Chapter 22 The French revolution and napoleon LESSON 1 – the French revolution begins www.glscott.org

French Revolution The European countries held colonies all over the world In the later part of the 18th century, many colonies sought better treatment & independence The American colonies were the first to win independence & others followed their lead In France, the people were fighting for social changes & a voice in government

French Revolution 1) French society was based on inequality Three Estates (classes) First Estate: (the Clergy) Less than 1% of the population High clergy – cardinals, bishops, leaders – were from noble families & shared their views Lower clergy – parish priests, who were usually from poor, common families Taxes paid – zero or very little Determined by birth www.glscott.org

French Revolution Less than 2% of the pop. leading positions in Second Estate: (the nobility) Less than 2% of the pop. leading positions in government, military, & the church (Catholic) Taxes paid – zero or very little

French Revolution Bourgeoisie – the middle class Third Estate: (everyone else) Bourgeoisie – the middle class many of whom were wealthy business people, bankers, lawyers, etc They made up about 8% of the population Many philosophes were included in this class Urban Workers – craftsmen, shop keepers, & laborers made up about 10% of the population

French Revolution Poor Peasants – rural farmers very poor; sometimes rented land from rich nobles They made up about 75-80% of the population The Third Estate paid almost 100% of the taxes!!!!

French Revolution 2) New Ideas of the Enlightenment Abolish absolute monarchies A political voice for the people Fair taxation Social equality Constitutional government

French Revolution 3) Poor Economic Conditions Unemployment & Inflation A unfair taxation Royal spending on extravagant luxuries Food shortages  

The problem was the voting procedure French Revolution 4) The Estates General Each of the three estates sent members to this voting body The 1st & 2nd estates each had about 300 members, and the 3rd estate had almost 600 representatives The problem was the voting procedure Each estate got one vote! What was the problem with this? The 1st & 2nd estates could always join together and outvote the 3rd estate

French Revolution 5) The Old Regime – People who do not want Change Absolute Monarchs – King Louis XVI The Catholic Church The nobility

French Revolution Timeline of Events May 1789: Louis XVI (16th) called a meeting of the Estates General June 17, 1789: The 3rd Estate declared themselves the National Assembly & would draft a constitution June 20, 1789: The 3rd estate was locked out of their meeting hall Moved to a nearby indoor tennis court

French Revolution Tennis Court Oath – the 3rd estate would not disband until they had written a constitution Left and Right political sides Liberal and Conservatism www.glscott.org

French Revolution July 14, 1789: Storming of the Bastille – 900 citizens stormed this old prison fortress where weapons were stored They killed the warden & demolished the building August 1789: The Great Fear – members of the 3rd Estate broke into homes of the nobility to destroy debt records Rumor heard of reprisals or arrests from army and needed gun powder www.glscott.org

French Revolution August 26, 1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizen Proclaimed that all men were free & equal before the law No group should be exempt from taxation Public offices should be based on talent Did not grant any equal rights to women

The royal family was now under house arrest in Paris French Revolution October 5, 1789: The Women’s March of Versailles – thousands of women marched several miles to the Palace of Versailles Wanted the King, his wife, Marie Antoinette, & son to return to Paris to see their conditions The royal family was now under house arrest in Paris

French Revolution Several new constitutions & governments were suggested, but none had enough support to last Other countries worried about the chaos and threatened invasion Many revolutionaries thought they should take more drastic actions These people called themselves “Sans-Culottes” which means without knee breeches Did not want to associate with the nobility, so they wore long pants