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The French Revolution1789-1799ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS IN ACTION!!!To Revolt or not to Revolt, that is the question!How would you define an unjust government?What, if anything, would lead you to take part in a violent revolution?

Ch.23.1 Essential QuestionsWhat were the three Estates of the Old Regime ?What were the factors that led to the French Revolution?What events led to the formation of the National Assembly?What is the significance of the storming of the Bastille?What is the significance of both the Great Fear and the Womens Bread March?French Revolution CausesPolitical - no representation, King Louis XVI weak, inefficient governmentEconomic - Inequitable taxation, economic crisisReligious - Church power corruptSocial - Urban poor, feudalism, rising middle class, but an inability to rise to the next social levelIntellectual - Enlightenment ideas attacked power of King, ChurchSlide 44Course of the French RevolutionPhase 1 (Moderate): National Assembly (1789-91)Meeting of the Estates GeneralTennis Court OathStorming of the BastilleDeclaration of Rights of ManConstitution of 1791

Slide 55Phase 2 (Radical): National Assembly(1792-1794)

War with Austria, Prussia, and BritainSecond RevolutionReign of Terror

Slide 66Course of the French RevolutionPhase 3: The Directory (1795-99)Directory EstablishedMilitary successNapoleon Takes ControlMilitary genius, conquers much of EuropeMakes peace within FranceFinally defeated at Waterloo

Slide 77Lets start at the beginning: The Old RegimeFRENCH SOCIETY WAS BASED UPON A RIGID CLASS SYSTEM > THE OLD REGIMEIt was made up of three classes, known as Estates.

The First EstateThe First Estate > made up the Church clergy: priests, bishops, etc.They were the: Smallest Class- about 1% of the population, but they owned 10% of the landThey paid virtually no taxes.They collected their own tax known as a tithe (10% church tax).

The Second EstateMade up of the NobilityThey were the:Second smallest class- about 2% of the population; but they owned 20% of the landHad special rights and privileges- hunting on royal lands; the only ones who could become military officers. Known by the swords they wore.Paid virtually no taxes> the most hated class in France

The Third EstateMade up of three groups- a well-educated middle class (doctors, lawyers, merchants, artisans, factory owners) known as the bourgeoisie- they believed strongly in Enlightenment ideals like liberty and equality; poor city workers/dwellers; and the peasants.They were the:Largest class- about 97% of the populationPaid almost all of the taxesHad no political rights

The Old Regime

HISTORICAL PRELUDE TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONPrior to 1788, France goes into heavy debtLouis XIV (the Sun King) Builds the Palace of VersaillesFights numerous warsLouis XV -fights and loses the French and Indian War; incurs more debt due to extravagant spending.Apres moi, le deluge.After me, the deluge.

More Debt!Louis XVI (grandson of Louis XV, who ruled 59 years and outlived his children!) Gives generous support to the American colonists in their bid for independence Doubles the national debt.

14Marie Antoinette- The Teen Queen Daughter of Maria Theresa of AustriaMarried to Louis @ age 14 (by proxy; she didnt actually meet Louis until 5 yrs. later)Madame DeficitExtravagant spenderDespised by the French people as a foreigner A symbol of all that was wrong with the Old Regime

NO MORE MONEY!

1788- Louis 16th runs out of money; 520 million in loans along with crippling interestBanks refuse to lend to him; he must find a way to pay off the debtFinance Minister Jacques Necker suggests taxing the First and Second Estates.Louis gets laughed at; fires Necker.

Calling of the Estates GeneralLouis calls for the Estates General (much like our Congress)First time they have been called to meet in 175 years! Representatives from all three estates meet in ParisFirst obstacle to overcome: how will they vote?

The First Obstacle: How do we vote???First and Second Estates suggest 1 vote per class; they can then outvote the Third Estate on any measure.Third Estate suggests one vote per representative; they can then outvote the 1st and 2nd Estates combined. In anger, the 1st and 2nd Estates lock the 3rd Estate reps out of the meeting.

The Tennis Court OathThe Third Estate refuses to leave. Instead, they meet on a Tennis CourtVow not to leave until a Constitution is drawn up (the Tennis Court Oath).They declare themselves to be the National Assembly.

