FRENCH REV

The French Revolution is a complicated series of events. It helps to think of it in terms of phases, which are:

1. Estates General (1789) 2. National Assembly (1789-91) 3. Legislative Assembly (1791-92) 4. National Convention (1792-94) 5. CPS (1793-94) 6. Directory (1795-99) 7. Napoleon

What is a revolution?

A forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system; a major change in a political system

The Old Regime had...

Absolutism; absolute monarchs control every aspect of society through the divine right, Rigid social classes, People are subjects

Abbé (Emmanuel- Joseph) Sieyѐs

An abbé or abbot is the leader of a monastery A clergyman sympathetic to the Third Estate who was a leading spokesperson for their cause He suggested that the Third Estate delegates name themselves the National Assembly and pass their own laws and reforms for the French people

what was the result of that

As a result of the AR and the Enlightenment, leaders began to use reason to solve problems in the government and question long-standing practices in society. They wanted to form a government by and for the consent and general will of the people

What is the significance?

Bastille became a symbol of revolution for the French people

Legislative Assembly - October 1791 to August 1792

Created by Constitution of 1791 What is the structure of this government? L.A. had the power to... Create laws Approve or reject declarations of war However, the king still had executive power to enforce laws The L.A. was unicameral (had only one house) Rich, adult males only had the right to elect people to the L.A. (vote)

What were its voting rules? Why were they significant?

Each estate's representatives met in a separate hall to vote Each estate had one vote This rule was important because the two privileged estates (who made up only 3% of the population) could always outvote the Third Estate, which was not fair to the vast majority of people.

Economic problems consisted of...

France's economy began to decline, which particularly worried and affected the Bourgeoisie The heavy taxes made it almost impossible to profit from conducting business in France Bad weather caused crop failure and resulted in a shortage of grain Extreme suffering caused; prices of living and eating rose Cost for bread doubled and many people faced starvation

The Storming of the Bastille: why?

In response to the Tennis Court Oath, King Louis XVI feared that the delegates would overthrow him and the people would revolt. So, Louis hired foreign Swiss soldiers and stationed them around Versailles. Rumors in Paris led to a great fear among people that Louis would use the military to destroy the National Assembly, or that the troops were going to kill French citizens In response to this fear, people began gathering weapons to defend themselves.

Versailles

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived in this luxurious, glorious, massive palace, which led to anger from the Third Estate and the commoners who were starving to death. The Palace of Versailles made them feel as though the king was ignoring them. However, Versailles had another important role in the revolution- it is where the Tennis Court Oath occurred.

How is Louis going to get out of this mess?

Louis needs more money and results to taxing the nobles. However, they won't agree to taxation until they have more power in the government, so they force him to hold an Estates- General.

King Louis XVI

Made terrible, irresponsible decisions Had little patience for governing and wasn't much interested in it Huge procrastinator, and didn't address major issues until they blew up in his face Louis XVI avoided the problems in his economy until he had no money left, and his only choice was to tax the nobles- this led to the Estates-General.

Flight of the King - June 1791

Many advisors warned Louis that he was in danger, and supporters of the monarchy left the country as they thought it was unsafe In June 1791, the royal family tried to escape from France to the Austrian Netherlands, where Marie Antoinette was from and where they could receive help However, they never made it across the border and were returned to Paris under guard Louis' actions sealed his fate, as it made the people even more angry because he was trying to abandon them. This allowed his enemies to gain even greater influence in the government when they spoke of how little the king cared about the country.

Radicals (Jacobins)

Opposed the idea of a monarchy Wanted changes in the way government is run Sat on the left side of the hall

France sank into deep debt because...

Overspending from King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette France funded the American Revolution, since they wanted to defeat Britain, so they were in debt because of the large amounts of money they had borrowed Louis inherited a lot of debt from other kings, but since he was an incompetent leader, he never paid it back When bankers refused to lend Louis more money in 1786, the country faced major problems

the New government had...

Representative gov., nationalism, gov. based on consent of the people, Individual rights and equality, People are citizens

In summary, the causes leading up to the French Revolution include...

Resentment from the Third Estate, the vast majority of the people Starvation and economic inequality in the Third Estate New ideas about government after the Enlightenment and the American Revolution Crop failure due to poor weather Economic problems, including decline in conduction of business Government in debt because of the American Revolution and King Louis XVI Poor leadership under King Louis XVI, an inadequate leader, and his selfish queen Marie Antoinette

What did the American revolution do for the French Revolution

The American Revolution acted as a successful example of overthrowing an unfair government, and it inspired the French to revolt.

