1. AP EURO
CHAPTER 18
FRENCH REVOLUTION

2. French Financial Crisis
Deeply in debt due to Seven Years’ War and American Revolution
Rich nation/Impoverished Govt.?
Didn’t know how to tax correctly
parlements – French royal courts dominated by hereditary nobility
Many local ones, main one in Paris
Made it difficult to tax the wealthy
Were abolished by Louis XV and reinstated by Louis XVI
Made if difficult for finance ministers to create new tax schemes
Monarchy > bad character > no public support
Louis XV, Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI
No relationship with aristocracy like Louis XIV

3. Jacques Necker Royal director-general of finances
Argued that the economy was really not that bad > pay off debt from Am. Rev. and everything is ok
Revealed a large portion of royal costs went to pensions for aristocrats
Angered the aristocrats
His report made if more difficult to raise taxes
He leaves office

4. Calonne’s Reform Plan Calonne now minister of finance
Solution/Proposal?
Encourage internal trade, lower some taxes, transform corvee? into money payments
Wanted to introduce a new land tax that all landowners regardless of class would have to pay
What would this do?
Less need to seek additional taxes which required approval from parlements
Challenged social & political power of aristocracy

5. Assembly of Notables Consisted of upper ranks of aristocracy & church
Refused to accept Calonne’s plan
Claimed only the Estates General, a medieval institution not used since 1614, could consent to new taxes
Important** > usually dominated by nobility?
Chance for upper class to gain more power
Calonne replaced by Brienne

6. Deadlock and the Estates General
Brienne wanted to institute a land tax but no cooperation from the parlements
Brienne appealed to the Assembly of the Clergy to pay debts, but was refused
parlements wanted privileges of the early 17th century returned to them
Brienne resigns and replaced by Necker – reforms on the horizon
What is the theme here?
No cooperation from aristocrats or the clergy

7. The Three Estates Three social groups or estates existed in France
First Estate – clergy
Second Estate – nobility
Third Estate – everyone else including middle class
Members > wealthy middle class > bourgeoisie
Third Estate warned it would not let the first two estates rule the future of the nation

8. What does this cartoon depict?

9. Debate Over Voting
Assembly of Notables demanded each estate have an equal amount of representatives
Parlement of Paris believed that each estate should have just one vote each
What’s the problem here?
The First and Second Estates would automatically outvote the Third 2-1
Third Estate immediately bemoans the arrogance of the aristocracy and now distrusts it
What does this show about the aristocracy?
They just want to obtain their privileges, the hay with liberty

10. Third Estate Victory
Royal council announced Third Estate would elect twice as many representatives to the Estates General as either of the other two Estates
Double the third
Actually helps Louis XVI?
Method of voting had not been decided when the Estates General gathered at Versailles in May, 1789

11. The Cahiers de Doleances
Cahiers de doleances – list of grievances registered by local electors to be presented to the king
The grievances were not all that different from the Third Estate
Government waste
Indirect taxes
Church tax
Corruption
The cahiers wanted
More equitable taxes
Measures to facilitate trade and commerce
Free press

12. The National Assembly Formed due to lack of agreement with monarchy
Over voting > order not head > Third Estate ticked why?
takes away their power in numbers
Combination of the Third and Second Estate, along with some liberal nobles
Officially declared on June 17, 1789

13. The Tennis Court Oath
Louis XVI locks National Assembly out of their local meeting place
So the National Assembly gathers in an indoor tennis court to draft a new constitution
King Louis XVI – no control so he orders the First and Second Estates to meet with the National Assembly
The National Assembly renames itself the National Constituent Assembly and is composed of members of all three estates who shared goals of administrative, constitutional, and economic reform of the country
Voting to be done by head not order

14. Overthrow of the Bastille
Winter and spring – high bread prices cause shortages
July 11, 1789 – Louis XVI – dismisses finance minister Necker
July 14, 1789 – large crowds against Louis XVI go the Bastille– a fortress that once held political prisoners – looking to arm the militia (98 Parisians, several troops and the governor of the Bastille are killed)
Why arm themselves?
July 15, 1789 – the National Guard, led by Marquis de Lafayette, officially take over the Bastille. Louis XVI days later recognizes the new government
Tricolor flag?

15. The “Great Fear”
Peasant disturbances intensify in the countryside as the aristocrats land is taken over
August 4, 1789 – Several nobles and clergymen renounce their nobility rights at the National Constituent Assembly to quell the riots
“Old Regime” and Feudalism are officially abolished

16. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
New constitution drafted on August 27, 1789
Very similar to the Declaration of Independence in proclaiming liberty, freedom, and natural rights
Two most powerful ideas were civic equality and popular sovereignty
Taxation apportioned equally on your capacity to pay
Women not included
Goes back to
Enlightenment ideals > Rousseau

17. The Women’s March on Versailles
Women upset about bread prices gather at Versailles – October 5, 1789
Want more bread
King Louis XVI forced to go back to Paris

18. The Political Reconstruction of France
Constitution of Legislative Assembly becomes main law making body of France / monarch has limited powers
What did the National Constituent Assembly est.?
Constitutional monarchy
Only active citizens? could vote
Those who paid annual taxes
Society > status based on property not birth
Women?
Olympe de Gouges – she composes Declaration of Rights of Women, using the men’s declaration it calls for women to be treated as citizens
Ancient French Provinces (ex. Burgundy) replaced by departments – equally sized administrative units > still exist today
parlements replaced by uniform courts with judges and prosecutors

