French Revolution Chapter 7- Section 1

Revolution Threatens the French King  1700’s France was the most advanced country in Europe and the center of the enlightenment.  France was also filled with great unrest among the people  They suffered from high taxes, bad harvests, and high prices for goods  The ideas of the philosophes had raised some disturbing questions

The Old Order The Old Regime divided the people of France into 3 groups  The First Estate: the Roman Catholic Church clergy Owned 10% of land, paid 2% taxes  The 2 nd Estate: the Nobles 2% of population, owned 20% of the land, paid almost no taxes

Third Estate  98% of the population.  Consisted of three different groups.  Bourgeoisie: the middle class  Business owners, factory owners, merchants, etc…  Often well educated, believed in the Enlightened ideas  City Workers: poorest group  Tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, servants  Often went hungry  Peasants: 80% of the population  Heavily taxed, about ½ their income went to taxes  They wanted a change in the system

The Force of Change New ideas about government, serious economic problems, and weak, indecisive leadership helped generate a desire for change The 3 rd Estate was inspired by the American Revolution, and began talking about the ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire

Economic troubles The economy of France began to decline in the 1780s.  Business people were worried because it was almost impossible to make a profit on business conducted in France  Trade and production were expanding, so on the surface the economy appeared healthy  The cost of living rose sharply  Crop failures resulted in a shortage of grain, which cause the price of bread to double  The French government was deep in debt, partly to blame was the spending of the Louis XVI & Marie

Weak leadership  Louis XVI was indecisive  He didn’t enjoy politics  He was easily bored and got bad advice  Married an unpopular Austrian princess Marie Antoinette  She spent a lot of money, gambled, and was unpopular  She made fun of the king and really tried to limit the amount of time they spent together

Estates General ( May 5, 1789)  An assembly of representatives from all three estates.  Called together by the king, under pressure from the nobles to vote on new taxes.  The first time the group had met in 175 years

 The Estates met in separate halls to vote  Then each estate got one vote  The 1 st & 2 nd always voted together and out voted the 3 rd  The Third Estate insisted on equal representation for all estates.  One vote for each delegate. The 3 rd estate would have the advantage because they had twice as many delegates as the 1 st & 2 nd combined  They also insisted the three estates meet together for a true debate over the issues

National Assembly  Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes proposed the 3 rd estate form a new representative group to pass reforms in the name of the French people  June 17, 1789, a vote was passed to form National Assembly- by 3 rd Estate.  First act of the Revolution

Tennis Court Oath  3 days later, the Third estate delegates were locked out of their meeting room.  They broke into an indoor tennis court and pledged to stay until a constitution was created.  The pledge came to be known as the Tennis Court Oath.  Soon nobles and clergy who believed in reform joined them.  Louis XVI stationed Swiss guards around the palace for protection

Storming the Bastille  People in Paris heard rumors coming from the palace and began to fear for their safety  July 14, 1789 angry crowd storms Bastille attempting to get gun powder and free political prisoners.  They killed several guards and paraded through Paris with the heads on pikes  July 14: Bastille Day

The Great Fear  Rebellion and rumors spread from Paris to the countryside.  Peasants attacked nobles and their manor houses, & destroyed old legal documents  In October 1789, women in Paris rioted over the price of bread  They broke into the palace, killed some guards, and demanded Louis return to Paris to solve the problem

How would you protect yourself & your family if the government suddenly dissolved?  As group of 3 or 4 (no more than 4) make a list of the steps you would take and items you would need  Have at least 5 things and an explanation