French Revolution

What did the National Assembly swear in the Tennis Court Oath?

"Never to separate and to meet wherever the circumstances might require until we have established a sound and just constitution?

Define Edmund Burke

A British writer and statesman who earlier had defended the American Revolution. He bitterly condemned revolutionaries in Paris. He predicted all too accurately that the revolution would become more violent. "Plots and assassinations will be anticipated by preventive murder and preventive confiscation" He warned, "When ancient opinions and rules of life are taken away . . . we have no compass to govern us"

What was the big deal of calling the Estates-General?

A French king had not called the Estates-General for 175 years, fearing that nobles would use it to recover the feudal powers that they had lost under absolute rule.

What did the Estates-General offer to reform-minded nobles?

A chance of carrying out changes like those that had come with the Glorious Revolution in England. They hoped that they could bring the absolute monarch under the control of the nobles and guarantee their own privileges

Define Sieyes

A clergyman before the revolution, captured the spirit of the Third Estate with these words in a pamphlet published in January 1789.

What happened in late August?

A first step toward writing a Constitution, the Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.

Define regime

A government, especially an authoritarian one. A system or planned way of doing things, especially one imposed from above

What happened in 1789

A political crisis that coincided with the worst famine in memory. Starving peasants roamed the countryside or flocked to towns, where they swelled the ranks of the unemployed. As grain prices soared, even people with jobs had to spend as much as 80% of their income on bread.

Whatphase occurred from 1792-1794

A radical phase of escalating violence led to the end of the monarchy and Reign of Terror

What happened on October 5?

About 6,000 women marches 13 miles in the pouring rain from Paris to Versailles. They shouted "Bread!" They demanded to see the king. Much of the crowds anger was directed at the Austrian-born queen, Marie Antoinette. The women refused to leave Versailled until the king met their most important demand - to return to Paris. The King agreed and the next morning, the crowd, and the King's family set out for Paris.

What did many nobles hate?

Absolutism and resented the royal bureaucracy that employed middle-class men in positions that once had been reserved for them.

What did nobles do at Versailles?

Ambitious nobles competed for royal appointments while idle courtiers enjoyed endless entertiainments

Define Marquis de Lafayette

An aristocratic French man who was called the "hero of two worlds" He fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolution. He headed the National Guard, a largely middle-class militia organized in response of the arrival of royal troops in Paris. The Guard was the first group to don the tricolor - a red, white, and blue badge that was eventually adopted as the national flag of France

What did France still have in 1789?

An outdated social system that had emerged in the Middle Ages. Everyone in France was divided into one of three social classes, or estates

Who were urban workers?

Apprentices, journey,en, and others who work in industries such as printing or cloth making.

Why was Paris in turmoil?

As the capital and chief city of France, it was the revolutionary center. A variety of factories, or dissenting groups of people, competed to gain power.

Why did the First and Second Estate pay almost no taxes?

Because of traditional privilages

What did the cahiers testify to?

Boiling class resentments.

What could wealthy bourgeois families in the Third Estate do?

Buy political office and even titles, but the best jobs were still reserved for nobles.

What happened in June 1789?

Claiming to represent the people of France, they declared themselves to be the National Assembly. A few days later, the National Assembly found its meeting hall locked and guarded. Fearing that the king planned to dismiss them, the delegates moved to a nearby indoor tennis court where they took the Tennis Court Oath.

What happened during the Enlightenment with the Church?

During the Enlightenment, philosophes targeted the Church for reform. They criticized the idleness of some clergy, the Church's interference in political, and its intolerance of dissent. In response, many clergy condemned the Enlightenment for undermining religion and moral order.

What added to the social unrest and heightened tensions in France?

Economic woes. One cause of the economic troubles was a mushrooming financial crisis that was due in part to years of deficit spending.

What stirred debate all over Europe?

Events in France. Supporters of the Enlightenment applauded the reforms of the National Assembly, they saw the French experiment as the dawn of a new age for justice and equality. European rulers and nobles, however, denounced the French revolution

What did peasants have to pay taxes on?

Everything from land to soap to salt. Though they were technically free, many owed fees and services that dated back to medieval times, such as the corvee, which was unpaid labor to repair roads and bridges. Peasants were also incensed when nobles, hurt by rising prices, tried to reimpose manor dues.

What happened as 1788 came to a close?

