1. The French Revolution
Part I

2. American and French Revolution
France help support the colonists
American Revolution and French Revolution very deeply connected
French ideals influenced American rebels
American rebels influenced French radicals who were unhappy with the monarchy
Rich/poor divide in France was at its worst

3. French society divided up into three estates or three classes
Old Regime – the social and political system of France before the revolution
French society divided up into three estates or three classes
since the Middle Ages!
These estates or classes battle each other during the French Revolution, afterward during Napoleon’s time, and several more times
Basic problem – system is built on inequity

4. The Old Regime (Ancient Regime)
Old Regime – socio-political system which existed in most of Europe during the 18th century
Countries were ruled by absolutism – the monarch had absolute control over the government
Classes of people – privileged and unprivileged
Unprivileged people – paid taxes and treated badly
Privileged people – did not pay taxes and treated well
Basic problem – system is built on inequality

5. First Estate
Made up of Roman Catholic Church clergy = 1% of population
Owned 10% of land
Taxes = 2% of income paid to government (voluntary contribution given every 5 years)
Collected Church tithes
Provided education and relief services to the poor
Scorned enlightenment ideas
Divided: high clergy to parish priests who were often poor commoners

6. Second Estate Rich nobles = 2% of the population Owned 20% of the land
Paid no taxes
Held high offices in government, courts, and the military
Nobility of the robe
status from office holding
Nobility of the sword
status as descendants of original medieval nobility
Disagreed with enlightenment ideas

7. Stop, Collaborate and Listen…
Why would the first and second estate disagree with Enlightenment Ideas?

8. Third Estate Everyone else – 97% of population
Bourgeoisie (middle class) = 8% of third estate
Traders, merchants, artisans
Owned 20-25% of the land
Sometimes wealthy but paid high taxes
No access to power like the 1st and 2nd estates had

9. Third Estate Peasants = 75% of the population
Owned 35-40% of land (over half had no land)
50% of their income paid in taxes to government and tithes to the church
Very bitter and resentful toward nobility (2nd estate)

10. Urban lower class = 14% of third estate
Workers who lived in cities
Apprentices, laborers, servants, maids
Paid little, would often riot if food was not available

11. Economic Conditions under the Old Regime
France’s economy was based primarily on agriculture
Peasant farmers of France bore the burden of taxation

12. Stop, Collaborate and Listen…
What are possible dangers or risks of being a primarily agriculture society?

13. Economic Conditions under the Old Regime
Poor harvests meant that peasants had trouble paying their regular taxes
Certainly could not afford to have their taxes raised
Bourgeoisie often managed to gather wealth
But were upset that they paid taxes while nobles did not

14. France Is Bankrupt
The king (Louis XVI) lavished money on himself and residences like Versailles
Queen Marie Antoinette was seen as a wasteful spender
Government found its funds depleted as a result of wars
Deficit spending – a government spending more money than it takes in from tax revenues
Privileged classes would not submit to being taxed
Jacques Necker
Financial adviser
Wanted to tax the 1st and 2nd estate

17. Why did revolution break out?
Enlightenment ideals
Bad harvests in 1787 resulted in drop in economic growth
Food shortages
Inflation
Mass unemployment
Debt from American Revolution

18. Your Task One person from each table group needs to grab TWO textbooks
Individually read and take notes: pages
After taking notes you need to create a visual representation, on a separate piece of paper, of the three estates in France during the 1700s
It should be very clear how each of the estates are represented and their relation with each other and within the country of France.
You may not copy the picture that is in the textbook!
DUE: Tomorrow 

19. Your Task
you need to create a visual representation, on a separate piece of paper, of the three estates in France during the 1700s
It should be very clear how each of the estates are represented and their relation with each other and within the country of France.
You may not copy the picture that is in the textbook!

20. Louis XVI has to act Estates-General Had not met since 1614
Louis XVI forced to call it into session to figure out how to deal with this economic mess
he wanted to raise taxes
Each of the three social groups was allowed to have equal representation – each were allowed 1 vote.
Q: Is this fair? Why or why not?

