French revolution

What is a revolution:

• A revolution is a fundamental change in power or

organizational structures that takes place in a relatively

short period of time.

• The forcible overthrow of a government or social order

• Any fundamental change or reversal of condition

France

• France is a sovereign country in Western Europe that includes

several overseas regions and territories.

• Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to

the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to

the Atlantic Ocean.

• By area, France is the 42nd largest country in the world but the

largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the

third-largest in Europe as a whole.

• With a population approaching 67 million, it is the 20th most

populated country and the second-most populated country in the EU.

France

La Marseillaise France National anthem

Contents• INTRODUCTION

• CAUSES

• FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGES AN END TO PRIVILEGES

• THE OUT BREAK OF THE REVOLUTION

France becomes a constitutional monarchy

• Political symbols

• FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

THE REIGN OF TERROR

A DIRECTORY FRANCE

• DID WOMEN HAVE A REVOLUTION

• THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY

• THE REVOLUTION AND EVERYDAY LIFE

• CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

• The French Revolution was a revolution in France from 1789 to 1799.

• It led to the end of the monarchy.

• The Revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte took power in

November 1799 and began his dictatorship.

• King Louis XVI was executed.

• Before 1789, France was ruled by the nobles and the church.

• The ideas of the Enlightenment were beginning to make these ordinary

people want more power.

INTRODUCTION

• They could see that the American Revolution had

created a country in which people had power,

instead of a king.

• The government before the revolution was called

the Old Regime.

Key concepts of

French revolution

• Liberty

• Equality

• Fraternity

• Popular sovereignty

• Constitutionalism

• Property

• Religion

• Democracy

Revolutionary Figures

• Charles, comte d'Artois

• Reine Audu

• Charles Augereau, duc de Castiglione

• Jean-Pierre-André Amar

• François-Noël Babeuf

• Jean Sylvain Bailly

• Antoine Barnave

Revolutionary Figures

• Maximilien Robespierre

• Charles, baron de Montesquieu

• Olympe de Gouges

• Napoleon Bonaparte

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was

a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th

century. His political philosophy influenced the French

Revolution as well as the overall development of modern

political, sociological, and educational thought.

Olympe de Gouges

• Olympe de Gouges (French pronunciation: [olɛp̃ də ɡuʒ]; 7

May 1748 – 3 November 1793), born Marie Gouze, was a

French playwright and political activist whose feminist and

abolitionist writings reached a large audience.

Some Important

Dates

• 1774 Louis XVI becomes king of France, faces empty

treasury and growing discontent within society of the Old

Regime.

• 1789 Convocation of Estates General, Third Estate forms

National Assembly, the Bastille is stormed, peasant revolts

in the countryside.

• 1791 A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king

and to guarantee basic rights to all human beings.

• 1792-93 France becomes a republic, the king is beheaded.

Overthrow of the Jacobin republic, a Directory rules France.

Some Important

Dates

• 1804 Napoleon becomes emperor of France, annexes large

parts of Europe

• 1815 Napoleon defeated at Waterloo. Contents

Causes

• Social Cause

One of the main factors that led to the French Revolution was the unbalanced

social structure of society during the Old Regime.

• Economic Cause

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

• Political Cause

• King was a person of Mediocre Intelligence.

• Immediate Cause

Formation of the Estate General.

• Intellectual Cause

Influence from the writers.

Causes

• Many problems in France led up to the Revolution:

• Under the Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, France had been

supporting the American Revolution and been part of the Seven

Years War.

• (They did not support the American Revolution in support of

democracy, but out of desire to weaken the British, their longtime

adversaries).

• This had made the country very poor with a huge national debt.

• The high price of bread caused the ordinary people to suffer from

hunger and malnutrition.

Causes

• This made them dislike the rich nobles who had the money to eat well and build

huge houses.

• The Roman Catholic Church, which owned the most land in France, put a tax on

crops called the dime (tithe) which hurt the poorest and hungriest people.

• Ideals of the Enlightenment.

• Many people disliked absolute rule by the royalty and the nobility.

• They could see that in other countries, such as in the new country America, people

like them had more influence on the government.

• They also wanted freedom of religion.

Causes of the French

Revolution

FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE

LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY

• In 1774,Louis xvi ascended the throne

• He was 20 year old and married Austrian princess Marie

Antoinette

• He found his treasury empty

• He spent for American independence

Louis XVLouis XVI

Marie Antoinette

Classification of French society

• French society is classified into three estates

• Estate general was a political body sent by 3 estates

The Three Estates Estate Population Privileges Exemptions Burdens

First •Circa 130,000

•High-ranking

clergy

•Collected the tithe

•Censorship of the press

•Control of education

•Kept records of births, deaths,

marriages, etc.

