2. One of the biggest turning points in European history
Unlike the Russian Revolution or The Chinese
revolution, France was the most advanced country of
the age
3. Population growth and declining standard of living
increased pressures on an inefficient economy
Writings of the philosophes inspired criticism of the Royal
Government and powerful Church
Extravagances of the Court exhausted the treasury
Efforts of the King’s ministers to reduce privileges, reform
taxes, cut spending, and introduce free trade within
France had all failed
The Royal Government had proved its incompetence and
the nobles saw their chance to seize control of the King’s
powers and increase their own
5. Church – 100 000 people
Deeply involved in the prevailing social system in
France
They owned between 5 and 10 percent of the land
Church was the greatest of all landowners
Church wealth concentrated in the hands of few
6. Nobility – 400 000
They had enjoyed great resurgence since the death of
Louis XIV
Army, parlements, government offices all monopolized
by the nobility
Had blocked any plan at taxation
Middle class – bourgeoisie, not part of this estate, didn’t
enjoy the same privelidge
MC taxed
7. Third Estate – disgruntled
In the 40 years prior to the rev, prices rose 65%,
whereas wages rose 22%
4/5 of the population
Not like serfdom in Russia – they worked for
themselves
Noble still had rights – hunting, collected fees for mills,
bakeshop, wine press
8. The manorial lord performed no economic function
He lived not by managing his land, but by collecting a
series of dues
During the 18th century, lords were faced with rising
living costs, and consequently, collected their dues
more vigorously
They also revived the old ones that had previously been
ignored
9. Leases and sharecropping also became less favourable
to the peasants
Additionally, peasants began to resent the feudal dues
because they saw themselves as the true owners of the
land
10. As we saw, France struggled with financial burden
Upkeep of army, and servicing debt
Revenues falling short of expenditure
Nobility and church avoiding taxation
Louis XVI, also had appointed Jacques Necker, a Swiss
Banker – also dismissed
His successor, Calonne, proposed a general tax to
replaced the taille - a tax on all landowners
11. He wanted to pass it by an Assembly of Notables, Louis
wouldn’t allow it
Louis dismissed him
He wanted to pass it in an Estates General, because he
knew parliament wouldn’t accept it
Additionally, they tried to replace the parliaments
Nobles were angered, wouldn’t do anything, like a
strike
Louis called the Estates General and various classes
were called to elect representatives
12.
13. Estates General hadn’t met since 1614-1615
It is an assembly of representatives elected from the
three estates
Each estate voted separately on an issue
Then the rep from estate would vote
Dangerous for Louis
Move to politics
Weakening absolutism
Everyone felt they could have a say
14. Rift between old and new nobility – reps for the EG had
to be from long established noble lines
Angered new nobility , and pushed them toward 3rd
estate
3rd estate thought the voting system was unfair
Led by Abbe Sieyes
They demanded that double the number of reps be
given to the third estate
Louis gave the 3rd more reps, but it was still rep by estate
15. Louis missed his chance to be a strong leader in the EG
Main issue was the 3rd refused to do anything until there
was a unicameral legislature
Even disgruntled parish priests left the first estate and
joined the third
17 June 1789 – Third Estate called itself the National
Assembly – urged the other estates to join
16. “What is the Third Estate?”
Complied by Mirabeau
and Sieyes
Demands of the estates
Fairer tax system
End to feudal dues
Came from everyone
Rich and poor
Rural and Urban
18. Tennis Court Oath
Tennis Court Oath – on June 20th the kings officials
locked the 3rd out of the hall
The 3rd thought the EG was being dissolved, and met at a
Tennis court
They vowed to stay together even against the king’s will
bc they were the nation, not the king
First assertion of power by the 3rd
Louis called for a constitution shortly after
Led to the revolutionary myth, united people
19.
20. Louis eventually gives in – June 27
National Assembly formed
Why did Louis do it?
