The French Revolution

1. The French Revolution

2. French Revolution Diary Entry • Imagine you are a member of the royal family. You have just returned home from vacation and heard about some riots in the Vendee region and a young upstart named Robespierre who is calling for Revolution. • Write a one page diary entry from the perspective of the royalty. How do you feel about the rumors you are hearing?

3. French Society: The Old Order • Three Estates • 1st Estate: Church • Less than 1% of population • Owned 10% of land that was a business • Collected taxes to fund churches, schools, and orphanages. • Issued Sacraments and collected tithes • 2nd Estate (Nobles) • 2% of population • Owned most of farmland in France • Controlled the government • 3rd Estate (everyone else) • Approximately 98% of population • Paid up to 50% of income to taxes • Included peasant farmers • Wealthy members called bourgeoisie • Working class called proletariat

4. Problems: Debt • Louis XIV drained the royal treasury to build the palace of Versailles • Must raise taxes to pay for expenses; this burden will be given to the Third Estate

7. Debt (cont.) • American Revolution • 50% of annual income is spent to pay the interest on foreign loans. • Louis XVI (inherits throne 1774) • Continues tradition of overspending • Advised by Jacques Necker (financial advisor) to reduce spending and tax first and second estates • Necker dismissed

8. France in Crisis: Phase One • By 1789: • Bread Riots • Urban unrest • Complaints of abuses Against the government And the representatives

9. French Revolution Diary • Today you are a member of the Third Estate (you can choose whether you are a bourgeoisie or a sans culottes). • This morning you heard a young man named Robespierre speaking at a town hall meeting. He was demanding a revolution. • Write a one page diary entry from this perspective. Do you support the idea of a Revolution? Explain how the Revolution relates to you.

10. The Estates General: French version of Parliament May 1789 - First meeting in 175 years. Goal to solve financial problem. Each estate presents list of grievances suggestions for reform (cahiers) Each Estate gets one vote 1st and 2nd Estates always vote against the Third Estate First Estate Second Estate Third Estate

11. Tennis Court Oath • The King locked the Third Estate out of their meeting hall and forced them to gather in the on the tennis courts (talk about insulting)… • While in meeting, they all swore an oath that they would not give up until they had a constitution and a voice in government • They declared themselves the National Assembly

12. Many members of the First and Second estates are sympathetic to the Third estate and join them to form the National Assembly. King is forced to accept the National Assembly, the old order is gone. Rebellion Do you think they are really sympathetic?

13. Rumors that the King is sending the army to Paris to ensure order. Parisians storm the Bastille (prison) to obtain guns and ammunition. Take control of the prison, find no guns, kill a guard. Sends King Louis the message that the citizens demand change. Bastille Day is considered the French Independence Day. Rebellion (cont.) July 14, 1789: Bastille Day

14. Great Fear: In countryside rumors spread that nobles will use force of necessary to stop Revolution. Peasants raid and destroy manor records and steal grain. In cities people are starving. Paris Commune capitalizes on this and forms violent mobs that terrorize neighborhoods. Panic and Revolt

15. The National Assembly Responds • The National Assembly works to stop the peasant uprising. • Creates Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. • Rich in Enlightenment principles. • Similar to Declaration of Independence. • Proclaimed all male citizens to be equal under the law. • Did not grant women equal citizenship. • Women march on Versailles and demand to see their king.. They want rights granted and they want the King to return to Paris. • Olympe de Gouge writes the “Declaration of the Rights of Women”

16. More Reform • Constitution created • End special privileges for the nobles. • 1790 National Assembly takes over Catholic Church. • Sells off lands to pay off government debts. • Church officials and many peasants angered. • Discuss the anger of the people… • 1791- New constitution created • Grants tax collection, creation of laws, and government power to the National Assembly • Creates limited Monarchy– king was given minimal veto power. • Causes Louis XVI to try to flee France– where do you think he was trying to go? What was he gonna do?

17. Revolution Diary Entry • Today, you heard about the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen and the “Tennis Court Oath”As a member of the bourgeoisie or the sans culottes respond to the developments of the Revolution. • How do you feel about the developments of the Church and the government?

18. Diary Entry • You just heard the King tried to escape the country and has been arrested. • You just heard the government is now being run by the National Assembly. • Write a diary entry writing your thoughts on these developments. You can be any level of society that you want…

19. Radical Revolution: Phase 2 • The failed escape of the Royal family causes European monarchs to turn against France out of fear of the Revolution spreading. • April 1792 – Radicals take over the National Assembly and “declare war on tyranny.” • Also declare war on Britain, Austria, and Prussia by saying they will support revolutions by their “brothers” anywhere. • Violence breaks out all over France. • The right to vote (suffrage) is extended to all male citizens, not just those who own property.

20. Radical Revolution (cont.) • Louis XVI convicted of treason • January 1793 executed by beheading on the guillotine. • October 1793 Marie Antoinette is executed.

21. Committee of Public Safety created in 1793, led by Maximilien Robespierre. Suspended the Constitution. Had absolute power. Goal was to save the Revolution. Committee was in charge of all trials and executions. The Terror

22. Robespierre • Tyrant • Promoted religious toleration and wanted to abolish slavery. • Believed in prompt, severe, and inflexible justice. • Conducted quick trials usually ending on the guillotine • Time in power became known as the Reign of Terror (September 1793-July 1794).

24. During the Terror • Those resistant to the Revolution were suspect. • 300,000 arrested, 17,000 executed in the first month. • 50,000 total executed in that year. • July 1794 Revolutionary leaders arrest Robespierre • executed July 27.

25. French Revolution Diary Entry • Imagine you are in the city center the day that the executions are happening. • Write a diary entry that describes the day: be sure to include a description of the city center, a description of what you witnessed and your emotional reaction to the day.

26. Revolutionary Diary Entry It is believed that when a head is guillotined, there is still a moment of awareness when the head is in the basket. In other words… the head knows it’s just a head… Imagine… write a diary entry as either: • a head who was just guillotined or • as the guillotine who just cut off a head.

27. Phase 3: A Thermidorian Reaction • Reign of Terror ends with Robespierre’s death. • The surviving revolutionaries designed a new system of government called the Directory– • it included five directors and a republican branch of government based on checks and balances • The government was designed to be conservative and to ensure no one person could have power like Robespierre.

28. System backfired and the Directors kept fighting between each other and creating military coup d’etats. • Government deadlocked politically and the French people demanded a hero to bring order back to the country. • Government weak until 1799 when Napoleon Bonaparte takes power and ends the Revolution.

29. Bonaparte ends the Revolution • In 1799 life for the common man in France was worse than in 1789. • Changes in currency causes inflation and money becomes worthless • Increased shortages of grain and food leads to famines and price increases. • Peasants were forced to start bartering systems for basic needs. • Foreign wars further strain homeland politics and Bonaparte had to continue fighting after the Revolution ended… stay tuned.