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The French Revolution

Explore the social and political system of the Old Regime in France, the role of the Estates, causes of unrest, key events like the Tennis Court Oath and Storming of the Bastille, leading to the formation of the National Assembly and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Discover the reign of terror under Maximilien Robespierre and its consequences. Witness the transformation of France from an established order to a revolutionary state.

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The French Revolution

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  1. The French Revolution

  2. Old Regime • Social and political system in France • Existed until the late 1770s • 3 social classes called Estates

  3. First Estate • Clergy of the Roman Catholic Church • Exempt from paying taxes • Owned 10% of the land • Made up only 1% of the population of France

  4. Second Estate • Nobility • Owned 20% of the land • Paid little in taxes • Made up 2% of the population of France

  5. Third Estate • 97% of the population of France • Supported Enlightenment ideas • Paid high taxes • Lacked privileges • Resented upper classes for their wealth, privileges & special treatment • They wanted change!

  6. Third Estate: Groups Three groups: • Bourgeoisie (middle class) • Well-educated, sometimes wealthy • Urban working class • Poorest • Often unemployed • Peasant farmers • Made up 80% of population • Paid 50% of income in dues, tithes and taxes

  7. Assignment: • Textbook Page 218 • Answer the Skillbuilder Questions #1 and 2 on a scrap sheet of paper. • Be prepared to discuss or answer when called upon.

  8. Causes of Unhappiness: • Enlightenment Ideas: • Equality • Natural rights • Relationship between citizens and government • Economic problems in France: • Rising taxes • High cost of living • Starvation (crop failures)

  9. Causes of Unhappiness: • Government Debt: • Spending habits of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette • Weak Leadership • Indecisive • Avoided issues • Unpopular Queen • From Austria • Spent $- purchases and gambling

  10. Estates- General • An assembly of representatives from all three Estates • Met to approve a new tax to raise money • Met May 5, 1789 at Versailles

  11. Estates-General • Discussion among Estates about whether to follow medieval rules of governance or create new ones • Medieval Rules: clergy and nobles met separately and had more votes • Bourgeoisie wanted all Estates to meet together and have equal voting power • Bourgeoise was empowered by the Enlightenment and wanted to be the voice of the people

  12. National Assembly • Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes- suggested the Third Estate delegates rename themselves the National Assembly. • Reform the government • Be the voice of the people • June 17, 1789 • Voted to establish a representative democracy • Beginning of a revolution

  13. Tennis Court Oath • Members of the Third Estate were locked out of meeting rooms • Broke into an indoor tennis court • Vowed to remain until having written a new constitution • Some members of nobility and clergy joined their cause

  14. Storming of the Bastille • July 14, 1789 • Citizens of Paris entered the Bastille in search of weapons • Believed they needed to arm themselves against a coming army • A mob took control of the prison, killed several guards and carried their heads around Paris on pikes. • Bastille Day is still celebrated today- symbol of the revolution.

  15. Rebellion spreads • The rebellion spread into the French countryside • Nobility and peasants fought each other for power • Parisians demanded lower prices on staples, such as bread • Others stormed into Versailles, demanding the monarchs return to Paris.

  16. Assignment: Poster • Conditions of France in the 1780s • Conflicts between the Estates • Formation of the National Assembly • Tennis Court Oath • Storming of the Bastille • Fighting in the countryside • Draw pictures of each event on the list • Write a caption describing each event • You will present your poster to the class • 4 people per group • In color

  17. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen • “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” • Rights include, “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” • Guaranteed citizens equal justice, freedom of speech and freedom of religion • Which Enlightenment philosopher’s influenced this document?

  18. Maximilien Robespierre • Wanted to reform French society by erasing all traces of the past • Became a dictator • Instituted the Reign of Terror

  19. Reign of Terror • July 1793-1794 • Goal: protect the revolution from it’s “enemies” • Use the guillotine to execute people • 16,000-40,000 beheaded • Ended when Robespierre was executed

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