What and who did the enlightenment inspire

The Enlightenment inspired members of the Bourgeoisie to come up with new ideas about self-government, general will, and the consent of the people, and spread them among the Third Estate

The Great Fear

The Great Fear- a wave of panic that occurred in France as a result of rumors surrounding the Tennis Court Oath and the Storming of Bastille Rebellion spread from Paris to the countryside, when rumors spread that peasants were being tortured by nobles Peasant farmers were afraid of nobles, and as a result they revolted, breaking into the manor homes of the nobles armed with pitchforks and farm tools, burning down the nobles' houses, and destroying the legal papers which required they pay taxes. The peasants were destroying feudalism. Nobles and clergy during the Great Fear were equally as afraid as the peasants, as they were afraid of being attacked in peasant revolts.

Subordination of Church to State

The National Assembly reformed the Church and made it inferior to the government The Catholic Church lost its lands and independence The revolutionaries took over Church lands, and declared that Catholic priests and officials will be elected and paid as state officials The government did this mostly for economic reasons, because selling the Church's land helped to pay off France's huge debt

The October Days (1789)

The October Days- when thousands of women from Paris rioted over the rising price of bread, the staple food in France at the time. The women marched on Versailles with weapons First they demanded that the National Assembly do something about their starvation, but then they turned their anger on Louis and his wife. They broke into the Palace of Versailles, killed some of the guards, and demanded that Louis return to Paris. Within a few hours, Louis and Marie left Versailles, never to return again. This symbolized the change of power and reforms about to take place in France, and saved the revolution!!! Royals moved from Versailles → Tuileries

What did the Third Estate demand?

The Third Estate wanted change in the government!! They demanded that all three estates meet together and that each delegate get a vote This would give the advantage to the Third Estate, which had as many delegates as the other two estates combined However, the king sided with the nobles and ordered the Estates-General to follow medieval rules.

Think. How would you characterize all these reforms? What class do they benefit? Is there a class (or classes) that do not benefit?

These reforms benefit the Bourgeoisie and some of the peasants (they had no feudalism, land privileges, but they didn't like the rules about priests) However, they don't benefit the clergy, the nobles, and the urban workers (equal but poor) The peasants are divided- some benefit, some don't

What powers does it claim? Why? How does this change the character of the government?

They proclaimed the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of representative government It claimed they have the power to make laws. This changes the government because it makes it more fair. This vote to become the National Assembly was the first act towards the revolution!! The National Assembly passed many laws that related to Enlightenment ideas, such as equal opportunities for everyone, a fair tax system, freedom of speech, the abolishment of the Church's influence on the government, etc.

what did the third estate declare themselves?

Third Estate declared itself the "Assembly of the Nation," on June 17, 1789

major accomplishment of the National Assembly: Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (August 27, 1789)

This was a statement of revolutionary (and Enlightenment) ideals Declared that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights" These rights included "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression" Guaranteed all men equality, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion Influenced by the American Declaration of Independence Reflects Enlightenment Values What about women??? Although this declaration gave equal rights to all men, it excluded women.

The Tennis Court Oath

Three days after the declaration, the delegates found themselves locked out of their meeting room. So, they broke into an empty tennis court and promised to stay there until they had drafted a constitution for France. Soon after this, nobles and clergy joined the Bourgeoisie when they saw the power heading in the Third Estate's direction.

Why is the French Revolution so important?

Turning point for France; forever changed France's system of government; brought an end to the absolute monarchy in a large part of France; influenced modern world; reflected Enlightenment ideas

Conservatives (Monarchists)

Upheld the idea of a limited monarchy Wanted few changes in the government Sat on the right side of the hall

Moderates (Girondin)

Wanted some changes in government, but not as much as the radicals Sat in the center of the hall

Marie Antoinette (Madame Deficit)

Wife of King Louis XVI Interfered in the government, gave Louis bad advice, often made matters worse Was very selfish and spent so much on her own clothing, jewelry, and gambling, she gained the nickname "Madame Deficit" At the time, Austria and Spain were in conflict so to bring peace, Marie Antoinette of Austria married Louis. She was hated from the moment she stepped foot in France since she was a member of Austria's royal family.

Declaration of Pillnitz - August 1791

a declaration from Austria and Prussia encouraging the National Assembly to return to absolute monarchy. It wasn't supposed to be a declaration of war, but the National Assembly took it as a threat. As a result, France declares war first!!!

Bastille Day

a national French holiday celebrated on July 14, is an extremely important holiday to the French people, similar to our Fourth of July. This was the first time violence in France was used for political purposes and celebrated / promoted. This sets the tone for violence. It was one of the first actions (next to the declaration) that sparked the French Revolution.

