1. Causes of the French Revolution

2. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

3. Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI
The French Monarchy:
Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

4. Marie Antoinette
“Madame Deficit”- spent $ on gowns, jewels, gambling, and gifts.
Member of Royal Austrian Family
Out of touch with society

5. Economy France’s Economy Decreasing due to: Crop failures
King & Queen’s spending
Heavy taxes make business hard to conduct
War debt
?How were the poor peasants fairing?

6. The French Urban Poor

7. Something had to be done!
Louis XIV didn’t want to cut spending
Decided to impose taxes on the nobility
He needed approval of this by the Estates-General- an assembly of representatives from all 3 estates.

8. The Suggested Voting Pattern: Voting by Estates
Clergy
1st Estate 1
Aristocracy
2nd Estate 1 1
Commoners
3rd Estate
Louis XIV insisted that the voting pattern remain the same

9. The Number of Representatives in the Estates General:
Clergy
1st Estate
300
Aristocracy
2nd Estate
300
648
Commoners
3rd Estate

10. 3rd Estate 97% of people belonged to this estate
Bourgeoisie- Middle Class
Workers
Peasants

11. Convening the Estates General May, 1789
Last time it was called into session was 1614!
Called to order by Louis XVI to impose taxes on the nobility.

12. What do you think happened at the Meeting of the Estates General?
???
What do you think happened at the Meeting of the Estates General?

13. TO BE CONTIUNED…

14. By: Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley H. S. Chappaqua, NY
The French Revolution
"Bourgeois" Phase:
By: Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley H. S. Chappaqua, NY

15. TO BE CONTIUNED…

16. Convening the Estates General May, 1789
Last time it was called into session was 1614!
Called to order by Louis XVI to impose taxes on the nobility.

17. At the Meeting Different hopes King wanted tax increase
Nobles and clergy wanted to continue lifestyle
Middle class wants democracy
Peasants want solutions and social equality

18. This is what happened!

19. “The Third Estate Awakens”
The commoners stated that their vote needed to count! They were now “representatives of the nation!”
They proclaimed themselves the “National Assembly” of France.

20. National Assembly Proclaimed the end of absolute monarchy.
Began representative government

21. “The Tennis Court Oath”
June 20, National Assembly locked out of meeting room. Broke down door to a inside tennis court and vowed not to leave until a new constitution was written.

22. Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789
A rumor that Louis XVI was planning to send the military to dismantle the National Assembly.
Mob attacked the prison to find guns and gunpowder in order to defend city.
18 died.
73 wounded.
7 guards killed.
It held 7 prisoners [5 ordinary criminals & 2 madmen].

23. March of the Women, October 5-6, 1789
*A spontaneous demonstration of women wanting cheaper bread.
*Broke into Versailles, killed some guards.
*Women demanded the return of the king and his family.

24. The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt In the Country
Fear that nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize the peasants. (Rumor)
Peasants gathered weapons and broke into nobles’ homes- destroying feudal papers.

25. Start of the French Revolution & The Storming of the Bastille video clip.

26. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
August 26, 1789
Liberty!
Property!
Resistance to oppression!

27. Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen (1791)
Olympe de Gouges ( )
Women played a vital role in the Revolution.
But, The Declaration of the Rights of Man did NOT extend the rights and protections of citizenship to women.
Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen (1791)

28. Crane Brinton: The Course that Revolutions Seem to Take
Impossible demands made of government which, if granted, would mean its end.
Unsuccessful government attempts to suppress revolutionaries.
Revolutionaries gain power and seem united.
Once in power, revolutionaries begin to quarrel among themselves, and unity begins to dissolve.
The moderates gain the leadership but fail to satisfy those who insist on further changes.

29. Crane Brinton: The Course that Revolutions Seem to Take
Power is gained by progressively more radical groups until finally a lunatic fringe gains almost complete control.
A strong man emerges and assumes great power.
The extremists try to create a “heaven-on-earth” by introducing their whole program and by punishing all of their opponents.
A period of terror [extreme violence] occurs.
Moderate groups regain power. THE REVOLUTION IS OVER!

30. Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes
1st What is the Third Estate? Everything!
2nd What has it been heretofore in the political order? Nothing!
3rd What does it demand? To become something therein!
Abbé Sieyès

31. The Path of the “Great Fear”

32. Night Session of August 4, 1789
Before the night was over:
The feudal regime in France had been abolished.
All Frenchmen were, at least in principle, subject to the same laws and the same taxes and eligible for the same offices.
Equality & Meritocracy!

