Definitions and IDs

• Bourgeoisie• Calling of Estates General• Tennis Court Oath• concordat• Sans-Culottes• Bourbon King Louis XVI• abdicate• Bastille• “It was a time when the revolution began to

devour its own children”

Questions and Imperatives

• Discuss the 4 phases of the French Revolution with regard to success, leadership, international relationships…

• Can political change occur without social and economic upheaval? Explain and give examples. (Class discussion)

French Revolution, Background• Feudalism• growth of towns, increased commerce, entrepreneurs,

growth of merchants, colonization,...helped to break up the feudal system

• nobility exercised great power at this time• During the reign of Louis XIV, there was an attempt to build

up the power of the King by taking away power from the nobility

• Louis XIV died 1715, left the treasury bankrupt • Louis XIV succeeded by his 5 yr old great-grandson, Louis XV• Louis XV not dedicated to work, not too bright...a weak King• Louis XV died in 1774 and was succeeded by his grandson

Louis XVI

Bourgeoisie

• 1714-1789...emergence of Bourgeoisie (made up of commerce merchants,

bankers, bureaucrats, government employees, small town lawyers...gave rise to capitalism...came from the serfs and the peasants

• by 1789 it was the most powerful economic class of the country (saved money for capital to invest...business, science...)...worked hard...like the Protestant work ethic

Bourgeoisie & Nobility

• Bourgeoisie - hard working, save money• wealthiest class of France • envious of the nobility• Imitated nobles • bourgeoisie fathers would be willing to marry off daughters• buy commissions into the military • Noblemen - leisure class, display largess, spend money now, arrogance,

haughty attitude toward lower-class• did not think highly of bourgeoisie (didn’t even know a good vintage wine)• becomes shaky with the rise of the bourgeoisie class• marry their younger sons off to bourgeoisie class• nobility still monopolized cultural life

Who is a threat?

• Nobility and Aristocracy (Crown) eyed each other

• they considered each as a threat• they didn’t see the bourgeoisie class as a

threat

Liberalism• not necessarily a political philosophy, but a set of attitudes

concerned w/ social & political justice, & commitment to economic progress

• Jacobin clubs,• literacy soared in the 18th century...people became increasingly vocal• Monarchy sometimes put down these people but did have a respect for

intellectuals • King still had absolutism on his mind with the noblemen and churches wielding

great power, but the king was inefficient and didn’t pay attention to events around him

• Jacobins had outright hatred of the monarchy• revolutionary ground was being laid• Rousseau would be asked to speak at the salons to the nobility• American Revolution

FOUR PHASES

• Early phase 1789-1792• Radical phase 1793-1794• Thermidor (WEAK) 1795-1799• Bonaparte (1799-1815)• FULL- CIRCLE

1789

• Estates General• King wanted a new tax bill and asked them for it• expectation was that financial relief for the

royal government would be granted in return for the redress of grievances

• Third Estate had been granted double representation and they had many sympathizers in the other two estates

• June 17, the Third Estate invited the other two to join them and they declared themselves to be the “National Assembly”

• ACT OF REVOLUTION

Tennis Court Oath

• 3 days later on June 20 later they found themselves physically locked out of their meeting hall,

• “Tennis Court Oath:” never to disband until France was given a Constitution

Mirabeau• glamorous, devoid of morality, alcoholic, drugs, gambling,

womanizer...but a good leader• chased out of France in 1786 (to England)• people naturally liked him • he was dynamic with cutting

edge ideas• a moderate• wise • a thinker• he knew that Rousseau’s

ideas would produce revolution or fail

King Louis XVI

• June 23: National Assembly annulled by the King

• June 24: troops began to mutiny• June 27: the King backed down

& instructed the nobles and clergy to join the 3rd Estate

• The forming of the National Assembly was the moderate beginning of revolution

• food shortages from bad harvests and the poor could not afford tax payments to the Nobility and Church

• peasants vs nobility...panic erupted• riots in Paris...demonstrations• July 14: storming of the Bastille

in search for weapons & to free prisoners (King traumatized)

Declaration of the Rights of Man

• On August 26, 1789 the National Assembly issued the “Declaration of the Rights of Man”

• Men are born and remain free and equal in rights!• it negated the monarchy and feudal laws, the

inequalities• natural rights were liberty, property, security, and

resistance to oppression• Mirabeau tried to nurse the King to these ideas

through secret correspondences

The Players

• Revolutionaries...a mass movement of people who want to overthrow the corrupt government...they have utopian ideas or visions to recreate...to make reality fit their vision…

• Liberals...fall short of the revolutionaries...they use persuasion, since in outright revolution, one doesn’t know where he will be taken

• Conservatives...they accept society as it is...believe in slight changes but see the world as an organic unity of generations connected…

• Reactionary...looks nostalgically to the past...wants to restore the past...most often the Monarchists...want the old feudal regime

The Right and the Left

• Early on the revolution was non-violent• setting up the National Assembly as a legislative body• ”Declaration of Rights”• until 1789, Jacobins wanted far reaching reforms and

thought the King could be persuaded (recall Mirabeau)• Jacobins became the radical revolutionaries led by

Robespierre...Jacobins also known as “the Mountain” because they sat high in the chamber at the convention

• Girondists

Early Phase

• it was the sans-culottes (people without breeches), the common people whose actions started radicalization of revolution

• August 1789 great fear...panic began over the lack of food

• 1789-1791– restructuring of France– power vested in the rich and educated– principles of rationality, efficiency, and humanity

applied (values of middle class dominated)– reformed the Catholic Church– suffrage based on property and wealth for men

Who controls revolution?• King and Queen in hot water• when the King returned to Paris in disgrace, he

signed the first Constitution as prepared by the National Assembly

• two camps of revolutionaries• National Assembly changed name to the

Legislative Assembly• the king was brought to trial for treason • Queen, Marie-Antoinette• the son, Louis XVII (10 years old)

Conciergerie (Paris prison)

“It was a time when the revolution began to eat its own children.”

• Robespierre led the nation from July 1793 to July 1794– formed the Committee of Public safety– mobilized the country to fight the wars– universal male suffrage enacted– wanted to create a “Republic of Virtue,” no king but

representative government – a fanatic, could not tolerate others’ visions

• “Reign of terror” = second phase• French tired of him

WEAK WEAK (third phase)• PERIOD OF THERMIDOR (GERONDIST SPIRIT):– want to bring the revolution to an end – restore internal peace, put the country back together

again– returned to male suffrage based on property and wealth– things became too relaxed, – corruption, crime, lawlessness, chaos– still fighting wars– Committee of Public Safety stripped of much of its authority– there was an emphasis on morality– freedom of worship restored– revenge was taken against Jacobins and their supporters– establishment of the Directory

The Directory• two chamber legislature was

established • Council of Elders and

Council of Five Hundred• creation of 5 person directory to act as executive branch• Directory sought to reestablish political consensus by

assuming a moderate position...it’s goal was stability• Directory’s rule proved unstable with plots and coups

(one put down by Bonaparte)• 4 members of the directory were replaced in the spring

1799 elections• these new 4 members were led by Sieyès (a fan of

Bonaparte)

DISCUSSION QUESTION: What are the commonalities and differences

between the French Revolution and today’s revolutions in the

Middle East and in North Africa?