•Catholic faith held honored

position of being the state

religion (practiced by monarch

and nobility)

•Owned 20% of the land

•Paid no taxes

•Subject to

Church law rather

than civil law

•Moral obligation (rather than legal

obligation) to assist the poor and

needy

•Support the monarchy and Old

Regime

Second •Circa 110,000

•Nobles

•Collected taxes in the form of

feudal dues

•Monopolized military and state

appointments

•Owned 20% of the land

•Paid no taxes •Support the monarchy and Old

Regime

Third •Circa

25,000,000

•Everyone else:

artisans,

bourgeoisie, city

workers,

merchants,

peasants, etc.,

along with many

parish priests

•None •None •Paid all taxes

•Tithe (Church tax)

•Octrot (tax on goods brought into

cities)•Corvée (forced road work)•Capitation (poll tax)•Vingtiéme (income tax)•Gabelle (salt tax)•Taille (land tax)•Feudal dues for use of local manor’s winepress, oven, etc.

Demand of food grains(struggle to

survive)

• The population of France rose from about 23

million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789

• This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food

grains

• Production of grains could not keep pace with the

demand

Subsistence crisis

Bad

harvest

Scarcity

of grains

Rising

food

prices

The poorest

can no longer

buy bread

Food

riots

Weaker

bodies

Diseases

and

epidemics

Increased

number of

deaths

Bastille

• The Bastille (French pronunciation: [bastij]) was a fortress in

Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It

played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and

for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings

of France. It was stormed by a crowd on 14 July 1789 in

the French Revolution, becoming an important symbol for the

French Republican movement, and was later demolished and

replaced by the Place de la Bastille.

Storming of Bastille

(battle of Bastille)

• The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France on

the morning of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress and

prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal

authority in the center of Paris. The prison only contained

seven inmates at the time of its storming but was a symbol of

the abuses of the monarchy: its fall was the flashpoint of

the French Revolution.

• In France, Le quatorze juillet (14 July) is a public holiday,

usually called Bastille Day in English.

Bastille

Growing of middle class

• The middle class is a class of people in the middle of a

societal hierarchy.

• In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the

broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-

economically between the working class and upper class.

• The common measures of what constitutes middle class vary

significantly among cultures.

Outbreak of revolution

• Louis XVI increased taxes

• on 5th may 1789,Louis xvi called an assembly of the

estates to pass new proposal of taxes

• Group of third estate people formed general assembly in

Versailles

France became a constitutional monarchy

• The national assembly completely drafted of the

constitution in 1791

• Its main object was to limit the powers of the monarch

• The national assembly made people as a c t i v e c i t i z en

and pas s i v e c i t i z en

Design of voting

V

O

T

E

Active citizens: entitled to vote. About 4 million

judge

Passive citizens: no voting rights including poor men ,

every women and youth below 25 years

king

Ministers

National assembly

VOTE

Electors

VOTE

VETO

CONTROL

France became a constitutional monarchy

• The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws

in the national assembly , which was indirectly elected

• That is, citizens voted for a group of electors, who in

turn chose the Assembly.

• Not all citizens, however, had the right to vote.

Design of constitution

• The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of

Man and Citizen.

• Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of

opinion, equality before law, were established as natural and

inalienable rights, that is, they belonged to each human being

by birth and could not be taken away.

• It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen's natural

rights.

The Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizen

• 1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.

• 2.The aim of every political association is the preservation of

the natural and inalienable rights of man; these are liberty,

property, security and resistance to oppression.

• 3. The source of all sovereignty resides in the nation; no group

or individual may exercise authority that does not come from

the people.

• 4. Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious

to others.

The Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizen

• 5. The law has the right to forbid only actions that are

injurious to society.

• 6. Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have

the right to participate in its formation, personally or through

their representatives. All citizens are equal before it.

• 7. No man may be accused, arrested or detained, except in

cases determined by the law.

• 11. Every citizen may speak, write and print freely; he must

take responsibility for the abuse of such liberty in cases

determined by the law.

The Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizen

• 12. For the maintenance of the public force and for the

expenses of administration a common tax is indispensable; it

must be assessed equally on all citizens in proportion to their

means.

• 17. Since property is a sacred and inviolable right, no one

may be deprived of it, unless a legally established public

necessity requires it. In that case a just compensation must be

given in advance.

Reading politicalsymbols

• The majority of men and women in the eighteenth century

could not read or write. So images and symbols were frequently

used instead of printed words to communicate important ideas.

The painting by Le Barbier uses many such symbols to

convey the content of the Declaration of Rights. Let us try

to read these symbols.