France tottered on the verge of bankruptcy. Bread riots were spreading, and nobles, fearful of taxes, were denouncing royal tyranny. A baffled Louis XVi finally summoned the Estates-General to meet as Versailles the following year.

What did the failed escape of Louis XVI bring?

Further hostile rumblings from abroad. In August 1791, the king of Prussia and the emperor of Austria issued the Declaration of Pilntz

What happened in the late 1780s?

Had harvests sent food prices soaring and brought hunger to porrer peasants and city dwellers.

What happened by 1789?

Half of the governmet's income taxes went to paying the interest on the enourmous debt.

Define Louis XV

He rules from 1715 to 1774, pursued pleasure before serious business and ran up more debts.

What did Jacques Necker urge?

He urged the king to reduce extravagant court spending, reform, government, and abolish burdensome tariffs on internal trade.

Define Louis XVI

He was a well-meaning but weak and indecisive. He did choose Jaques Necker, a financial expert, as an advisor.

Who pushed the revolution into more radical action?

In Paris and other cities, working-class men and women called sans-culottes

What caused the Great Fear?

In desperate times, rumors ran wild. Tales of attacks on villages and towns spread panic. Other rumors asserted that government troops were seizing peasant crops. Inflamed by famine and fear, peasants unleashed their fury on nobles who were trying to reimpose medieval dues.

Define the Declaration of Pilnitz

In this document, the king of Prussia and the emperor of Austria threatened to intervene to protect the French monarchy if anything happened to King Louis XVI.

What did the Constitution of 1791 seem to complete to moderate reformers?

It seemed to complete the revolution. Reflecting the Enlightenment goals, it ensured equality before the law for all male citizens and ended Church interference in government. At the same time, it put power in the hands of men with the means and leisure to serve in government

What did nobles fear?

Losing their traditional privileges, especially their freedom from paying taxes

Who left France deeply in debt?

Louis XIV. The Seven Years' War and the American Revolution strained the treasury even further. Costs generally had risen in the 1700s, and the lavish court soaked up millions. To bridge the gap between income and expenses, the government borrowed more and more money.

What was the problem with nobles?

Many lived far from the center of power. Though they owned land, they received little financial income. As a result, they felt the pinch of trying to maintain their status in a period of rising prices

Who was Marie Antoinette the daughter of?

Maria Theresa and sister of Joseph II

Who was urging the king to escape his humiliating situation?

Marie Antoinette and others. One night in June 1791, a coach rolled north from Paris toward the border. Inside sat the king disguised as a servant, the queen dressed as a governess, and the royal children. The attempted escape failed. Louis's disguise was uncovered by someone who held up a piece of currency with the king's face on it. A company of soldiers escorted the royal family back to Paris, as onlooking crowds hurled insults at the king. To many his failed escape showed that he was a traitor to the revolution.

Who did people look to when Paris was in turmoil?

Marquis de Lafayette

When did the Estates-General convene?

May 1789. From the start, the delegates were deadlocked over the issue of voting. Traditionally, each state had met and voted separately. Each group had one vote. Under this system, the First and Second Estates always outvoted the Third Estate two to one. This time, the Third Estate wanted all three states to meet in a single body, with votes counted "by head"

Define sans-culottes

Men and women in Paris and other cities who pushed the revolution into a more radical direction. They wore long trousers instead of the fancy knee breeches that upper-class men wore. "Without breeches"

What percentage of France was the Third Estate?

More than 95% of France and they were all ready to fight for equality

What did the National Assembly do?

National Assembly voted to end their own privileges. They agreed to give up their old manorial dues, exclusive hunting rights, special legal status, and exemption from taxes. They abolished feudalism. The National Assembly turned the reforms of August 4 into law, meeting a key Enlightenment goal - the equality of all male citizens before the law

What blossomed everywhere? What did they demand?

Newspapers and political clubs that were more radical than the Commune. Some demanded an end to the monarchy and spread scandalous stories about the royal family and members of the court.

What did the second estate do in the middle ages?

Noble knights had defended the land. In the 1600s, Richelieu and Louis XIV had crushed the noble's military power but had given them other rights-under strict royal control. Those rights included top jobs in government, the army, the courts, and the Church.

Define emigres

Nobles and others who had fled France and its revolutionary forces.

Who resisted taxation?

Nobles and the clergy

What did Olympe de Gouges do in 1791?

Olympe de Gourges, a journalist, demanded equal rights in her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female citizen. "Woman is born free and her rights are the same as those of man" "All citizens, be they men or women, being equal in the state's syes, must be equally eligible for all public offices, positions, and jobs"

What sent the National Assembly into action?

