Download French Revolution - Beavercreek City Schools

French
Revolution
UNREST
1. Bad harvests
2. High prices
3. High taxes
4. Questions raised by
the Enlightenment
Old Regime
 3 Estates
st
1
Estate
Catholic Church (clergy )
1% of population
2nd Estate
Nobles
2% of population
st
1
and
Access
nd
2
Estates
to gov’t offices
Exempt from taxes
Rejected Enlightenment
Owned 30 % of land
rd
3
 Everyone
Estate
else
Bourgeoisie ( middle class )
 Bankers, factory owners,
merchants
 Well educated
 Believed strongly in
Enlightenment
 Payed high taxes
Wealth ≠status and power
rd
3
Estate cont.
 Workers
 Poorest
 Low
wages
 High unemployment
 Peasants
 Largest
 Farmers
 80% of population
 Paid ½ income to nobles, church, gov’t
Factors
 New
ideas about gov’t
 Economic troubles
Debt
Louis XVI
Inherited
Backed American
Revolution
Spent
Factors cont.
Weak
leader – Louis XVI
Indecisive
Paid little attention to
advisors
Queen interfered
Ignored problems
Estates-General
Louis
XVI decides to try
to tax 2nd Estate
Forced to call meeting of
Estates-General
First
in 175 years
May 5, 1789 Versailles
Estates General cont.
Each
estate met
separately to vote
Each estate had one vote
st
nd
1 and 2
outvoted the
3rd
Estates General cont.

3rd Estate wanted changes
All
3 meet together
Each delegate have a vote
Give
advantage to 3rd
King denied
 Leaders of 3rd called for National
Assembly

Pass
laws and reforms for people
of France
National Assembly
 June
17, 1789 voted to form
National Assembly
Proclaimed
end of
monarchy
Representative gov’t
First deliberate act of
revolution
National Assembly
Locked out of meeting room
 Broke into indoor tennis court
 Tennis Court Oath

Pledge
not to disband until new
constitution is written
Joined by nobles and clergy in
favor of reform

Louis XVI stationed military around
Versailles
Storming of Bastille
 Rumors
spread
 People began to arm themselves
 July 14, 1789 stormed Bastille
Prison built in 1300
In search of gunpowder
 Mob overwhelmed guards
 Symbolic act of revolt
Great Fear




Rebellion spread to countryside
Wave of panic
Peasants armed themselves
Broke in nobles homes
October 1789
Angry women of Paris march on
Versailles
 Demand action to provide bread
Force Louis and Marie to return to
Paris
The Rights of Man
 By
August 5th, Old Regime was
dead
Commoners equal to nobles
 Nat’l Assembly adopts statement
of ideals
The
Declaration of the
Rights of Man and of the
Citizen
Rights of Man
 “Men
are born free and remain
free and equal in rights”
 “Life, liberty, security, and
resistance to oppression”
 Equal justice
 Freedom of speech and
religion
Liberty,
Equality,
Fraternity
The Church
 Took
over Church lands
 Church officials and priests
were to be elected an paid
as gov’t officials
Many peasants alarmed
Opposed assembly’s
reforms
June
1791
Louis and Marie
try to escape
Captured and
returned to Paris
New Plan for Gov’t
 September
1791
New constitution
Creates limited monarchy
Creates new legislative body
Legislative Assembly
Power to create laws
Declare war
Divisions

Legislative Assembly split into 3
groups
To the left – RADICALS
 Opposed monarchy; lots of change
In center – MODERATES
 Some change
To the Right – CONSERVATIVES
 Limited monarchy; few changes
War with Europe
Austria
and Prussia urge
for restoration of
monarchy
April 1792
Legislative Assembly
declares war
War with Europe
 Prussian
forces advance quickly
outside of Paris
 Threaten to destroy Paris if
royals harmed
 August 10th
20,000 men storm palace
Kill guards
Arrest Louis and family
Paris Commune
 Paris
radicals
More radical, more violent
Took king captive
Wanted universal male suffrage
 Sans-culottes
Wanted
greater changes
Discovered ways to exert
power
September Massacres
 Rumors
that royal supporters
would break out of prison and
seize city
 Citizens take law into own
hands
Raid prison
Murder over 1000 prisoners
New Constitution

Legislative Assembly pressured
Set aside Constitution of
1791
2. Deposes king
3. Dissolves assembly
4. Calls for election of new
legislature
1.
New Government
 September
21
National Convention takes
office
Abolishes monarchy
Declares France a republic
Adult male citizens granted
right to vote and hold office
Political Clubs
 Girondins
Moderate
Represent
areas outside of Paris
Feared radical mobs
 The Mountain
Radicals of Paris
Jacobins
Jacobins
 Jacobins
– radical political
organization takes charge
Jean-Paul Marot
Georges Danton
 Tried Louis XVI for treason
Convicted
January 21, 1793 - beheaded
Problems Within
 Many
enemies within France
Peasant horrified by
execution of king
Priests angered by gov’t
control
Rival leaders stirring up
rebellions in other provinces
of France
Committee of Public Safety
 To
oversee war efforts
created Committee of Public
Safety
Maximillien Robespierre
headed
 Governed France as dictator
REIGN OF TERROR
Reign of Terror
 Protect
France from its
enemies
 Many fellow revolutionaries
were sentenced to death
 1793 – 1794
45,000-55,000 people
executed
Reign cont.
 Revolutionary
armies bring
rebellious cities under control
Lyon – 1880 citizens executed
Nantes – sunk in barges
 85% from 3rd Estate
 Violence
was temporary
Republic of Virtue
Republic of Virtue

Republic composed of good citizens
 Good education – primary education for all
 “citizen” replaced mister
 Tried to control prices
 Women attended National convention
sessions
 De-Christianization
 Cult of the Supreme Being
 Superstition rather than reason
 New calendar (Sept 22, 1792)
End of Terror
 June
1794
Law of 22 Prairial
 July 1794
National Convention turns
on Robespierre
 July 28, 1794
Robespierre is beheaded
New Government
 Following
terror moderate
leaders draft new plan for gov’t
(3rd since 1789)
Power with upper middle class
2 house legislature
Executive body of 5 men
(moderates)
Directory
Directory
 Corrupt
 Gave
country period of
order
 Chose right general to lead
army
Napoleon Bonaparte