19. The Economic Reconstruction of France
Workers organizations forbidden by the Chapelier Law
Disappointed workers > now they were at mercy of the marketplace
Finance debt by
Land belonging to the Roman Catholic Church is confiscated and sold creating
further inflation
religious schism
civil war
Most decisive action of the revolution
The assignats?
Govt. bonds > value came from revenue of the sale of church property – used as currency, but used so often their value went down raising inflation

20. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (July of 1790)
Transformed the Roman Catholic Church into a branch of the secular state
Pastors and bishops salaried employees of the state
Embittered relations between the church and the state
Had to take an oath > most didn’t > became known as the refractory clergy
Pope Pius VI condemns both the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
Overall > major blunder of the Assembly

21. Counterrevolutionary Activity
Emigrés
Aristocrats who left France for bordering countries
Sought to form counterrevolution
Flight to Varennes
King Louis XVI attempts to flee France but is caught
Significant
King seen as chief counterrevolutionary
Declaration of Pillnitz – Emperor Leopold II (Marie’s brother) of Austria and King Frederick William II of Prussia announce that if another European power joins them they will intervene in France to protect the monarchy

22. Second Revolution National Constituent Assembly ends
New constitution forms the Legislative Assembly
All new members

23. The Jacobins
Club of politically like-minded people from the third estate who wanted a republic rather than a constitutional monarchy
Took radical ideas from Enlightenment
Girondists – part of the Jacobins that assumed leadership of the assembly
Declared war on Austria, king supports it > why?
Forced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette into imprisonment
Paris commune est.
Independent political force > protector from internal and external enemies > will greatly impact the direction of the revolution

24. The Convention and the Sans-Culottes
The September Massacres – 1,200 people murdered in prisons by Parisians
Thought they were counterrevolutionaries
Convention est. > calls for France to become a republic with an elected assembly w/out a monarch
Sans-culottes “without breeches”
Name comes from the long trousers of the working people
Led a revolution more radical than the Girondists
Anti-monarchical, republican, against social inequality
Paris commune chief political vehicle
Goals of Jacobins not quite the same as the sans-culottes but they worked together at times to keep the revolution moving forward
Execution of Louis XVI – beheaded on January 21, 1793

25. Cartoonist James Gillray’s Famous Caricature

26. Edmund Burke vs. Thomas Paine
Attacks the Revolution
Wrote Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790)
Said revolution will end in military despotism
American Revolution hero Thomas Paine disagreed with him
Defended revolutionary principles
Burke’s influence wins in the long run

27. William Pitt the Younger
Britain’s prime minister during Revolution
Tried several repressive domestic policies
With help of Parliament suspends acts such as
Habeas Corpus
Certain writings were considered treason
Significance?

28. War with Europe France at war with First Coalition (Allies)
Austria
Prussia
Great Britain
Spain
Sardinia
Holland (Netherlands)
First Coalition (Allies)
against France

29. The Reign of Terror
1793 > a sense that the achievements of the revolution were in trouble by the wars
Protect revolution & silence dissent
Real and imagined enemies of revolution arrested and executed (peasants, nobles, clergy, business people and ex-revolutionary leaders)

30. The Republic Defended The Committee of Public Safety
Carried out the duties of the executive branch in dictatorial fashion
Worked with sans-culottes in Paris
Leader > Robespierre
Goal > save revolution from enemies at home & abroad
The Levee en Masse
Military conscription of males and economic production for military
Citizen army of now over a million men by 1794
Convention
Girondist members expelled > the Mountain in full control > more radical
Carried out more executions for internal protection

31. Maxim lien de Robespierre
Dominant figure of the Committee of Public Safety
Supported reign of terror
Had support of sans-culotte
Called for an assault on all enemies of the Revolution
Advocates the use of terror in order for “Republic of Virtue” to be successful

32. Repression of Republican Women
All women’s societies banned?
Thought they were becoming too radical
Justification > Rousseau > separate spheres
Barred from Convention and army
Olympe de Gouges executed?
No room for women in Republic of Virtue

33. De-Christianization New calendar adopted Many churches closed
Some clergy and believers executed
Priests forced to marry

34. Revolutionary Tribunals
Executions
Marie Antoinette
Girondist politicians
Peasants opposed to the Revolution
Members of sans-culottes
Shows nobody is safe
Executions carried out by guillotine
Other methods used as well esp. in the Provinces
Mass shootings & drowning

35. The End of the Terror
Robespierre turns on leaders both from the political left and right
Law of 22 Prairial
Tribunals could convict suspects without evidence against them
Number of executions out of control now
Fearing he was turning into a dictator, Robespierre and 80 of his supporters are executed
Overall > 25,000 people executed

36. The Thermidorian Reaction
3rd Phase > Tempering of the Revolution
Influence of wealthy middle-class and professional people replaces sans-culottes
Committee of Public Safety diminished
Paris Commune outlawed
Law of 22 Prairial repealed
Jacob Club closed
Many executed “White Terror”
Traditional roles of men and women in addition to the church reestablished

38. Constitution of Year III
Rejected both constitutional monarchy and democracy
Established two houses of the legislature and an executive branch (five person Directory)
Political system based on rank and birth replaced by system of civic equality and social status

39. End of Sans-Culottes Sans-culottes removed from political life
Peace treaties with Spain and Prussia
Directory weak due to
Food shortages > more riots
Suppression of sans-culotttes
the Two-Thirds law – favored people already in office
Catholic royalist revival
War continues with Great Britain & Austria
Directory governs Frances relying on the army

40. In Perspective
French Revolution is the central political event of modern European history
Will shape society and politics in Europe for next two centuries
Paves the way for Napoleon to assume power