1. French Revolution
World History

2. Causes of French Revolution
Estate System
Enlightenment Ideas
Economic Problems (taxes & crop failures)
Weak Leader – Louis XVI
Unpopular queen – Marie Antoinette

3. Estates General
Louis XVI decided to raise taxes on nobility (2nd estate) to deal with economy
2nd Estate refused to pay until called a meeting of Estates General to approve tax
1st time called in hundreds of years
Each estate gets 1 vote – 3rd Estate happy b/c think they will have a voice in gov’t

4. National Assembly 3rd Estate realizes time to make changes
Votes to re-organize themselves
Call themselves National Assembly – want an end to absolute monarchy & representative gov’t
National Assembly will include all estates & will make laws to benefit all ppl

5. Tennis Court Oath
At meeting of Estates General, 3rd Estate locked out of meeting room
Broke down door to indoor tennis court and said wouldn’t move until a new constitution which gave them rights was signed
Pledge called Tennis Court Oath

6. Declaration of Rights of Man & Citizen
Many 1st & 2nd Estate joined National Assembly
Wrote Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen stating all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights”
Leaders adopted slogan of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” for revolution

7. Panic
King Louis XVI scared so put Swiss guards around palace for protection
Rumors flew that king was going to use Swiss guards to get rid of National Assembly or massacre French ppl

8. Storming the Bastille
Ppl began to gather weapons to defend against Swiss guards
July 14, mob looking for gunpowder broke into the Bastille, a prison
Mob hacked many guards to death then paraded around the streets with dead men’s heads on sticks
First violent event of the French Revolution

10. Great Fear
Rumors started that nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize peasants
Wave of panic called Great Fear went through countryside
Peasants began to break into noble’s homes, burn, pillage

11. Women March In Paris, thousands of women rioted over price of bread
w/ knives, axes, etc. marched to Versailles
Broke into palace, killed guards
Demanded that Louis & Marie Antoinette return with them to Paris
When king & queen left, symbolized change of power from monarchs to ppl

13. National Assembly
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression” equal justice, freedom of speech, freedom of religion
State controlled church: church leaders now paid by government and elected. Church lands sold off to pay off France’s debt
Alarmed many of the peasants who were devout Catholics
King tries to escape

14. New Constitution Limited monarchy
Legislative Assembly: approve laws/war
Factions split the assembly
Conservatives:
Limited monarchy:
Radicals: big changes- no monarchy
Moderates: some changes

15. Other factions: Emigres: nobles who wanted the old regime restored
Sans-culottes “those without knee breeches” shopkeepers, workers, etc.. Who supported the revolution and wanted bigger changes

16. France at War Austria and Prussia urge France to restore the monarchy
Legislative assembly declares war
Prussia threatens to destroy Paris if monarch is harmed
Mob invades the Tuileries and imprisons the Royal family

17. September Massacres
Afraid royal supporters will try to break out of jail, mobs raid French prisons and massacre over 1,000 prisoners
Under pressure from the mobs, the Legislative assembly set aside the constitution of 1791, declared the king deposed, dissolved the assembly, elected a new legislative body
The National Convention created a republic and abolished the monarchy

18. Jacobins Radical revolutionaries
Put King Louis XVI on trial and executed him
Jacobin leaders continued war and drafted 300,000

19. Robespierre
Jacobins had many enemies including peasants, priests, and other rebels
Robespierre creates a “republic of virtue”
Wiped away France’s past
New calendar
Closed churches
Committee of Public Safety: protect the revolution from it’s enemies
“Reign of Terror”
Killed thousands of people, including Marie Antoinette
National Convention executed Robespierre

20. Another government… Executive directory of 5 men (moderates)
Two house legislature
Hired Napoleon Bonaparte to become General of the French army.

21. Legislative Assembly declares war on Prussia King Louis XVI executed
1. June 1791
3. April 1792
5. September
7. July 1793
2. September 1791
8. July
4. Aug
6. Jan
Legislative Assembly declares war on Prussia
King Louis XVI executed
Royal family tries to escape
Robespierre becomes head of Committee of Public Safety
E. National Assembly finishes new constitution
F. Royal family is imprisoned
G. Robespierre sent to the guillotine
H. Monarchy is abolished, France becomes a republic

22. Royal Family tries to escape
June 1791 C
Royal Family tries to escape

23. National Assembly finishes the new constitution
September 1791 E
National Assembly finishes the new constitution

24. Legislative Assembly declares war on Prussia
April 1792 A
Legislative Assembly declares war on Prussia

25. Royal Family is imprisoned
August F
Royal Family is imprisoned

26. The monarchy is abolished, France becomes a republic
September H
The monarchy is abolished, France becomes a republic

27. King Louis XVI is executed
January B
King Louis XVI is executed

28. Robespierre becomes the leader of the Committee of Public Safety
July 1793 D
Robespierre becomes the leader of the Committee of Public Safety

29. Robespierre is sent to the guillotine
July G
Robespierre is sent to the guillotine