes gains more power• Law of 22 Prairial

• More power to arrest and execute

• Afraid of Robespierre’s growing power, action is needed• National Convention arrests him

• Robespierre is executed

• Jacobins are removed from power

FINALLY, a constitution

• The Terror is over and the CPS is removed

• New Constitution is signed• Separation of powers

• Executive branch known as the Directory

• Corrupt

• Small percent of population can vote

• 30,000 people

Coup d'état

• French government still a mess• Political parties fighting

• Corruption dominates new government

• Economic Problems

• Expensive Wars

• One Military leader seizes opportunity and overthrows government• Napoleon Bonaparte

DBQ

• Read the verses from William Wordsworth, and the illustration by George Cruikshank on page 592 and answer the questions related to foreign views of the French Revolution.

• Read the Primary Sources on pages 594-595 and answer the question son page 595. #’s 1-6