Peasant uprisings and the storming of the Bastille. On August 4, in a combative all-night meeting, nobles in the National Assembly voted to end their own privileges. They agreed to give up their old manorial dues, exclusive hunting rights, special legal status, and exemption from taxes.

In preparation for the Estates-General what did each estate have to do?

Prepare cahiers, or notebooks, listing their grievances. Many cahiers called for reforms such as fairer taxes, freedom of the press, or regular meetings of the Estates-General.

What happened as the crisis deepened?

Pressure for reform mounted. The wealthy and powerful classes demanded, however, that the king summon the Estates-General before making any changes.

What was the National Assembly's main task?

Producing a constitution. The Constitution of 1791 set up a limited monarchy in place of the absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries. A new Legislative Assembly had the power to make laws, collect taxes, and decide on the issues of war and peace. Lawmakers would be elected by tax-paying male citizens over age 25. To make government more efficient, the constitution replaced the old provinces with 83 departments of roughly equal size. It abolished old provincial courts and it reformed laws.

What was a Bastille a symbol of to the people of France?

Represents the years of abuse by the monarchy. It was a wake-up call to Louis XVI and it posted a challenge to the sheer existence of France. Since 1890, the French have celebrated bastille day anually as their national independence day

Did riots worry nobles? Why?

Riots did not worry most nobles. They knew that France faced a severe economic crisis but thought financial reforms would ease the problem.

What did many women and men earn a meager living for?

Servants, construction workers, or street sellers of everything from food to pots and pans.

Why were women mad at the queen?

She lived a life of great pleasure and extravagance, and this led to further public unrest. Although compassionate to the poor, he small acts went largely unnoticed because er lifestyle overshadowed them. She was against reforms and bored with the French court. She often retreated to the Petit Trianon, a small chateau on the palace grounds at Versailles where she lived her own life of amusement

What did peasants do?

Some were prosperous landowners who hired laborers to work for them, others were tenant farmers or day workers

What phase occurred from 1799-1815

The Age of Napoleon which consolidated many revolutionary changes

During the Middle Ages, what did the Church do?

The Church exerted enormous wealth and privilege. It owned about 10% of the land, collected tithes, and paid no direct taxes to the state. High Church leaders such as bishops ans abbots were usually nobles who lived very well. Parish priests, however, often came from humble origins and might be as poor as their peasant congregations.

What were women upset about?

The Declaration of the Rights of Man did not grant equal citizenship to them.

What happened to assignats?

The French revolutionary currency dropped in value which caused prices to rise rapidly. Uncertainty about prices led to hoarding and caused additional food shortages

Who followed the King to Paris?

The National Assembly. Its largely bourgeois members worked to draft a constitution to solve the continuing financial crisis. To pay off the huge government debt - much of it owed to the bourgeoisie - the Assembly voted to take over and sell church lands

What started the French Revolution?

The Storming of the Bastille in 1789

What palace did the royal family move into when they came to Paris?

The Tuileries palace and for the next three years, Louis was a virtual prisoner

Who did the Bourgeiosie consist of?

The bourgeoisie included prosperous bankers, merchants, and manufacturers, as well as lawyers, doctors, journalists, and professors.

What happened on July 14, 1789?

The city of Paris seized the spotlight from the National Assembly meeting in Versailles. The streets buzzed with rumors that royal troops were going to occupy the capital. More than 800 Parisians assembled outside the Bastille, a grim medieval fortress used as a prison for political and other prisoners. The crowd demanded weapons and gunpoweder believed to be stored there.

Who was the first estate made out of?

The clergy

Define The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

The document was modeled in part on the American Declaration of Independence, written 13 years earlier. All men were born and remain free and equal in rights. They had natural rights to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. Like the writings of Locke and the philosophes, the constitution insisted that governments exist to protect the natural rights of citizens. The declaration further proclaimed that all male citizens were equal before the law. Every Frenchman had an equal right to hold public office and they were elected by talent. Freedom of religion and taxes were levied according to ability to pay. Its principles were captured in the enduring slogan of the French Revolution, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"

What happened by July of 1789?

The hungry, unemployed, and poorly paid people of Paris has taken up arms. Their actions would push events further and faster than anyone could have forseen

What did the Enlightenment ideas let people to question?