33. National Constituent Assembly 1789 - 1791
Liberté!
Egalité!
Fraternité!
August Decrees August 4-11, 1789
(A renunciation of aristocratic privileges!)

34. BUT
Feudal dues were not renounced outright [this had been too strong a threat to the principle of private property!]
Peasants would compensate their landlords through a series of direct payments for obligations from which they had supposedly been freed.
Therefore, the National Assembly made revolutionary gestures, but remained essentially moderate.
Their Goal
Safeguard the right of private property!!

35. The WHITE of the Bourbons + the RED & BLUE of Paris.
The Tricolor (1789)
The WHITE of the Bourbons + the RED & BLUE of Paris.
Citizen!

36. The Tricolor is the Fashion!

37. The “Liberty Cap”: Bonne Rouge

38. Revolutionary Symbols
Cockade
Liberté
La Republic
Revolutionary Clock

39. Revolutionary Playing Cards

40. The “October Days” (1789)
The king was thought to be surrounded by evil advisors at Versailles so he was forced to move to Paris and reside at the Tuileries Palace.

41. Planting the Tree of Liberty
1790

42. Sir Edmund Burke (1790): Reflections on the Revolution in France
The conservative response to the French Revolution

43. How to Finance the New Govt.? 1. Confiscate Church Lands (1790)
One of the most controversial decisions of the entire revolutionary period.

44. 2. Print Assignats Issued by the National Constituent Assembly.
Interest-bearing notes which had the church lands as security.

45. Depreciation of the Assignat
Whoever acquired them were entitled to certain privileges in the purchase of church land.
The state would retire the notes as the land was sold.
They began circulating as paper currency.
Government printed more  INFLATION [they lost 99% of their value ultimately].
Therefore, future governments paid off their creditors with cheap money.

46. Jurying vs. Non-Jurying [refractory] Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
July 12, 1790
Jurying vs. Non-Jurying [refractory] Clergy

47. New Relations Between Church & State
Government paid the salaries of the French clergy and maintained the churches.
The church was reorganized:
Parish priests  elected by the district assemblies.
Bishops  named by the department assemblies.
The pope had NO voice in the appointment of the French clergy.
It transformed France’s Roman Catholic Church into a branch of the state!!
Pope Pius VI [ ]

48. Louis XVI “Accepts” the Constitution & the National Assembly. 1791

49. Constitution of 1791

50. The French Constitution of 1791: A Bourgeois Government
The king got the “suspensive” veto [which prevented the passage of laws for 4 years].
He could not pass laws.
His ministers were responsible for their own actions.
A permanent, elected, single chamber National Assembly.
Had the power to grant taxation.
An independent judiciary.

51. The French Constitution of 1791: A Bourgeois Government
“Active” Citizen [who pays taxes amounting to 3 days labor] could vote vs. “Passive” Citizen.
1/3 of adult males were denied the franchise.
Domestic servants were also excluded.
A newly elected LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
GOAL  Make sure that the country was not turned over to the mob!

52. 83 Revolutionary Departments
February 26, 1790

53. The Royal Family Attempts to Flee
June, 1791
Helped by the Swedish Count Hans Axel von Fusen [Marie Antoinette’s lover].
Headed toward the Luxembourg border.
The King was recognized at Varennes, near the border

54. Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen (1791)
Olympe de Gouges ( )
Women played a vital role in the Revolution.
But, The Declaration of the Rights of Man did NOT extend the rights and protections of citizenship to women.
Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen (1791)

55. The First Coalition & The Brunswick Manifesto (August 3, 1792)
Duke of Brunswick if the Royal Family is harmed, Paris will be leveled!!
FRANCE
AUSTRIA PRUSSIA BRITAIN SPAIN PIEDMONT
This military crisis undermined the new Legislative Assembly.

56. French Soldiers & the Tricolor: Vive Le Patrie!
The French armies were ill-prepared for the conflict.
½ of the officer corps had emigrated.
Many men disserted.
New recruits were enthusiastic, but ill-trained.
French troops often broke ranks and fled in disorder.

57. French Expansion:

58. Read More About the Revolution

59. Bibliographic Resources
“Hist210—Europe in the Age of Revolutions.”
“Liberty, Fraternity, Equality: Exploring the French Revolution.”
Matthews, Andrew. Revolution and Reaction: Europe, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
“The Napoleonic Guide.”