The French Revolution

1. The French Revolution 1789-1795

2. The Kingdom of France in the 18th Century In the 18th Century, the Kingdom of France appeared to be one of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe. However, much of this was an illusion, for the reigns of the very extravagant Bourbon kings had almost bankrupted the country.

3. The Three Estates • In France, the social classes were called “estates”. There were three estates. • The First Estate was made up of the Catholic clergy. These priests and bishops made up about 1% of the population. • The Second Estate was made up of the nobility (people with titles). These made up about 2% of the population. • Everybody else, from wealthy merchants, lawyers and doctors to the poorest peasants, made up the Third Estate. • Even though the First and Second estates controlled over 75% of the wealth in France, only the Third Estate paid taxes. Cartoons of the time show what the Third Estate thought about this.

4. The rise of the Third Estate • Events in America, where the colonists had driven out their British masters, convinced many in the Third Estate that the time had come to seek fairer treatment. • Ironically, one of the reasons why King Louis XVI of France was so short of money was that he was helping the American rebels against the British! Cartoons of the time show the horror of the clergy and the nobility that the Third Estate were beginning to demand their rights.

5. The King and Queen of France Queen Marie Antoinette was an Austrian princess. She was not a bad person, but had no understanding of the hardship of the French poor. She spent her time having fun with her friends and going to parties. The King of France was Louis XVI. When he came to the throne, he was popular at first, but he was a weak and foolish ruler who did not listen to his people.

6. The Estates General • Louis XVI badly needed money after the American wars. He called an “Estates General” which was like a parliament. • Straight away, there was an argument. The wealthy first and second estate wanted each estate to have only one vote. This meant that together, they could out-vote the Third Estate • The Third Estate wanted each member of the Estates General to have a vote. This meant that they would outnumber the First and Second Estates. • Louis became nervous that the Third Estate would become too powerful, and he sent soldiers to lock them out of the Estates General. This made the ordinary people furious.

7. The Storming of the Bastille • The Bastille was the royal prison in Paris. The Paris mob attacked it to get guns and ammunition. They released any prisoners that they found there. To this day, the Storming of the Bastille is a public holiday in France.

8. The national Assembly • The leaders of the Revolution closed down the Estates General and formed a National Assembly, which was elected by the people. The King was stripped of his power and the clergy and nobility were ordered to pay taxes. This angered Pope Pius VI, who condemned the Revolution. The Pope was also angry because the Assembly wanted parishes to elect their own clergy.

9. The End of the Monarchy • Louis and Marie-Antoinette looked for help from the Queen’s brother, the Emperor of Austria. They attempted to escape, but were caught and brought back to Paris. • The King and Queen were put on trial as enemies of the Revolution. They were executed by the guillotine.

10. The Reign of Terror • The members of the National Assembly were terrified that the other European rulers would try to avenge the death of Louis XVI. A radical group called the Jacobins, led by Maximillien Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat took over. They formed the Committee of Public Safety to deal with “enemies of the Revolution”. Thousands of men, women and children were executed in what became known as the Reign of Terror. Jean-Paul Marat Maximillien Robespierre

11. End of the Terror • The French people were sick of bloodshed. Marat was stabbed to death in his bath by a girl called Charlotte Corday, and Robespierre was executed at the guillotine. • The government of France was taken over by a five-man “Directory”. One of the Directors, a young Corsican general called Napoleon Bonaparte, ended the Revolution and proclaimed himself Emperor of France.

12. Effects of the Revolution • The French Revolution had a major effect on world opinion. Kings, queens and rulers were terrified that what had happened in France would happen to them. Unfortunately, this made them harsher on their people rather than otherwise. • The Revolution had a huge effect on Irish history. The Society of United Irishmen, which planned the 1798 Rebellion, was mainly led by young, well-educated Protestant and Catholic radicals who admired the French revolutionary ideals. • Some conservative Catholics like Daniel O’Connell and the Catholic bishops, horrified by the bloodshed in France, condemned any political violence in Ireland. This led to a major split in Irish nationalist politics.