The French Revolution Chapter 18 Section 1 The French Revolution Begins

1700’s France was the leading country of Europe Was the center of the Enlightenment The French Revolution established both a new political order and a new social order. For this reason, it is considered a turning point in European history.

France was divided into three estates or social orders: First Estate Second Estate Third Estate

First Estate Clergy 130,000 out of a total of 27 million Owned 10% of the land Paid no taxes

Second Estate Nobility 350,000 in population Owned 25 – 30% of the land Paid no taxes

Third Estate Commoners Bourgeoisie (Middle class) – made up of merchants, bankers, and professional people (lawyers, doctors, writiers) Workers, store owners, and craftsmen Peasants 98% of the population Owned 60% of the land Paid 100% of the taxes

Enlightenment spread ideas that everyone should be equal. The powerless people in the 3 rd estate liked that. King Louis XVI was a weak leader. His wife Marie Antoinette was a big spender and disliked. Near collapse of the French economy Bad harvests in 1787 and 1788 Slow down of manufacturing Food shortages

More Factors Rising food prices Unemployment Huge debt due to helping the American colonist battle the British

It is right to take up arms against tyranny There should be no taxation without representation All men should have liberal freedoms A Republic is superior to a Monarchy.

1789 France faces bankruptcy King Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates-General (representatives of all three estates) to raise taxes. Third Estate demands equal representation and breaks from the meeting. June 1789 Third Estates delegates vote to rename themselves the National Assembly This is beginning of a representative government In France

The third Estate was locked out of their meeting room. They met in an indoor tennis court and pledged to stay until a new constitution was drafted. Their pledge was called the “tennis court oath”

The Storming of the Bastille King Louis XVI planned to use force against the Third Estate 900 Parisians gathered in the courtyard in front of an old fortress used as a prison and armory called the Bastille. The mob was angry because the price of bread had reached record highs. The mob attacked the Bastille thinking there were a lot of weapons stored there when actually there was very little.

The storming of the Bastille marked the unofficial end of the French Monarchy

Revolts and Rebellions Revolts began to break out due to the hatreds of the landholding system with its fees and obligations Unfair taxation The Great Fear – the belief that foreign armies would try to stop the National Assembly

End of the Old Regime The National Assembly reacted to the news of revolts and possible foreign invasion by abolishing all legal privileges of the nobles and the clergy Adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizens.

Get a textbook and turn to page 581. Read about the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizens. Write 5 informational bullets on it.

New Constitution King Louis XVI concedes to the demands of the National Assembly and returns to Paris where he becomes a virtual prisoner. Limited monarchy Legislative assembly would make laws Only men over 25 who paid a certain amount of taxes could vote People elected as deputies were all fairly wealthy Did not have universal support

War With Austria Fear that revolutionary ideas would spread to other parts of Europe had Austria worried Austria threatened to use force to restore King Louis XVI to power Legislative Assembly struck first and declared war on Austria

The Revolution Turns Radical Radicals, called san-culottes, were still unhappy over food shortages and little change in France’s economy Led to calls for new measures of change