The French Revolution

Great Unrest in France

Why?

High Prices and High Taxes

Enlightenment Ideas

Weak Leadership

Old Regime – 3 estates

France’s Social Pyramid- “Old Regime”

1st Estate: Church

Owned 10% of land

Paid little taxes

Were less than 1% of the people

2nd Estate: Nobility

2% of population

Wealthy

Owned 20% of land

Paid no taxes3rd Estate: Bourgeoisie

& Peasants

98% of population

3 Different Tiers

Paid more than 50% of taxes

4 Causes of the French Revolution…EEEW!!

Enlightenment Ideas• Spread by the educated of the Third

Estate…bourgeoisie will lead the French Revolution

• Believed in equality and liberty (Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu)

• All men have natural rights (Locke)• Inspired the American Revolution• Believed in a democratic govt. and democratic

elections…DEMOCRACY for all!• Power should be in the hands of the people!

Old Regime (Estate System)

• Ranking of the people into social classes (is a hold over from the Middle Ages)

• Three Estates- 3rd estate HEAVILY TAXED and had NO SAY in government. Made up 97% of the French!

• Wanted democracy and rights for all (3rd)

• First estate HATED the ideas of the ENLIGHTENMENT

Economic Problems $$$$

• France was in debt- King borrowed money to help Americans during their revolution

• High taxes hurt business • High cost of living • Crop Failure led to food prices doubling and

starvation• Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette spent a lot on

themselves (her nickname was “Madame Deficit”) – The king and queen spent the money on themselves

A Weak Leader• Louis paid little attention to advisers and

big issues…he avoided the problems and did not focus on govt. duties

• Instead of fixing crisis he let it happen!

• Q: How to raise funds?• A: Tax wealthy

• BUT – Aristocrats/Noblemen (2nd Estate) resisted and called for general meeting of all 3 estates = Estates-General

• GOAL - to deal with the problems France faced

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette’s Home

Chateau Versailles

Marie Antoinette’s Riches

Third Estate Gets Tough!

Demands National Assembly to END absolute monarchy!

Third Estate Gets Locked Out!

Moves to indoor tennis court and VOWS not to leave until a new Constitution is written – they take the “Tennis Court Oath”

Estates-General: Revolution Dawns (1789)

So, what happens?

Tennis Court Oath (1789)

Storming the Bastille - 1789

On July 14, 1789, French citizens raided a prison to get gunpowder and overthrow king’s troops. The Bastille fell to citizens.

Louis XVI saw the Tennis Court Oath as an act of Revolution

“I will end this sorry revolution, indeed.”

King Louis XVI

So, Louis sent troops (Swiss mercenaries) to guard Paris. But, rumors spread that foreign troops would kill French citizens.

“Let us in. Yeah, now.”

French Citizens Storm the Bastille

I. Declaration of Rights of Man

A. Similar to America’s Declaration of Independence

B. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

C. Women Excluded

1789

II. Church and State -- Separation

A. Assembly took Church property: Church lost political influence

B. This angered conservative peasants – divided peasants and bourgeoisie. Why?

What happened?

1789

End Result of the National Assembly

National Assembly

King Louis XVI

Increased power for legislature…

… reduced power for King

Great Fear Sweeps France

II. Peasants marched to Versailles and demanded King and Queen come to Paris…They did.

I. Peasants fear violence from nobles

A. Did this happen? No

B. What did happen? Peasants became outlaws. The king prepares an army to take control…

III. Women March to Versailles

Infuriated women walked 12 miles in the rain to Versailles, angry with the Royal Court’s extravagance.

Also happening…

The King and Queen Arrive in Paris

After two years of signing laws for the National Assembly, Louis wants to get help from foreign lands so, Louis XVI tries to escape to the

Netherlands (or Austria)…

BUT is caught by postmaster at near French border…

… and the Royal Family is returned to Paris

The King and Queen Arrive in Paris

Louis’ Plot• Once back in Paris, Louis

and family act like they are supporting the Revolution

• Marie has been sending letters to Austria

• War breaks out between France and Austria

• Louis and Marie are seen as traitors!!

• Frenchmen go crazy and attack…Louis is stripped of power and family is put in jail

1792 - Despite Gains, Fear Persists

Upon returning, French mobs attack King because he was aligned with foreigners. With war problems abroad, mobs feared he would re-establish control.

What happens? Attack of Monarchy in Prison & 1,000 people die.

Radicals Assert Control – Jacobin Club removes the King and establishes a republic

New Government = National Convention

Abolishes Monarchy

Tries King Louis XVI

Finds him…Guilty

King Louis XVI Executed - 1793

Off with his head

Guillotine -Heading chopping

machine created by a doctor to be a more humane way to kill

people…yes, a doctor!

The Guillotine Supporters said it was:

Efficient

More humane

No pain

Opponents said it:

It was too quick to be enjoyed by public

Rather pull victims apart by horses; broken on a

wheel

Louis XVI as a Louis XVI as a PigPig

c To some, the king was a traitor.To some, the king was a traitor.

c Others felt that the Revolution had gone Others felt that the Revolution had gone far enough and didn’t want to execute the far enough and didn’t want to execute the

king [maybe exile him].king [maybe exile him].

Actual cartoon of the time!

Marie Antoinette as a Marie Antoinette as a SerpentSerpent

The “Widow Capet”The “Widow Capet”

Actual cartoon of the time!

Robespierre was able to raise an army

of 800,000 citizen soldiers - the biggest army ever assembled

in Europe.

Raising An Army…

…and Executing the Queen

October 16, 1793

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette on the Way to the on the Way to the

GuillotineGuillotine

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Died in October, Died in October,

17931793

The Reign of TerrorThe Reign of Terror

Terror is nothing other than Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible.justice, prompt, severe, inflexible.

-- Robespierre-- Robespierre

Let terror be Let terror be the order of the order of

the day!the day!c The Revolutionary The Revolutionary

Tribunal of Paris alone Tribunal of Paris alone executed 2,639 executed 2,639

victims in 15 months.victims in 15 months.

c The total number of The total number of victims nationwide victims nationwide was over 20,000!was over 20,000!

The political group – the Jacobin Club forms the “Committee of Public Safety” is was lead by Maximilien Robespierre.

Their objective: wipe out France’s monarchy in both present and past How? • Execute the “unpatriotic”: between 20,000 - 40,000 are killed• Removed monarchy from playing cards• Removed Sundays from calendars• Closed Church on Sunday• Trial and execution on the same day• 85% killed were common peasants who supposedly benefited from the Revolution

The Reign of Terror

Maximilien Robespierre

Different Social Classes Executed Different Social Classes Executed

31%

28%

7%

8%

25%

End of the Terror

Fellow radicals – fearing their own lives and positions – turn on Robespierre and kill him

People had grown tired of the Terror, were angry at rising food prices, and Robespierre’s new ideas/changes

Moderate leaders of the National Convention draft a new government – the 3rd in 6 years.

also…

so…

Robespierre is executed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otnADq4Y0-A(Spoof recap 3:37)

The Arrest of Robespierre

The Revolution The Revolution Consumes (or ate)Consumes (or ate)Its Own Children!Its Own Children!

Robespierre lies woundedRobespierre lies woundedbefore the Revolutionary before the Revolutionary Tribunal that will order Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, him to be guillotined,

1794.1794.

The “Monster” The “Monster” GuillotineGuillotine

The last guillotine execution in France was in The last guillotine execution in France was in 19391939!!