The

French Revolution

A monarchy in Crisis

A Moderate Start

The revolution Deepens

The reign of Terror

Establishment of the Directory

Stages of Revolution

• Call for Reform---- Avant Garde

• Armed Combat ---Army Changes

sides

• Radical stage ( Purges)

• Return to Normalcy

French Society : The 3 Estates

o 1st

= Clergy = 1% of

population

o 2nd

=Aristocracy

(Nobility) = 2% of

population

o 3rd =

Bourgeoisie

(middle class) = 97%

of the population

o 1st

and 2nd

Estates

held 80% of the

nations wealth

o Only the 3rd

Estate

was taxed !

Kings of the Revolution

Louis XIV “The Sun King” An Absolute Monarch That leaves France the richest most powerful country in Europe when he dies in 1715. France is also the cultural and financial capital of Europe.

Louis XV 1715-1774, reigns or a France that has rapid growing birth rate and mounting debt

Louis XVI last of the Bourbons , well intentioned but very weak willed

Marie Antoinette

4 Children of Marie Antoinette

Marie Theresa Charlotte =

born 1775, will become

Madame Royal, Duchesse

d’Angoulene.

Louis Philip= 1776, dies

of T.B. June 4, 1789.

Louis Charles =

Proclaimed Louis XVII

1793, dies in prison of

T.B.1795.

Daughter dies in infancy.

Governments of France

During French Revolution Old Regime, Absolute

Monarchy ends 1789.

National Assembly, Made up

of affluent Bourgeoisie,

created Constitutional

Monarchy, ends1792.

National Convention,

Abolishes Monarchy, est. 1st

Republic, led by moderate

and radical Bourgeoisie

ends 1794.

The Directory = Elected from

the Council of Elders, this

Oligarchy became corrupt

and was overthrown in 1799.

Attempts at Reform

Louis XVI comes to the throne in 1774, he recognizes a need for economic reform.

Early on he had his economic minister place controls on government spending and reduce expenses at Versailles. He also removed internal customs on food and tried to limit the power of the guilds.

The King could not tax the Nobility with out their permission, so no matter what steps he took to ease the tax burden, it always the 3rd estate who was responsible for the taxes.

Finally the crisis got so bad that the French bankers refused to loan the French government any more money.

Then in1787 and 1788 the wheat harvest were so poor it caused bread shortages all over France.

In the fall of 1788, in the hopes of repairing some of the damage the King called the ESTATES GENERAL into session.

Moderate Start to the Revolution: From Estates to National Assembly

When the Estates General met in May of 1789, Demanded that the three estates meet together and that each deputy have an equal vote.

When, on June 17, 1789, the King insisted that the Estates meet separately, the 3rd estate declared themselves the

National Assembly with the right to write a new constitution for France.

The King’s response was to banish them from the meeting,

The 3rd Estate, along with a few clergy and reform minded nobles, moved into a nearby tennis court and took the “ Tennis Court Oath” promising not to disband until they had written a constitution for the French people.

The King, fearing a loss of power, ordered the 1st and 2nd Estates to join the 3rd Estate as The National Assembly.

The Radical course

• While the National Assembly worked on a new constitution, the

common people of France could not wait on relief so they took

matters into their own hands.

• On July 14, 1789, Louis XVI ordered troops to Versailles. Citizens

believed he was planning to dissolve the National Assembly and

crush the Revolution. In response the people of Paris stormed the

Bastille prison which was a symbol of the injustice and inequality of

the old regime.

• The summer of 1789 is known as the summer of Great Fear

because disturbances broke out all through the countryside.

• Peasants turned on their landlords, destroyed crops, burning tax

records, and raiding storehouses.

Constitution of 1791

Early Reforms: Abolished feudal

customs

Ended serfdom

Ended tax exempt

status for the Nobles

Made all citizens

eligible for government

and church positions

Before August, Adopted

The Declaration of the

Rights of Man

Later Reforms: Establishes Limited

Monarchy

A Separation of Powers,

with executive,

legislative, and judicial

branches

Divided France into 83

regions with locally

elected officials

No Class distinctions

March on Versailles

October 5, 1789- A rumor that the King wore

the white symbol of the Bourbons and not the

Revolutionary tricolors sent Parisian women marching

to Versailles to confront the King and demand bread

for their starving children.

It was at this time that Queen Marie Antoinette

reportedly said “Let them eat Cake!”

Staring at a crowd of angry women, the King decided

he would accompany them back to Paris.

Reaction to the 1st Stage

• Many of the Nobility were frightened by what was going on in France and chose to leave. These Émigrés or political exiles urged foreign governments to oppose revolutionary France.

• Louis was increasingly alarmed by the actions of the National Assembly and in June of 1791 tried to leave the country.

• He and his family were captured a few miles from the German/French border. They were taken back and were then prisoners of the National Assembly. At the Tuileries.

• The Army was embarrassed by the Kings attempt to escape and both Officers and soldiers refused to salute ever again.

• 1792, France declared war on Austria. Partly because there was a belief that Austria was going to help Louis and Marie Antoinette. Partly because many in the assembly believed that a war would unite the people and get their minds off of domestic problems

France at War with Austria

At first the war goes badly.

Most of the Senior officers (Nobility) were gone.

By August 1792 the Austrians and Prussians were outside Paris.

The Duke of Brunswick issues his manifesto which declared “Surrender or have Paris burn to the ground”.

The French rally to defend their city. By September, they pushed Austria and Prussia out of France.

The Sans Culottes

Les Marseillaise

A National Convention

• August 10, 1792 Radical revolutionaries take control of government buildings in Paris.

• The King and his family, fearing for their lives flee the palace and seek protection with the Legislative Assembly.

• The radicals took control of the assembly, arrested the King and his family, suspended the monarchy, and called for a new constitution.

• Jacobins take power. Led by Robespierre and the Committee of Public safetyestablish a New Govt. called National Convention.

The trial of Louis XVI

• November of 1792 A chest was

discovered with letters from

Émigrés to the King. They were

proof that the King was plotting

with Foreigners to crush the

revolution.

• January 22, 1793 the

Convention tried and convicted

Louis XVI of treason and

sentenced him to be executed.

• January 23, 1793 Louis XVI, the

last of the Bourbons mounted the

steps of the Guillotine. “People, I

die innocent”, were the Kings last

words.

Execution of Marie Antoinette

• Tried and convicted of Treason

on the morning of Oct. 14, 1793.

• Marie-Antoinette was driven

through Paris in an open cart and

executed at 12:15 that same day.

• 2 1/2 weeks before her 37th

Birthday.

• Originally buried in a mass grave

for women, both she and Louie

were reburied at the Basilica St.

Denis in North Paris where the

Royals of France, Historically

were buried.

Rein of Terror• 1793-1794 is the time known as THE

REIN of TERROR!.

• Revolutionary Courts prosecuted internal enemies of the state.

.

• Aristocrats, Those who associated with aristocrats, and those who opposed the sans- culottes were victims of the committee of public safety.

• All that was needed was for two citizens to accuse someone and you would be found guilty.

• During the Rein of Terror approximately 40,000 people died.

• By 1794 the people of France had had enough of the killing, Robespierre is arrested, convicted of treason and executed by guillotine July 28, 1794

Return to Normalcy

Directory,

Republic led by 5

directors elected

from the council of

Elders, relied on

military to enforce

law, very corrupt

era. Ends 1799.