1. Long Range Reasons Short Range Reasons
1. Fr still Feudal society 1. Louis’ spending
2. Enlightenment 2. Queens’ gambling 1
3. Scientific Rev mil a year
4. Cost of land 3. Collapse of all govt.
5. Cost of food finances
6. Low wages
7. American Rev
French Revolution

2. There are 3 “acts” that started
the revolution
1. Refusal of nobility to pay
taxes
2. Forming of Natl. Assembly
and “Tennis” court oath
3. Storming of Bastille
Roots of French revolution

3. The following slides describe
the early rumblings of
French difficulties of
“classes” in the beginnings
of the French Revolution.
There were 3 “Estates” in
France.
Roots of French revolution

4. 1st Estate aka Clergy
 Less than 1% of pop
 Owned 10% of land
 Exempt from natl. French tax
Roots of French revolution

5. 2nd Estate aka Govt. officials
 Less than 2% of pop
 Owned 20% of land
 Exempt from Fr natl tax
Roots of French revolution

6. 3rd Estate aka Common Folk
 97% of pop
◦ 80% peasants; 17% middle class
 Includes Bourgeoisie
 Paid almost 100% of Fr taxes
Roots of French revolution

7. 3rd Estate the Bourgeoisie
 The middle class
 Doctors; lawyers; merchants
 No voice in govt
 Wanted higher social status
Roots of French revolution

8. 3rd Estate Peasants
 Struggled to survive
 Paid fees to use:
mills, ovens, wine press
 ½ salary went to fees, tithes
Roots of the French Revolution

9. Louis needs money
 Wants to tax the 1st/2nd estates
◦ Uh – they control tax laws
 Calls 3 estates to Versailles
◦ tax reform
 Called meeting of Estates
General
◦ first time called in 175 years
Roots of the French Revolution

10. May 5, 1789
 1st/2nd estates have 300 each
 3rd have 600 total
 But only 1 vote for each estate
 Basically 3rd estate screwed
Meeting of Estates General

11. 3rd estate makes waves
 Want all delegates to have 1
vote each
 King says no – stay with old
ways
 June 17, 1789
◦ 3rd estate recreates itself into a
“National Assembly”
◦ Own constitution
◦ Tennis court oath
Meeting of Estates General

12.  National assembly
◦ 3 days later find themselves
locked out
 The Tennis Court Oath
◦ Pledge not to leave until all 3
estates draft new constitution
The Tennis Court Oath

13. July 14, 1789
 Louis doesn’t trust his troops
◦ Swiss guards protect him
 Moves Swiss troops to
Versailles and Paris
◦ Mass fear that he is stopping
National Assembly and the Rev
 Rumors Rumors
◦ The Bastille holds 20,000 lbs of
gun powder
◦ Mobs “storm” it to protect the NA
and Rev
Storming of the Bastille

14.  More Rumors
◦ Nobles hiring outlaws
 Peasants Becoming Outlaws
◦ Break into nobles’ manors
 Get Louis!!!
◦ Peasants march on Versailles
◦ Louis “leaves” to Paris
A Great Fear

15.  The Rights of Man
◦ Like our DOI
◦ “Men are born free and remain
free”
 State Controlled Church
◦ All lands confiscated – hey need $
 National Assembly (NA)
◦ Creates constitution – forces Louis
to sign
Assembly Reforms France

16.  Louis and Family
◦ Change clothes with servants
◦ Make break for Austria
 Pictures Pictures
◦ Apparently they recognize him
from the money pic
◦ Oh and the royal seal on the
carriage
 Legislative Assembly (NA)
◦ King is no longer
◦ Call for his execution (Marie also)
Louis Tries to Escape

17.  January 21, 1793
◦ “Citizen” Louis is marched to
scaffold
 Courage and dignity
◦ “I am innocent and shall die
without fear. I would hope that my
death might bring happiness to the
French”
 Blood Blood
◦ His head is held up
◦ Silence at first – then cheers
◦ Dipping of handkerchiefs
Poor Poor Louis

18.  October 16, 1793
◦ Marie’s untimely death
 Fashion to the end
◦ Wore the same black dress she
wore at trial
◦ Wore it for 2 months
◦ Not allowed to wear at execution –
fear of sympathy
Poor Poor Marie

19.  Humane?
◦ Dr. Joseph Guillotine supported it
as being “humane”
◦ Actually was compared to other
ways
 Equality
◦ Instead of nobles getting axed and
the poor being hung
◦ Made execution almost production
line style
The Guillotine

20.  September 1793 to 1794
◦ 40,000 executed
◦ Radicals take over NA and want
reforms
 Not radical enough?
◦ 18 yo boy executed for cutting tree
down
◦ Bartender executed for selling
sour wine
 Led by Robespierre
The Reign of Terror

21.  Wild Man
◦ Tries to eliminate religion
◦ Creates the Cult of the Supreme
Being
◦ Calls for many more executions
 Radicals fear the Radical
◦ He is arrested and executed
Robespierre