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A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities. Background . The French & American Revolution. Journal Assignment: What do you know about the French Revolution? What do you think you know about the French Revolution? What do you know about the American Revolution?

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A Tale of Two Cities

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  1. A Tale of Two Cities Background

  2. The French & American Revolution • Journal Assignment: • What do you know about the French Revolution? • What do you think you know about the French Revolution? • What do you know about the American Revolution? • What do you think you know about the American Revolution? • You have three minutes; write as much as you can.

  3. The French Revolution • Lasted from 1789 to 1799, and effected all of Europe • Introduced democracy but did not make the nation a democracy. • Ended supreme rule by French kings and strengthened the middle class

  4. Before The French Revolution • French society consisted of three groups called estates • Clergy = first estate • Nobles = second state • Everyone else = third state • Included peasants making so little that they could barely feed their families • Working people of the cities • Middle class: merchants, lawyers, and government officials

  5. Before The French Revolution • Ruled by absolute monarchy, the king had almost unlimited authority. • He governed by divine right—thought to come from God. • Groups of aristocrats in the parlements (high courts) were checks on the king • Just before the revolution, French writers called philosophesand other philosophers raised new ideas about freedom. • Jean Jacques Rousseau suggested that the right to govern came from the people.

  6. Before The French Revolution • Meanwhile, a financial crisis developed: • Finance fighting the the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) • The Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783) • By 1788, the government was almost bankrupt. • The States-General opened on May 5, 1789 • July 14, 1789 Parisians captured the Bastille

  7. The National Assembly • August 1789 • Decrees of August 4 • The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen • Abolished some feudal des that peasants owed their landlords • Abolished tax advantages of the clergy and nobles • Abolished regional privileges • Guaranteed the same basic rights to all citizens

  8. The National Assembly • Later drafted a constitution that made France a limited monarchy with a one-house legislature • Divided into 83 regions called departments, each with elected councils for local government • Right to vote limited to citizens who paid a certain amount of taxes.

  9. The National Assembly • Seized property of the Roman Catholic Church • Sold to rich peasants and members of the middle class • Money used to pay some of the nation’s huge debt • Reorganized the Catholic Church in France • Complete religious tolerance • Reformed court system by requiring election of judges • 1791, National Assembly disbanded

  10. The Legislative Assembly • Opened October 1, 1791 • Made up mainly of middle class representatives • Faced several challenges: • Stability was dependent on the cooperation between the king and the legislature, Louis XVI remained opposed and he plotted with aristocrats and other rulers to overthrow the new government • Religious policies angered Catholics • April 1792, went to war against Austria and Prussia who wished to restore France’s monarchy • August 1792, Parisians took custody of Louis XVI and his family and imprisoned them

  11. The National Convention • Opened September 21, 1792, declared France a republic: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” • Louis XVI placed on trial for betraying the country, found guilty for treason • Beheaded on the guillotine on January 21, 1793 • The Convention contained three groups: the Mountain, the Girondists, and the Plain (which sat between the two rival groups) • Growing disputes between Mountain and Girondists led to a struggle for power, and the Mountain won.

  12. The Jacobin Government • Jacobin= Mountain • Jacobin leaders created a new citizens’ army which posed threats to neighboring countries but also anyone who publicly disagreed with official policy • Hundred of thousands of suspects filled the nation’s jails • Courts handed down about 18,000 death sentences in what was called the Reign of Terror

  13. The Revolution Ends • In time, the radicals began to struggle for power among themselves • With the execution of Robespierre, the leader of the Convention, the Reign of Terror ended (July 28, 1794). • Conservatives gained control of the Convention and drove the Jacobins from power • Napoleon seized control of the government on November 9 1799—ending the revolution

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