The inequalities of the old regime

Define Estates-General

The legislative body consisting of representatives of the three estates

What phase occurred from 1789-1791

The moderate phase of the National Assembly which turned France into a constitutional monarchy

What happened in October 1791?

The newly legislative assembly took office and survived for less then a year because they were faced with crises at home and abroad. Economic problems fed renewed turmoil

What was the Second Estate titled?

The nobility of French society

Who was the second estate made out of?

The nobility. Government officials, military personal, aristocratic landowners

What happened when Necker proposed taxing the First and Second Estates?

The nobles and high clergy forced the king to dismiss him

What phase occurred during 1795-1799

The period of reaction against extremism, known as the Directory

What did members of the Third Estate resent?

The privileges enjoyed by their social "betters"

What was the reaction to the church reforms?

The reaction was swift and angry. Many bishops and priests refused to accept the Civil Constitution and the pope condemned it. Large numbers of French peasants, who were conservative concerning religion, also rejecte dthe changes. When the government punished clergy who refused to support the Civil Constitution, a huge gulf opened between revolutionaries in Paris and the peasantry in the provinces.

Who was the third estate made out of?

The vast majority of the population. They were the most diverse social class. At the top was the bourgeoisie, or middle class. The bulk of the Third Estate however, consisted of rural peasants. The poorest members of the Third Estate were urban workers

What was wrong with Urban workers?

They earned miserable wages and even the smallest rise in the price of bead, their main food, brought the threat of greater hunger or even starvation.

What did European rulers do to stop the spread of the "French plague"

They increased border patrols. Fueling those fears were the horror stories that were told by emigres. They reported attacks on their privileges, property, religion, and lives. Even the "enlightened" rulers turned against France. Catherine the Great of Russia burned Voltaire's letters and locked up her critics

What did the First Estate do?

They provided some social services. Nuns, monks, and priests ran schools, hospitals, and orphanages. They register marriages. They police the activity of Christianity, they support the King and collect a tithe

What did the National Assembly do to the Church?

They put it under state control and sold all of its lands. Under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, issued in 1790, bishops and priests became elected, salaried officials. The Civil Constitution ended papal authority over the French Court and dissolved convents and monasteries.

What did peasants do to nobles during the Great Fear?

They set fire to old manor records and stole grain from storehouses. The attacks died down after a period of time, but they clearly demonstrated peasant anger with an unjust regime.

What did the French revolutionaries in France do after the Declaration of Pilnitz

They took the threat seriously and prepared for war although the declaration may have been mostly a bluff.

What happened at the storming of the Bastille?

They went to the Bastille which was a prison and they thought that there were weapons in there. The commander of Bastille refused to open gates and opened fire on the crowd. Many people were killed but no weapons were found and many prisoners were released. Then they burned it to the ground

What did the Paris Commune do?

They were a more radical group who replaced the royalist government of the city. It would mobilize whole neighborhoods for protests or violent action to further the revolution.

What was wrong with the delegates to the Estates-General from the Third Estate?

They were elected, though only propertied men could vote. The delegates were mostly lawyers, middle-class men could vote, as could middle-class officials and writers. They were familiar with the writings of Voltaire, Rousseau, and other philosophes. They went to Versailles not only to solve the financial crisis but also to insist on reform.

What was the problem with the heirs of Louis XIV?

They were not the right men to solve the economic crisis that afflicted France

Were the nobles right or wrong that the financial reforms would fix the economic crisis?

They were wrong, the crisis went deeper than government finances. Reform would not be enough.

What did the government do to solve the financial crisis?

They would have to increase taxes, reduce expenses, or both

What happened on April 28, 1789?

Unrest exploded at a Paris wallpaper factory. A rumor spread that the factory owner was planning to cut wages even though bread prices were soaring. Enraded workers vandalized the owner's home.

When does deficit spending occur?

When a government spends more money than it takes in

What did the Third Estate demand?

Why should the first two estates have such great privileges at the expense of the majority? Throughout France, the Third Estate called for the privileged classes to pay their share.

What happened later in the revolution for women?

Women met resistance for expressing their views in public, and many, including Gouges, were imprisoned and execited

Did the Declaration of the Rights of Man meet resistance?

Yes, Uncertain and hesitant, Louis XVI did not want to accept the reforms of the National Assembly. Nobles continued to enjoy gala banquets while people were starving.

Were a large number of the urban poor were unemployed?

Yes, to survive some turned to begging or crime.