He was scared
Unicameral body- set out to provide the monarchy with
a constitution
National Assembly faced a series of obstacles
21. 11 July
Dismisses popular Finance Minister
Jacques Necker
Calls troops to Versailles and Paris
The dismissal of Necker, who was a
reformer, sparked outrage amongst
the masses because he was seen as a
reformer, and it was viewed as a
conspiracy
22. Louis XVI’s actions convinced people that the King
was about to dismiss the National Assembly and
march on Paris
In Paris, rioters (bourgeois, store keepers, guilds, etc)
stormed a prison – the high officials were lynched,
and their heads paraded through the streets on a pike
Hoped to arm and defend themselves in the event of
an attack
23. Bastille symbolized royal power and authority
Fall of the prison prompted similar actions throughout the
French countryside
Expression of the power of the people to take politics into
their own hands
A century later, the French republic made it a national
holiday
Short term, it made Louis more receptive, but this angered
the nobles
24. National Assembly took action to restore order by
officially abolishing feudalism and the church tithe
25. Text Book
182-183
Which points reflect
those of:
Locke
Rousseau
Montisque
26. Demonstration led by
6000 Parisian women
motivated by fear of
bread shortages
Decapitated people who
had insulted
revolutionaries
Royal family forcibly
moved to the Tuileries
Palace in Paris
27. French Revolution Video
For the video take notes on the following points:
Importance/Impact of the Revolution
Describe
Robespierre
Louis XVI
Marie Antoinette
Describe Louis and Marie’s relationship
Who are the sans-culottes?
28. 2 November 1789
Confiscated property and wealth of the church
Sold it to members of the middle class and peasantry
19 June 1790
Abolished hereditary nobility and noble titles
12 July 1790
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Required priests and bishops to swear oath of loyalty to the
constitution
Provided for election of bishops and priests by the people
29. Attempted escape of Louis XVI and family from
France
Left behind a letter condemning the Revolution,
stating his belief in nobility and his right to
absolute rule, and his hope to reestablish the
Ancien Regime with the help of émigrés
30.
31. Produced by the National Constituent Assembly
(formerly National Assembly)
Strictly limited power of the King, setting up a
constitutional monarchy
Original National Constituent Assembly dissolved
and replaced by the National Legislative Assembly
32. Other European rulers
were horrified by the
example set by
revolutionary France
Feared revolution would
spread to their countries
Declaration of Pillnitz by
Emperor of Austria and
King of Prussia
33. Royal Family wanted war to discredit and defeat the
Revolution
French moderates wanted war to shift attention from
economic problems and preserve the constitutional
monarchy
French radicals wanted war to free the people of
Europe
34. 20 April 1792
France declared war on Austria
Prussia soon at Austria’s aid
25 July 1792
Brunswick Manifesto issued by
Austria and Prussia
Threatened severe punishment for
Parisians if anything happened to the
royal family
35. Robespierre used the Manifesto to argue for the
overthrow of the French monarchy
Mob anger intensified by conditions in France
Bread scarce
Rising prices
Severe unemployment
Paper money losing value
Fear of reinstatement of the Ancien Regime
Fear of émigré revenge
36. Mob led by Robespierre, Marat, and Danton
overthrew the Parisian municipal government and
set up the Paris Commune
Representation to different sections of the city
Increased power of the radicals backed by the sans-
culottes
37. Mob attack on royal
palace leads to
imprisonment of royal
family
National Legislative
Assembly suspends the
monarchy
Radicals intimidate
National Legislative
Assembly and force its
dissolution
Executive Council rules
France until a National
Convention is elected
38. Public Panic
caused by King’s arrest and crumbling military that
allowed Austrian and Prussian armies to advance
toward Paris
Paris jails full of suspected royalists and “counter-
revolutionaries” arrested for “aiding the enemies”
Rumours of a royalist plot to stage a massive jail
break
40. Jacobins
Members included Robespierre
and Napoleon Bonaparte
Most famous political club
Radical, included sans-culottes
Advocated radical reform and
harsh measures to bring about
change
Girondins
Moderate, did not support
extending political rights to
the working class – sans-
culottes
41. The Plain
Independent representatives
opposed to King’s return and
committed to the Revolution
The Girondins
Led by Jacques-Pierre Brissot
The Jacobins
Radicals led by Robespierre
Abolished the Monarchy by
unanimous vote and created a
Republic
42. Disciple of Rousseau
Both considered the general will an absolute necessity
Realization of the general will would make the Republic
of Virtue a reality
Individual will not as important
Gained a following and knew how to manipulate it
43. Louis XVI brought to trial before the Convention,
found guilty of treason, sentenced to execution
Guillotined on 21 January 1793
44.
