THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Vedant YogeshClass - IX

Detail From Triumph of Marat, Boilly, 1794 (Musee des Beaux-Arts)

One of the main factors that led to the French Revolution was the unbalanced social structure of society during the Old Regime.

It was the main reason of the depletion of the treasury of the king.

King was a person of Mediocre Intelligence.

Formation of the Estate General.

Influence from the writers.

CAUSES

Economic cause

Politicalcause

Immediate cause

Economic cause

Social Cause

THE SOCIAL CAUSE / SOCIETY UNDER THE OLD REGIMEFirst Estate

• High-ranking members of the Church

• Privileged class

Second Estate

• Nobility

• Privileged class

Third Estate

• Everyone else – from peasants in the countryside to wealthy bourgeoisie merchants in the cities

• Unprivileged class

In France, people were divided into three Estates :-

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

LandOwnership

Taxation Population

ClergyNobilityCommoners

Three Estates

Hall of Mirrors

The royal

family lived in

luxury at the

Palace of

Versailles.

THE FRENCH ROYALTY

Louis XVI was an awkward, clumsy man who had a good heart but was unable to relate to people on a personal level.

– He often appeared unfeeling and gruff. – He was insecure and seems to have disliked

being King of France.

When one of his ministers resigned, he was heard to remark, "Why can't I resign too?”

LOUIS XIV

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette, in her early years asQueen, was flighty and irresponsible.

She spent huge amounts on clothes, buying a new dress nearly every other day.

Being Austrian, she was terribly unpopular in France and had few friends.

People were hungry; the country was broke.

This picture is from an all-woman bread riot.

Marie Antionette said “let them eat cake”

BREAD RIOTS

The Tennis Court Oath by Jacques Louis David

The delegates agreed and all but one of the 578 delegates signed it.– Their oath is known as the

Tennis Court Oath. – It said: "The National

Assembly, considering that it has been summoned to establish the constitution of the kingdom... decrees that all members of this assembly shall immediately take a solemn oath not to separate... until the constitution of the kingdom is established on firm foundations..."  June 20, 1789

STORMING THE BASTILLE

Events of the night of July 13, 1789

Reasons for the attack on the Bastille the next morning

The stubbornness of the governor of the fortress

Celebrations on the night of July 14th

Sparks tremendous popular revolution all over France

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens

Freedom of religion

Freedom of

speech

Freedom of the press“Liberty,

equality, fraternity!”

“Liberty, equality,

fraternity!”

Right of the people to

create laws

Right to a fair trial

People had grown tired of the instability and bloodshed of the revolution and were ready for something more moderate.

By 1795, the republic was gone, and 5 men with business interests had the executive power in France.

This new government was called The Directory.It was far more conservative than the

Jacobin republic had been.It was also ineffectual.

THE DIRECTORY

EFFECTS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

• Both the King and Queen were beheaded

• French monarchy no more

• In addition to the Royal family, 17,000 people were executed with the guillotine.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The people readily

accepted the coup

d'etat of Napoleon

Bonaparte in 1799.

The revolution was

over.