Causes of the French Revolution

Bellringer

Download today’s notes: Causes of the French Revolution

Open your vocab from yesterday for HW check.

Answer the following question: What if you had no say in family concerns despite

doing all the household chores? How would you feel? Would you do anything about your situation?

The Big Idea

Social inequality and economic problems contributed to the French Revolution. The Third Estate, the vast majority of the French

people, was heavily taxed and discontented. The Third Estate claimed the right to have its votes

count as much as those of the First and Second Estates.

The National Assembly affirmed the “rights of man” and set up a limited monarchy in the Constitution of 1791.

Background to the Revolution

Since the middle ages, France’s population had been divided into three groups, or estates.

Then first estate was the clergy (church leaders) which had only 130,000 members out of a total population of 27 million…yet they owned 10% of the nation’s land

The second estate was the nobility, 350,000 members who owned 25-30% of the land. The 2nd estate played a key role in society, as members

held high positions in government, the military, law courts, and in the church

Background to the Revolution

While the first two estates controlled most of the wealth of the country, no one in the two groups had to pay the taille, France’s chief tax.

The 3rd estate was everyone else from the lowest peasant to the wealthiest merchant Truly divided by occupation, education, and wealth. Peasants made up 75-80% of the 3rd estate but owned

only 35-40% of the land. Middle class members, the bourgeoisie, owned the rest

of the land, while some poor peasants had no land to live on.

The 3rd Estate

Peasants had to pay fees to the nobles, just to be able to work on their land, and they were required by law to work the land of the nobles

Other members of the 3rd estate were craftsman, shopkeepers, and workers, all of whom struggled to survive Had decreased buying power as the price of good rose faster than

wagesThe bourgeoisie, or middle class, consisted of

merchants, bankers, industrialists, and professionals like doctors, lawyers, public officials, and writers.

The bourgeoisie had it better than the rest of the middle class, owning more land and holding more wealth.

Bourgeoisie Conflict

The middle class was upset because the nobles had so many privileges.

They did however, have similar goals to the nobles, and because of the influence of Enlightenment thinkers, both groups began to resent the absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI

Crisis

While the social conditions were causing unrest in French society, economic crisis brought it to collapse

Bad harvests in 1787 and 1788 and a slowdown in manufacturing led to food shortages, rising food prices, and unemployment.

While the French people were starving, the king and his ministers were spending large sums of money on wars and luxury items.

The queen Marie Antoinette was especially known for her lavish spending.

France’s situation had worsened because they spent so much money helping America during the revolution

Marie Antoinette & The Palace of Versailles

Connect!

1. Who made up each of France’s 3 estates?2. Why might you have been upset if you

were a part of the third estate?3. Who made up the bourgeoisie?4. French society had many problems, but

what ultimately brought its collapse?

The Estates General

Because the French financial system was about to collapse, Louis XVI had to call a meeting of the Estates General, a representative group of members from all of the 3 estates. Had not had to meet since 1614 because French kings had

been so powerful they did whatever they pleased, without needing help of the legislature.

At the meeting, the first 2 estates had 300 representatives and the 3rd estate had 600.

Representatives of the 3rd estate called for a new constitutional government where the clergy and nobility would also have to pay taxes.

The Estates General

There was conflict at the meeting because the 3rd estate wanted each deputy to have a vote, so they could outvote the clergy and nobles to make real changes.

The king and the first 2 estates resisted, so on June 17, 1789, the 3rd estate declared that it was THE National Assembly and it would draft a constitution.

In response, when the 3rd estate arrived at the meeting place 3 days later, the king had locked the doors and suspended the meeting.

Tennis Court Oath

The 3rd Estate moved to a nearby indoor tennis court to meet.

They swore an oath called “the Tennis Court Oath” that they would continue meeting until a new constitution was drafted.

Storming of the Bastille

On July 14, 1789, a group of 900 citizens of Paris gathered around the Bastille, an old fortress used as a prison and armory. The price of bread had reached new highs and the

people were starving A rumor started that the king’s army was coming to

make them leave, so the angry citizens stormed the Bastille.

Many of the French Guard troops joined the rebels and the warden surrendered the prison.

The people released the 7 prisoners who were there, cut-off the warden’s head, and tore down the Bastille brick by brick.

The Revolution Begins

With the fall of the Bastille, the king’s forces abandoned Paris, leaving it to the rebels.

The king was told his men could not be trusted to break-up the rebellion.

All over France, people began revolting.Rumors spread that foreign armies were coming in

to squash the rebellion for the king.This lead to the Great Fear, a time when peasants

stormed the houses of nobles to destroy any records of services owed so that if the rebellion was crushed they would still be free of the nobles.

Connect!

1. Why did the Estate’s General move its meeting to the tennis court, and what is the tennis court oath?

2. What happened at the Bastille on July 14, 1789?

3. What caused the Great Fear and why did Peasants storm the houses of the nobles in this time?