45.
46. 1 February
France declared war on Britain, Holland, Spain
23 February
Food riots in Paris
March
Royalist revolt in the Vendée
47. National Convention set up committees:
General Defence
General Security
Public Safety
Revolutionary Tribunal
To try enemies of the Revolution
Robespierre and Mountain supporters seize control
when Girondins prove ineffective
48. 2 June
National Guardsmen and sans-culottes march on
National Convention, demanding expulsion and arrest
of Girondin members
Remaining members elect Robespierre to Committee of
Public Safety
Control National Convention and rule France from July 1793
to July 1794
49. New calendar
“Year One” = establishment of the Republic
12 months each with three 10-day weeks
5 left over days: patriotic holidays celebrating Virtue,
Genius, Labour, Opinions, Rewards
Names of the week changed to reflect mathematical
regularity
Primidi, duodi, tridi… decadi
Months renamed to reflect natural rhythms of seasons
January: Nivose (month of snow); Brumaire (fog), Frimaire
(cold)
50. New national educational system to indoctrinate and
educate
New flag – tricolour
Blue and red are the colours of France
White is an ancient French colour
Conformity on all levels
Clothes, books, songs
51. Churches renamed to reflect secularization
Church of Saint-Laurent = Temple of Marriage and
Fidelity
Notre Dame = Temple of Reason
Cult of the “worship of the supreme being”
53. Used the press, theatre, and the arts to appeal to men,
women, and children to defend the Republic
23 August 1793 - Introduced levée of entire male
population
Created an army of 850,000 soldiers by 1794
Appointed commissioners to supervise the army and
check on the loyalty of generals
Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte from major to brigadier
54. Death penalty for food hoarders
17 September 1793 - “Maximum” law introduced to
control prices, wages and profits
Commissioners appointed to collect food from the
countryside for the army and cities
55. Surveillance committees staffed by local Jacobins
report on leading citizens and local government
officials
Law of Suspects – 17 September 1793
Permitted arrest of any person suspected of speaking or
acting against the Revolution
Death sentence for incompetent generals, food
hoarders, speculators, and political critics
56. Some 40,000 people died during the Terror
6.5% priests, 8.5% nobles, remainder commoners
1251 persons executed in Paris
March 1793 to 10 June 1794
16 October – Marie Antoinette
31 October – Girondists
24 March 1794 – Hébertists
6 April - Dantonists
1376 executions
10 June to 27 July 1794
30 executions per day
57.
58. National Convention members join together to
overthrow Robespierre and vote for his arrest
He Alienated left and right
Defended France from foreign invasion but could not
save democracy through terror
28-30 July
Robespierre and 92 of his
supporters are guillotined
59. National Convention drew up peace treaties with all
European countries except Austria
New moderate Constitution
Remove the power of the Paris mob
Protect middle class principles of liberty and property
Power reserved for educated property owners
60. Sans-Culottes marched on
National Convention
demanding “bread and the
Constitution of 1793”
Efforts repulsed and Paris
Commune dissolved
Louis XVI’s 10-year old son
died on 8 June
Louis XVI’s brother demanded
complete return to Old
Regime
61. New republican constitution proclaimed
Limited participation to property owners
Executive power to committee of 5 directors
The Directory passed useful laws in education and
justice but failed to control inflation
October 1795
Pro-royalist riots suppressed in Paris by republican
troops led by General Napoleon Bonaparte
Performed day-to-day duties
Balanced middle path between royalists and
insurrection
Achieved goals of a stable constitutional rule
62. Sovereign will of the people permanently replaced the
monarch’s claim to divine right to rule
Yet with democracy came tyranny
Repression of the terror revealed the pressures of
external war and civil unrest
Search for conciliation, opportunism and stability by
the people
Ironic they turn to a man of war and a dictator!
63.
64. Movie Questions
Describe the logic behind the guillotine
How was the French Republic born officially?
What lead to Robspierre’s demise?
What state was France in after Robspierre’s death?
What questions are raised from the French
Revolution?