1. The French Revolution

2. High Prices and High Taxes
Great Unrest in France
Why?
High Prices and High Taxes
Enlightenment Ideas
Weak Leadership
Old Regime – 3 estates

3. France’s Social Pyramid- “Old Regime”
1st Estate: Church
Owned 10% of land
Paid little taxes
Were less than 1% of the people
2nd Estate: Landowners
2% of population
Owned 20% of land
Paid no taxes
3rd Estate: Peasants
98% of population
3 Different Tiers
Paid more than 50% of taxes

4. 4 Causes of the French Revolution…EEEW!!

5. Old Regime (Estate System)
Ranking of the people into social classes (is a hold over from the Middle Ages)
Three Estates- 3rd estate HEAVLILY TAXED and had NO SAY in government. Made up 97% of the French!
Wanted democracy and rights for all
First estate HATED the ideas of the ENLIGHTENMENT

6. Enlightenment Ideas Spread by the educated of the Third Estate
Believed in equality and liberty (Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu)
All men have natural rights (Locke)
Inspired the American Revolution
Believed in a democratic govt. and democratic elections…DEMOCRACY for all!
Power should be in the hands of the people!

7. Economic Problems
In debt- King borrowed money to help Americans during their revolution
High taxes hurt business
High cost of living
Crop Failure led to food prices doubling and starvation
Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette spent a lot on themselves (her nickname was “Madame Deficit”)
The king and queen spent the money on themselves

8. A Weak Leader
Louis paid little attention to advisers and big issues…he avoided the problems and did not focus on govt. duties
Instead of fixing crisis he let it happen!
Q: How to raise funds?
A: Tax wealthy
BUT – Aristocrats/Noblemen (2nd Estate) resisted and called for general meeting of all 3 estates = Estates-General
GOAL - to deal with the problems France faced

9. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

11. Marie Antoinette’s Home
Chateau Versailles

12. Marie Antoinette’s Riches

13. Stop, Movie time!! Play to tennis court oath

14. Third Estate Gets Tough!
Estates-General: Revolution Dawns (1789)
Third Estate Gets Tough!
Demands National Assembly to END absolute monarchy!
So, what happens?
Third Estate Gets Locked Out!
Moves to indoor tennis court and VOWS not to leave until a new Constitution is written – they take the “Tennis Court Oath”

15. Tennis Court Oath (1789)

16. Storming the Bastille - 1789
Louis XVI saw the Tennis Court Oath as an act of Revolution
“I will end this sorry revolution, indeed.”
So, Louis sent troops (Swiss mercenaries) to guard Paris. But, rumors spread that foreign troops would kill French citizens.
King Louis XVI
On July 14, 1789, French citizens raided a prison to get gunpowder and overthrow king’s troops. The Bastille fell to citizens.
“Let us in. Yeah, now.”

17. French Citizens Storm the Bastille

19. Stop, Movie time!! Play Fish Ladies

20. Great Fear Sweeps France
Peasants fear violence from nobles
A. Did this happen? No
B. What did happen? Peasants became outlaws.
II. Peasants marched to Versailles and demanded King and Queen come to Paris…They did.
Also happening…
III. Women March to Versailles
Infuriated women walked 12 miles in the rain to Versailles, angry with the Royal Court’s extravagance.

21. The King and Queen Arrive in Paris

22. 1789
1789
What happened?
Declaration of Rights of Man
A. Similar to America’s Declaration of Independence
B. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
C. Women Excluded
II. Church and State -- Separation
Assembly took Church property: Church lost political influence
This angered conservative peasants – divided peasants and bourgeoisie. Why?

23. End Result of the National Assembly
Increased power for legislature…
National Assembly
… reduced power for King
King Louis XVI

24. Louis XVI Tries to Escape to Netherlands…
…but is caught by postmaster at near French border…
… and the Royal Family is returned to Paris

25. 1792 - Despite Gains, Fear Persists
Upon returning, French mobs attack King because he was aligned with foreigners. With war problems abroad, mobs feared he would re-establish control.
What happens? Attack of Monarchy in Prison & 1,000 people die.
Radicals Assert Control – Jacobin Club removes the King and establishes a republic
New Government = National Convention
Abolishes Monarchy
Tries King Louis XVI
Finds him…Guilty

26. King Louis XVI Executed - 1793
Off with his head

27. Supporters said it was:
The Guillotine
Supporters said it was:
Efficient
More humane
No pain
Opponents said it:
It was too quick to be enjoyed by public
Rather pull victims apart by horses; broken on a wheel

28. Reign of Terror “Terror comes from virtue. It is swift justice.”
Radicalism Leads to the …
Reign of Terror
“Terror comes from virtue. It is swift justice.”

30. The Reign of Terror
The political group – the Jacobin Club forms the “Committee of Public Safety” is was lead by Maximilien Robespierre.
Their objective: wipe out France’s monarchy in both present and past
How?
Execute the “unpatriotic”: between 20, ,000 are killed
Removed monarchy from playing cards
Removed Sundays from calendars
Closed Church on Sunday
Trial and execution on the same day
85% killed were common peasants who supposedly benefited from the Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre

31. Raising An Army…
Robespierre was able to raise an army of 800,000 citizen soldiers - the biggest army ever assembled in Europe.
…and Executing the Queen
October 16, 1793

32. End of the Terror
People had grown tired of the Terror and were also angry at rising food prices
also…
Fellow radicals – fearing their own lives and positions – turn on Robespierre and kill him
so…
Moderate leaders of the National Convention draft a new government – the 3rd in 6 years.
Robespierre is executed
(Spoof recap 3:37)