1. French Revolution
Beginning

2. Class Division King First Estate: Clergy (100,000)
Second Estate:Nobles (400,000)
Of the sword, gown, or hat
Third Estate: “Commoners” (26 million)
Peasants
Bourgeosie

3. Catapult to Crisis Louis XIV Absolute Monarchy; wars
Louis XV pleasure-seeking; wars
Louis XVI weak leadership; wars
French and Indian War (1763)
American Revolution ( )
Example of Prussia “enlightened” despotism and England constitutional monarchy
Enlightenment Ideals

4. Monarchy
Louis XVI poor public image: too separate from the people, wife’s reputation
Nobles had begun to use parlement judicial system to preempt his authority

5. French Finances Country was overburdened with debt
Third Estate could not bear greater tax load (nobles using force to extract money, in addition to high taxes)
Crown could not borrow more money because of danger of default
Necker’s Report: discount cost of American war, budget okay

6. Calonne’s Reform Plan
1786 Calonne, Minister of Finance, proposed reform through more internal trade, lowering some taxes, peasant’s services converted to cash payments, and NEW TAX ON LAND to be paid by all landholders
Plan rejected by Assembly of Notables (1787), made up of aristocrats and clergy; they demanded convening of medieval Estates General

7. Medieval Estates General
Had not been convened since 1614
Each Estate debated and voted individually, and king had a vote
Power in Estates General was weighted towards First and Second Estates

8. To a New Estates General
Calonne’s replacement, Brienne, found situation as bad as Calonne had presented; Brienne also called for tax on land
Parlement of Paris refused, demanded convening of Estates General
1789 King agreed to convene E.G.; Brienne resigned, Necker returned

9. Estates General breaks down
Local committees selected representatives to E.G.; this made members of Third Estate aware of inequity in representation
Nobility and clergy had been attacking each other publicly before convention, which roused Third Estate against both
Third Estate requested all Estates meet together, and that Third Estate have greater representation
Sept Parlement of Paris ruled that each Estate would continue to vote independently
Dec royal council gave Third Estate twice as many reps as First or Second Estates (to buy allegiance of 3rd E.)

10. Grievances: Cahiers de Doléances
Government waste
Indirect taxes
Church taxes
Corrupt clergy
Hunting rights of aristocracy
Wanted regular meetings of Estates General
Equitable taxes
More local control
Unified weights and measures
Free press
Equality of rights of all subjects

11. Creation of National Assembly
Third Estate refused to convene as separate Estate
June 1 Third Estate invited clergy and nobility into a new government body: National Assembly
June 19 Second Estate voted to join National Assembly
June 20 Tennis Court oath to create French constitution
June 27 Louis XVI asked first and second estates to join National Assembly and vote by head, not estate

12. Fall of Bastille
Louis tried to cow the National Assembly by calling 20,000 troops into Paris
Merchants, small business owners, regular people in Paris roused by rumors of soldiers coming, sought to protect Assembly
June 14, 1789 stormed Bastille looking for weapons
98 killed; command post at Bastille killed, heads paraded through Paris on posts

13. New symbols of France
Many groups, many interests erupted in beginning of Revolution
Militia of Paris offered leadership to Marquis de Lafayette, who suggested cockade, new flag
King “bowed to force of events” and adopted cockade

14. The Great Fear
News of changes in Paris traveled to countryside; a “Great Fear” swept countryside, and peasants attacked nobles
Aug. 4, 1789, in reaction to calm peasants, aristocrats in National Assembly renounced feudal rights, dues, and tithes—inspired others to renounce privileges
Now all citizens on same footing

15. Environmental and Economic factors
Poor harvests in 1787 and 1788
Winter of unusually cold
Wages had not kept pace with rising food prices
=People suffering severely from hunger

16. Problems with Assembly
Used fear generated by popular uprisings to intimidate the king
Assembly was not unified; each faction fought against each other for its own goals
Shopkeepers and artisans best-organized

17. Declaration of Rights of Man
Aug. 27, 1789
All men born free and equal
Inalienable rights to liberty, property, and personal security
Government exists to protect citizens
Due process of law, freedom of religion, and innocent until proven guilty
Taxes proportional to ability to pay
Property a right ordained by God

18. Paris Women March on Versailles
Louis XVI slow to ratify Declaration
Rumors spread that king would try to use military to end revolution
Oct. 5, 7,000 women from Paris marched to Versailles to demand help to end bread shortage
Insisted royal family move to Paris; they marched him and family to Tuileries on Oct. 6, 1789

19. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette