1. The French Revolution

2. Classes of People in France

3. God, please don’t let anyone find out how much money I have…
***
First Estate
Church & Clergy
Most wealthy!
Owned 10% of the land in France
Paid few taxes
Less than 1% of population

4. Second Estate Nobles (aristocracy) *** Between 1 and 2% of population
Wealthy land owners
Paid little or no taxes

5. Third Estate *** 97% of population Several Classes
a. Bourgeoisie: merchants and artisans
b. Laborers (carpenters, workers, etc.)
c. Peasants
Paid 1/2 of their income to taxes !

6. The Three Estates Second Estate-Nobles First Estate-Clergy
Third Estate-Everyone Else

7. The French Urban Poor Bread was staple food item. Inflation
Drove prices sky-high

8. The French Monarchy:
Marie Antoinette
Louis XIV (16th)

9. Louis XVI Socially awkward, not handsome
Weak leader, poor decision maker
Couldn’t stand up to his advisors or his wife!

10. Marie Antoinette
Austrian arch-duchess; marries Louis at age 14. Loves finery! Spends, spends, spends…
“Let Them Eat Cake …..”

11. Marie Antoinette’s “Peasant Cottage”

12. Condition of the Treasury: Deficit!
***
Condition of the Treasury: Deficit!
France bankrupt (no cash!)
Spend on Versailles & helping Americans fight British (France’s enemy)
Solutions:
Tax Nobles or
Call the Estates General to see if they could help

13. Show me da tax money? Secretary Treasurer, where’s the dough?
Sorry, King Louis—it’s gone to the wars!
Secretary Treasurer, where’s the dough?

14. Convening the Estates General May, 1789
…like English parliament
A law-making body
Made up of deputies
(representatives
from each class)
Last time it was called into session was 1614!

15. Voting by Estates *** 1 1 1 Commoners 3rd Estate Clergy 1st Estate
Aristocracy
2nd Estate 1 1
Commoners
3rd Estate

16. “The Third Estate Awakens”

17. Third Estate Wants fair voting opportunity!
Next day, get locked out of the Estates-General by King Louis (sees them as threat)
3rd Estate go to indoor Tennis Court-take an oath to stand together!

18. The Tennis Court Oath ***
vow to stick together until they draw up a new constitution
Call themselves the National Assembly
(new gov’t body)
First act of Revolution (overthrowing the gov’t)
Led by Count Mirabeau

19. "Okay, Okay!" Louis 16th’s Tactic:
Agrees to idea of a new constitution
One Man-One Vote: anything to get that tax money!
Secretly hates idea of being a constitutional monarch (divine right and all…)

20. Headline News! More Riots in Paris!
The high price of bread creates another riot in Paris…commoners attack the cities prisons to free political prisoners who could help make changes in their country…

21. Louis Reacts
Louis sends his army to Paris- and the newly formed Assembly sees a threat…
…as do the commoners who begin to arm themselves…

22. Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789 *** -A mob attacks the Bastille
Prison fortress that symbolized the king’s power.
The troops sent to squash the rebellion, joined the mob instead.
All 7 prisoners released.
The governor’s head was cut off and paraded around on a pike.

23. The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt
***
July 20, 1789
Peasants get involved, not just city citizens
Afraid Louis would squash the rebellion
Stormed chateaux of the nobility, and burned feudal certificates
Killed, killed, killed the aristocrats & their families…
July 20, 1789

24. March of the Women, October 5-6, 1789
***
The Great Fear
March of the Women, October 5-6, 1789
Women’s March-(the Bread March) on Versailles
50 km trek through mud
Louis 16th and family forced to move to Paris to deal with the problems

25. Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizen
Ideas from AmRev & Englightenment
Natural rights are:
life, liberty, property, freedom of speech
Constitutional monarch
With Legislative Assembly (law making assembly w voted representatives)