French Revolution 1789-1793

1. French Revolution 1789-1793

2. The “ancien regime” is the system which traditionally ruled France. The aristocratic group closest to the King ruled society. Traditional French Society King--Louis XVI First Estate--clergy (upper-nobles; lower-parish priests, monks, etc,) Second Estate--nobility, merchants, traders Third Estate--peasants and working people. This group made up 90 % of France’s population.

3. Cause # 1: The King, Queen and the French Court Louis XVI became King in 1774. He had good intentions, but was a weak ruler and could not make decisions. He was married to Marie Antoinette, who was very unpopular. She was young, irresponsible and spent extravagantly on jewels, clothing, gambling and parties. Louis was unaware of the terrible conditions of the peasants, the state of his treasury (in debt and near bankruptcy).

4. Cause #2: Les Philosophes • Under the heading of the “Enlightenment”, were many philosophers from different countries. The ideas of the revolution came from their writings and discussions. These men were proposing revolutionary ideas for their time. They expressed the idea that people were capable of rational thought and could change the world. • Voltaire: He ridiculed the Church and nobles. He was imprisoned for a time, and then went to England. He believed that only “reasonable laws” should remain • Rousseau: His philosophy included the idea that man is inherently good and that sovereignty resides with the people • Thousands of people were inspired by the “philosophes”.

5. Cause # 3: Economic/Social Issues France was divided by the economic and social system of the country. Nobles resented the power of the King and many wanted to regain the importance they had held during the middle ages. The middle class were jealous of the nobles (many nobles were tax exempt) and wanted to be able to trade freely. The Church had feudal privileges and were envied and resented by most of the people in France. They did not pay taxes and collected tolls and dues from others. The bulk of the taxes were paid by the peasants. Even people who owned their farms had little left after the Church, government and nobles took away half of what they produced. A growth in population, and a declining standard of living was made worse by years of drought and starvation.

6. Tennis Court Oath June 20, 1789 A meeting was called because of a recent voting deadlock between the Estates General. (The Third Estate wanted to vote by head, while the First and Second wanted to continue voting by Estate. As the Third Estate stood, locked out,outside the meeting hall, they found out that the King had cancelled the meeting. It began to rain and they took shelter in a nearby Tennis Court. There, they took an oath that they would not leave Versailles until reforms were agreed upon. The King said to let them sit, but eventually gave way to their proposal and ordered the other Estates to join the National Assembly. It seemed that the Third Estate had won, but little did they know, the King had sent troops to regulate the problems in Paris. These troops would soon be part of the storming of the Bastille.

7. Storming of the Bastille July 14, 1789 A huge, bloodthirsty mob marched to the Bastille, searching for gun powder and prisoners of the King. The rumors of government attacks and the pain of starvation were too much for the angry crowds. The Bastille had been prepared for weeks, but they were not expecting this large mob. A huge group tried to break into the fortress at 3:00. Many guards left their posts and the mob broke into the first courtyard. They demanded that the bridge be lowered but were refused. Finally, they had to open the gates and the soldiers were captured and dragged through the streets, many having their heads cut off. The mob’s next plan was to march to Versailles.

8. March to Versailles October 5, 1789 A group of women gathered in the central marketplace of Paris. They marched to Versailles to demand bread and to force the price of bread down. (The price of bread was so high that most could not afford it.) The women numbered over 6000, with men encouraging them to march. Armed with pitchforks, muskets, pikes, swords and bludgeons, the women stormed the gates of the palace. The King was overwhelmed, and gave into the women’s demands and told them he would have all the bread in the palace given to them. The King then decided to move to Paris.

9. Flight to Varennes June, 1791 The King did not like Paris, where he was constantly watched and searched for. The Queen, Marie Antoinette, came up with an idea for escape. They dressed in plain clothes and left in an average carriage. Once they got into the countryside, they became careless, and were discovered. The National Guard was sent for and they took the King and his family back to Paris (almost as if they were prisoners.) His people mistrusted him and his power could not be regained. Marie Antoinette started scheming and sold state secrets to Austria, hoping they would destroy the revolutionaries. They imprisoned Mary for her duplicity and imprisoned Louis.

10. Storming of the Tuilleries August 10, 1792 A mob of 30000 people advanced toward the Tuileries Palace to capture Louis XVI. The King fled and many of his guards were killed (only 300 were left from 900). All servants, cooks, kitchen boys, door attendants, maids, women and children were slaughtered. Louis fled to the Legislative Assembly he was hoping the Assembly would protect him. The people found him and convinced the assembly to release him--he was arrested. This set the stage for the trial and the end of the monarchy.

11. Trial and Execution December 11, 1792 King Louis XVI was brought to trial in front of the National Convention. He was found guilty of conspiring against the people of France and sentenced to death by guillotine. Louis arrived in a heavily guarded coach, walked up the steps, was strapped down and the rope was pulled. Louis head fell into a basket. Afterwards. People tried to dip their handkerchiefs in the blood of the King. After the execution the French nation continued to struggle and there were calls for more radical change. The revolution was not over.