21. Estates-General
Government decides that the Third Estate could have double the number of delegates
600 instead of 300
Each delegate had one vote
Third Estate now had as much power as the First and Second combined
June Third Estate declares itself a “National Assembly”
pass laws for the nation

22. Tennis Court Oath They find themselves locked out of the meeting
meet at a nearby indoor tennis court
Vow to remain there until they had written a constitution for France
Several members of the First and Second Estates join them in the name of reform
Louis XVI calls out his mercenary troops to guard Versailles

23. The Rights of Man
National Assembly adopted a statement of revolutionary ideas
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens
Influenced by the Declaration of Independence
“Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”

25. Fall of the Bastille Old fortress in central Paris
Rumors fly that Louis XVI is going to use army to shut down National Assembly
People start to stockpile weapons in Paris
July 14, Mob attacks the Bastille looking for gunpowder and weapons
Seize control of the building
murder the prison guards
parade their heads on the end of pikes around Paris
Bastille Day (like the Fourth of July)

26. A Great Fear Sweeps France
Rebellion spreads throughout France
The Great Fear
Peasants started to destroy nobles’ homes
People became motivated by fear
Commoners becoming equal to noble and clergy
The Old Regime is dead

28. National Assembly
Declaration of Rights

29. Women March ON Versailles

30. State control of Catholic Church
Priests and church officials now employees of the state, paid by the state
Had to be elected
National Assembly took over catholic church land
Huge profits from the sale of church land helped erase France’s debt

31. State control of Catholic Church
Catholic Church no longer independent
This was too much for many peasants
Devout Catholics
they felt the church should be independent from the state
Revolution lost some support from peasants as a result

32. Divisions within revolution
September 1791 – Assembly completes new constitution providing for a limited constitutional monarchy
Stripped the King of a lot of his power
Created a new legislative body called the legislative assembly
Leg. Assembly could create laws and approve/reject declarations of war
King still had some executive power to enforce laws

33. Louis XVI tries to escape
King and Queen, living in Paris, decide to leave France
Feared they would be executed
June 1791 – they try to escape across the border to what is now Belgium
Caught
returned to Paris
spent the rest of their lives under arrest

34. Other interest groups
Besides those in the Assembly, two other groups wanted change in France
Émigrés
nobles and other wealthy people who fled France
wanted to restore the King and his power
Sans-culottes
Parisian workers and laborers who wanted even more extreme changes (anti-King)
Sans-culottes = without pants

35. Jacobins
People responsible for the governmental changes in were members of a radical group called the Jacobin Club
Leader was Jean-Paul Marat
L’Ami du Peuple
called for the execution of all royalists
Georges Danton
Lawyer
became a defender of Paris’ poor underclass

36. Declaration Activity

37. The French Revolution
Part Deux – The Terror

38. Off with their heads
Louis XVI was now considered a regular citizen in prison
Jacobins put him on trial for treason
Found guilty and sentenced to death
January 21, 1793 – executed by beheading
Guillotine

39. National Convention

40. Committee of Public Safety
Robespierre becomes leader of this group within the Assembly, making him dictator of France
Known as the Reign of Terror
Main task of this group:
protect the revolution from royalists and other threats
People tried in the morning, guillotined in the afternoon
questionable justice
R justified the use of terror in governing

41. Committee of Public Safety

42. Robespierre takes over
Robespierre, the brilliant lawyer, starts to gain power through the Assembly
Attempts to wipe out all traces of old France
Republic of Virtue
Created a new calendar which eliminated Sundays (too religious) and having each month contain 30 days

43. The incorruptible

46. Guillotine Fun Facts Cruel and Unusual?
believed by many to be efficient humane and democratic
claiming those executed would not feel pain.
Public Executions were popular and some people believed the guillotine was too quick to be enjoyed by a crowd.

47. Guillotine – Reign of Terror

48. The end of Revolution

49. Journal
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity French Flag