Let the Revolution Begin!!!Louis gets nervous and calls in troops to restore orderAngry Parisians storm the Bastille. (a fortress prison in Paris).It holds political prisoners,(well, 7 at the time), muskets, and gunpowder. It symbolizes the cruelty and oppression of the Old Regime. The citizens literally tear it down by hand, stone by stone July 14, 1789- Bastille Day!(comparable to our Independence Day)

NothingIn his diary on that day, July 14th, 1789 the King only wrote "Nothing". That was the result of his day's hunting. When the Duc de Liancourt informed the king of what happened at the Bastille, Louis asked his advisor Is this a revolt?" and he was answered, "No Majesty, this is a revolution".

Revolt becomes Revolution!The National Guard was quickly formed, composed of more than 40,000 people directed by the Marquis de Lafayette. They adopted the tri-color rosettes as the new symbol of the Revolution. The White, the color of the Monarchy is encircled by the Blue and the Red, the colors of Paris. Those three colors are now the ones of the French Flag.

The Great FearThe Summer of 1789- the Great Fear! Peasants fear retribution from the nobility and the nobility fears a peasant uprising. A few nobles are killed; some homes and tax records are burned; but basically, nothing happens.

The National AssemblyThe National Assembly attempts to reform the Church. Reforms include:the takeover of Church landsthe election of Church officials and priestsclergy are now to be paid state officials

Ch.23.2 Essential QuestionsHow did the National Assembly/National Convention change Frances government?What were the positions of the three factions that tried to govern France?How did war with foreign countries and the kings execution affect the Revolution?What were the events and aftermath of the Reign of Terror?The Declaration of the Rights of Man and CitizenMobs form in Paris and demand action. On August 26, 1789 the National Assembly forces King Louis 16th to sign the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Its key principles include: liberty, property, securityresistance to oppression. The slogan of the revolution becomes Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity!Sound familiar? Thomas Jefferson helped the Marquis de Lafayette write it!

The Womens Bread MarchWe have the baker, the bakers wife, and the bakers son. We shall have bread.Economic conditions continue to worsen. Hyperinflation causes the price of bread (the staple food of the French diet) to skyrocket. October 5, 1789- 7,000 women march to the Palace of Versailles to demand bread; hence, the title- the Womens Bread March. Marie Antoinette: Let them eat cake Just a myth.The women burst into the palace, and force the royal family to accompany them back to Paris. Louis and his family will never see Versailles again!

DIVISIONS DEVELOPA new constitution was completed in September 1791, with the creation of a limited constitutional monarchy. Louis is forced to sign.King loses much of his authorityThe Legislative Assembly is formed and assumes much of the power

The Great Escape!Unwilling to stay prisoner of his own people in Paris, Louis XVI tried to flee to his wife's native country, Austria. On June 21st, 1791 Louis, Marie Antoinette and their children dressed as bakers and hit the road. Rumors of the King's escape spread quickly across FranceThe royal refugees were recognized and captured few miles from the German border, in Varennes.

DIVISIONS DEVELOP (continued)New factions arise in the Legislative Assembly:Jacobins: Radicals (left)- want sweeping changes; no monarchyGirondins: Moderates -(middle) want some change; in favor of retaining the constitutional monarchyConservatives (right)- want few changes and limited monarchy

Other InfluencesEmigres- nobles and others who fled France. They tried to work from outside the country to undo the Revolution and restore the Old RegimeSans-culottes- (those without knee breeches)- Parisian workers who used violence to influence others.Jacobins Club- Radical element of the Assembly

FRANCE AT WAR!Fearing a spread of revolution to their countries, neighboring Austria and Prussia urge the Legislative Assembly to restore Louis to his rightful place on the throneFrances response is to declare war on Austria and Prussia in April 1792.

The French Republic1792-1795The National Convention succeeds the National Assembly as the new governing bodySeptember 1792- Radicals (Jacobins) gain control of the National Convention. The monarchy is abolishedAdult male citizens are granted the right to vote and hold office.Slavery in the French West Indies is abolished.France officially becomes a republic!

Prominent figures of the National Convention:Jean Paul Marat Editor of a radical newspaper -The Friend of the PeopleCalled for the death of those opposed to the causeWas murdered in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer

Prominent figures of the National Convention (continued)Georges Danton- a prominent lawyerDevoted to the poor people of Paris.Helped launch the campaign to end the kings powerWould eventually be executed during the Reign of Terror for being too moderate

Prominent figures of the National Convention (continued)Maximilian Robespierre- most radical statesman Wanted to build a Republic of Virtue by wiping out every trace of Frances past

GULPAugust 13, 1792Louis XVI was officially arrested and sent to prison. Robespierre (who had originally been against the death penalty: The king must die so that the revolution can live (paraphrase)The King had a trial in front of the Convention which decided to sentence him to death (Vote 395-321) January 1793.He was accused of High Treason and Crimes against the State- an enemy of the Revolution!End of the Old Regime!On January 21st, 1793 Louis XVI was executed by a Guillotine in front of the people of France who saluted his death as the beginning of what they believed to be a better era.