Reading politicalsymbols

• The broken chain: Chains were used to fetter slaves. A broken

chain stands for the act of becoming free.

• The bundle of rods or fasces: One rod can be easily broken,

but not an entire bundle. Strength lies in unity

• The eye with in a triangle radiating light: the all-

seeing eye stands for knowledge. The rays of sun will drive

away the clouds of ignorance

•

Reading political

symbols

• Scepter: Symbol of royal power

• Snake biting its tail to form a ring: Symbol of Eternity. A

ring has neither beginning nor end.

• Red Phrygian cap: Cap worn by a slave upon becoming free.

Reading political

symbols• Blue-white-red: The national colors of France.

• The winged woman: Personification of the law.

• The Law Tablet: The law is the same for all, and all are

equal before it.

France Abolishes Monarchy and

Becomes a Republic

• 1792 The National Assembly voted for declaration of war

against Prussia and Austria

• Revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to

the people

• Large sections of people continued with the revolution and

formed numerous political clubs such as the Jacobins.

• The Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous

sections of the society

France Abolishes Monarchy

and Becomes a Republic

• Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Jacobin club.

• Jacobins wore long striped trousers as opposed to the nobles

who wore knee breeches. They also wore a red cap to symbolize

liberty

• 10th August, 1792: The Jacobins entered the Palace of the

Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king as

hostage for several hours.

• The Assembly voted for imprisonment of the royal family

• Elections were held and all men of 21 years and above,

regardless of wealth got the right to vote.

France Abolishes Monarchy

and Becomes a Republic

• The newly elected assembly was called the Convention

• 21st September, 1792: The Convention abolished the monarchy

and declared France a republic.

• 21st January, 1793: Louis XVI was executed publicly at

the Place de la Concorde. Queen Marie Antoinette met with

the same fate shortly after.

The Reign of Terror

• 1793-1794 Known as the Reign of Terror.

• Jacobins under Robespierre practiced a policy of severe control

and repression.

• Those suspected as the ‘enemies’ of the republic were arrested,

imprisoned and then tried by a revolutionary tribunal. These

included ex-nobles, clergymen, members of other political

parties and those who criticized the Jacobin’s rule.

• They were guillotined if the court found them guilty

The Reign of Terror

• Robespierre’s government imposed a maximum ceiling on

wages and prices.

• Meat and bread were rationed.

• Peasants were forced to sell their grain at the prices fixed by

the government.

• All citizens were required to eat the pain d’egalite (equality

bread) and discard the use of expensive white flour.

• All French men and women were henceforth called Citoyen and

Citoyenne not anymore, Monsieur and Madame.

The Reign of Terror

• Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into

barracks or offices.

• July, 1794 Robespierre was arrested and guillotined the next

day.

A Directory Rules

France

• The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier

middle classes to seize power.

• A new constitution was introduced.

• Voting right to the non-propertied sections of the society was

denied.

• The new constitution provided for two elected legislative

councils.

• These councils appointed an executive consisting of five

members, called the Directory.

A Directory Rules

France• The Directory was formed for avoiding the concentration of

power

• Differences arose between the Directory and the legislative

councils which paved the way for the rise of a military dictator,

Napoleon Bonaparte.

Role of Women in

Revolution

• Women had to work for a living and also had to take care of

their families.

• Women were paid lower wages as compared to men

• Women started their own political clubs and newspapers such

as ‘The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women’.

• They demanded for equal political rights.

• The revolutionary government introduced state schools.

Schooling was made compulsory for all girls, marriage could

not be forced upon and divorce was made legal.

Role of Women in

Revolution

• During the Reign of Terror, laws were issued for closing

women’s clubs and banning their political activities.

• 1946 Women in France won the right to vote.

The Abolition of

Slavery

• A triangular slave trade took place between Europe, Africa and

America.

• Slaves were bought from the local chieftains of Africa and were

sold to the plantation owners in the Caribbean.

• 1794 The Convention legislated to free all slaves in the French

overseas possessions. However, Napoleon reintroduced slave

trade after some years.

• 1848 Slavery was abolished in the French colonies.

The Revolution and

Everyday Life

• Censorship was abolished in France. Books, newspapers and

plays could now be read and performed without the approval of

the censors of the king.

• The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens proclaimed

freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right.

• Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded

both French towns and countryside.

Raise of napoleon

• 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of

France.

• Napoleon saw himself as a modernizer of Europe. He

introduced laws such as the protection of property and a

uniform system of weights and measures provided by the

decimal system.

• Napoleonic army was initially viewed to be a liberating force

but soon it was seen as an invading force.

• 1815 Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Waterloo

• The French ideas of liberty and democratic rights spread to

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