Tithe

a religious tax in which people would have to give a certain percentage of their income to the Church (about 10%) They were even taxed on salt!!

Religious toleration for Jews & Protestants

although Jews & Protestants had formerly been persecuted in France, the National Assembly allowed them to have freedom of religion

Estates General

an assembly of representatives from all three estates

what was the end of the old regime

august decrees

Olympe de Gouges

female writer who published a declaration of the rights of women. However, her ideas were rejected and she was later executed for her beliefs.

It saved the French Revolution because...

if it wasn't for the Storming of Bastille, Louis would have crushed the revolution. It also saves the National Assembly

Civil Constitution of the clergy (1790)

made the Church's land into state land, required that priests must be elected, put the government in charge of the Church, and made the priests swear an oath of loyalty to the government. Priests were punished if they didn't follow this. As a result of this, peasants begin to oppose the revolution Most peasants were devout Catholics who wanted the Church to remain separate from the state Even though the reforms reflected Enlightenment ideas, many peasants began to oppose the National Assembly's reforms

Third Estate (and Bourgeoisie)

made up 97% of the people, This estate lacked privileges and had to pay taxes, They lacked power to influence the government, They embraced Enlightenment ideas, They resented the nobles and clergy, There were 3 very different groups within this estate:

First Estate

made up of the Roman Catholic clergy, Exempt from paying taxes, Had access to high gov. positions, Owned 10% of land in France; provided, education and relief for the poor but gave, only 2% of its income to the government, Against Enlightenment ideas- threatened their power and wealth

Second Estate

made up of the rich nobles, Exempt from paying taxes, Had access to government jobs and highest positions, Made up only about 2% of the population and paid no tax, yet they owned 20% of the land, Against Enlightenment ideas- threatened their power and wealth

Political divisions

many divisions occurred as a result of conflict over how to solve problems (such as food shortages and government debt)

Émigrés

nobles who had fled France; wanted to undo the Revolution and reestablish the Old Regime Had power even though they fled because they had befriended kings and nobles in other nations, and convinced them to help stop the revolution

Tuileries

palace in paris

Sans-culottes

poor workers and small shop owners in Paris who wanted the Revolution to bring even greater changes to France Means "those without knee breeches" because they wore regular pants unlike the upper classes who wore fancy knee- length pants (weren't as rich as the nobles) Didn't have a role in the assembly, but found other ways to show their power on the streets

major accomplishment of the National Assembly: August Decrees

statements that legally ended the feudal estates system, led to no more class privileges, and let the peasants have their own land. During the August Decrees, noblemen made speeches about their love for liberty and equality Although they didn't actually feel this way and prefered their privileges under the king, they did it out of fear and supported the Third Estates' abolishment of First/ Second Class privileges and equality for commoners

Peasants

the largest group within the Third Estate which made up more than 80% of France's population (which was 26 million people) - Paid about half their income in taxes to the king, the Church (tithes), and the nobles

Bourgeoisie

the middle class made up of bankers, factory owners, merchants, professionals, and skilled artisans, - Often well-educated and wealthy, - Strongly supported Enlightenment ideas of equality and freedom - Although some Bourgeoisie were as rich as the nobles, they still had to pay taxes and lacked privileges - Many felt their wealth should give them a greater social status and power

Constitution of 1791

the new constitution for France created by the National Assembly and reluctantly approved by King Louis This constitution created a limited constitutional monarchy, and stripped the king of much of his power The constitution created the Legislative Assembly, a new legislative body Other reforms: Adopted the metric system, a system of uniform measurement. This was important for business. Got rid of internal tarifs- taxes on the measurement of goods / imports and exports within a country The Bourgeoisse and business owners benefited from this

"What is the Third Estate?"

the pamphlet written by Abbé Sieyѐs that stated that the Third Estate is the most important since it represents the most people The pamphlet demanded more rights for the third estate "What has the third estate been? Nothing. What should the Third Estate be? Everything."

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

the slogan that the National Assembly came up with to describe France's new values and rights

The Old Regime (the Ancien Régime)

the social and political system of France during the 1700's

Three Estates

the three large social classes in France

Urban workers

the workers of France's cities that made up the poorest group within the Third Estate - These included apprentices, tradespeople, laborers, artisans (less skilled) and domestic servants - Paid little money, often lost jobs and were out of work - Often went hungry and had to steal to survive

The Storming of the Bastille

when a mob searching for gunpowder and arms invaded a prison in Paris called the Bastille The mob took control of the building and its weapons and hacked the guards and commanders of the prison to death. Then they paraded around the city with their heads on sticks.