Can the Revolution Survive?WARGreat Britain, Holland and Spain join Austria and Prussia in their efforts to crush the Revolution, lest it spread to their countries.The National Convention orders a draft of 300,000 (and eventually 800,000) French citizens to fight the foreign enemiesCIVIL WARRevolts bloom in the country, where the peasants denounced the authority of the Convention and the idea of the Revolution. They asked for the reestablishment of the Monarchy. From March to September 1793, more than 100,000 people died from this opposition.

The Reign of TerrorSeptember 1793-July 1794July 1793- the Committee of Public Safety is created by Maximilian Robespierre to root out enemies of the Revolution within France itself. Robespierre assumes dictatorial control. His period of rule becomes known as the Reign of Terror.

41The Reign of TerrorRevolutionary committees conduct hasty trials and issue thousands of death sentences to traitors to the revolution.

Maximilian Robespierre: The IncorruptibleRobespierre was known as being very virtuous and incorruptible. Among other things, he tried eliminating religion.Notre Dame was renamed the Temple of Reason and Robespierre attempts to make a religion of reasonIt doesnt go over well, so he creates the Cult of the Supreme Being.

All the months were renamed and given 30 days eachThe year began on the autumnal equinoxThe weeks were ten days long with every tenth day being a holiday.The days were: First Day, Second Day, Third Day, Fourth Day, etc.Good News! They also gave us the metric system!!!

Neighbor Against NeighborReign of Terror claims as many as 40,000 lives, most of them (85%) members of the Third Estate. Anybody who wasnt radical enough was in danger of getting

Jack n Jill Went Up a HillMarie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI was executed in October 1793. She died because she represented the King's heritage and was the perfect illustration of the fear that reigned at this time.

Robespierre falls victim to the National RazorMembers of the Convention eventually fear for their own heads and they betray him.Hes arrested and executedPeople didnt like Robespierres radical actions and de-Christianization.Robespierres execution signals the end of the Reign of Terror

The Directory1795-1799After the Reign of Terror the French were fearful of a too powerful government The Directory was formed to oversee the balance of responsibilities and appointments.An executive branch of 5 directors (moderates, not radicals)Increased corruption was the result.Inflation continues to rise

Napoleon Dynamite!Ineffectiveness of the Directory paves the way for Napoleon Bonaparte to seize power in FranceNapoleons success on the battlefield makes him popular in France, a country longing for stabilityFrance would soon come under the control of a dictatorship for the next 15 years!

Was the French Revolution a Success???Think about what they wanted to achieveWere Enlightenment ideals instilled?What was the impact of replacing one tyrant (Louis) with another (Napoleon)?

Time to Compare and Contrast

American RevolutionFrench RevolutionSIMILARITIES BETWEEN THEAMERICAN AND FRENCH REVOLUTIONS

Both based upon Enlightenment ideals, ex: Natural rights of man- liberty, equality, etc.

People have the right to abolish a govnt which does not protect the peoples rightsBoth happen (in part) as a result of a financial crisis (debt)Both had similar declarations of independenceBoth have citizenry swayed by radicals and by the press/literatureBoth fought against perceived tyrantsBoth could be perceived as civil warsBoth occurred in the late 18th century (1700s), after the EnlightenmentBoth argued over not being represented in the government

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEAMERICAN AND FRENCH REVOLUTIONSAR- Was a colonial struggle for independence FR- Was a class struggle to overcome years of oppression

AR- Social ladder prior to revolution was short and fluid; movement based upon wealth/meritFR- Social ladder prior to revolution was long and rigid; no movement based on wealth/meritAR-King George III had prior warning of rev.FR-Louis XVI did not have prior warning of rev.AR- Tax burden on colonists was imaginaryFR- Tax burden on 3rd Estate was realAR- Had the support of foreign nationsFR- Foreign nations tried to crush revolutionAR- Lack of popular violence FR- Extreme popular violenceAR- Post war era gave way to a stable republicFR- First republic failed; replaced by dictator