Download The French Revolution, pt. 2

The
French
Revolution
&
Napoleon
Chapter 18
I. The Revolution Begins
• French Revolution seen as major
turning point in European history:
– Sought to change both political & social
order
– Became a model for revolution worldwide
– Demonstrated the power of nationalism
– Showed the power of “enlightened” ideas
– The masses challenged the protected
interests of the privileged few…
“LIBERTY!!! EQUALITY!!! FRATERNITY!!!”
I. The revolution Begins
• Causes of French Revolution
– The Three Estates: Population had
been divided into groups since Middle
Ages.
• 1st Estate: Clergy (no taxes)
– 0.5% of pop., they own 10 % of the land
•
2nd
Estate: Nobility (no taxes)
– 1.5% of pop., they own 25%
• 3rd Estates: Commoners (pay all taxes)
– 98% of pop., own 65% of the land
– Peasants, skilled craftspeople, and…
– Bourgeoisie (middle class) merchants,
bankers, professionals
• Common bond: distrust the monarchy
“The Three Estates”
I. The revolution Begins
• Causes of French Revolution
– Financial Crisis
• Poverty rate soars thru countryside
–
–
–
–
Drought, Bad harvests
Food shortages, rising prices
Unemployment
1/3 of pop. starving on eve of
revolution
• Enormous Gov’t spending of Louis XVI
– Costly wars
– Heavy spending to help U.S. defeat
British
– Glamorous lifestyle of Marie Antoinette
Peasant, King Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette
I. The revolution Begins
• Causes of French Revolution
– The Age of Enlightenment
• Challenged the Divine Right of Kings
• Appealed to problems of middle class
• Said economy would flourish w/ free
commerce (laissez-faire)
– The Rule of King Louis XVI
• Preferred personal life to court life
• Strongly influenced by Marie
• Incapable of strong, decisive action
– American Revolution
• Showed successful revolution possible
• French army introduced to new ideas…
King Louis XVI
I. The revolution Begins
• The Fall of the Old Regime
– Debt forces Louis XVI to call Parliament
• Each of the 3 Estates get 1 vote
• Third Estate (largest) demanded more
– Called themselves National Assembly
• Locked out Tennis Court Oath
– Meet until they wrote a Constitution
– Louis planned to use force on National
Assembly, but…
– Storming of the Bastille
• Armory & Prison in Paris
• Angry mob attacked & destroyed it,
“Great Fear” controls Paris, countryside
• Louis can’t trust army, nearly powerless
The Storming of the Bastille; July 14, 1789
I. The revolution Begins
• The Fall of the Old Regime (cont.)
– Declaration of the Rights of Man and
the Citizen
•
•
•
•
Equality for all MEN (women excluded)
Access to public office based on talent
End to tax exemptions
Free speech and press
– Louis XVI concedes his power
• Originally refused Declaration, but…
• Becomes a prisoner in his own kingdom
• Forced to move royal family to Paris
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
II. The Revolution Gets Radical
• Paris Commune
– 3 yrs later(1792) conditions had not
improved
– Radical political groups form mob, attack
palace and legislative assembly
• Hold Louis XVI captive
• Call for a national convention for new gov’t
– based universal suffrage (all adult males)
– Members call themselves sans-culottes
• “Without breeches (fancy pants)”
• Wanted revenge…on who?
• Thousands arrested, massacred
– Led by Georges Danton
Paris Commune
II. The Revolution Gets Radical
• Paris Commune (cont.)
– At the National Convention…
• Abolished the monarchy
• Split over fate of Louis XVI
– Girondins (rural): let him live
– The Mountain (urban, radical):off w/ his head
– Louis, Marie condemned to death by guillotine
– Other nations appalled, join to attack France
– Fear of invasion, internal unrest leads to
Committee on Public Safety
• Takes control of govt. beginning “Reign of
Terror”
Flyer supporting the execution of Louis XVI
II. The Revolution Gets Radical
• The Reign of Terror
– Led by Maximilien Robespierre
– Goal: Unify, Protect, Cleanse France
– 40,000 enemies of revolution executed
• 15% Nobles & Clergy, 85% Commoners
– Policy of Dechristianization
•
•
•
•
•
Churches pillaged and closed
“Saint” removed from street names
Cathedral of Notre Dame: Temple of Reason
New calendar (why?)
Efforts ignored by largely Catholic public
– Radicalism ends with death of Robespierre
The guillotine was used to kill over 16,000 French citizens.
II. The Revolution Gets Radical
• The Directory
– 1795: New constitution, more stability
• Bi-cameral (?) legislature
– Lower house (500 members) wrote laws
– Upper house (250) approved or rejected laws
• The Directory
–
–
–
–
–
5 men to serve as executives
Shared power w/ legislature
Time of corruption
Could not fix economy
Relied heavily on military
– 1799: coup d’etat by Gen. Napoleon
Bonaparte
The Eighteenth of Brumaire, by Francois Bouchot