1. The French Revolution Begins
Section 1
The French Revolution Begins

2. The French Revolution Begins
1700’s France considered to be the most advanced country in Europe
Large population, worldwide trade and the center of the Enlightenment
Late 1700’s-France’s social system stuck in Middle Ages (ancient regime)
Three social classes (estates)
First Estate- clergy
Second Estate- nobles
Third Estate- merchants, professionals, peasants (majority of population)

3. The French Revolution Begins
FIRST ESTATE
Clergy
Enormous wealth and privilege
Owned 10% of land
Pay no taxes
Provided some social services- hospitals, schools
Target of philosophers reform
Thought Enlightenment undermined moral order
SECOND ESTATE
Nobility
2 % of population, owned 20% of land
Owned land had little income
They thought Enlightenment ideas threatened their status
Did not pay taxes

4. The French Revolution Begins
Third Estate
Most diverse- the rest of society (97%)
Urban professionals to rural peasants
Poorest members urban workers
Third Estate resented the other classes
Burdened by heavy taxes
Influenced by Enlightenment ideas, began to question old ways, thought privileged should pay share

5. The French Revolution Begins
Forces of Change
Enlightenment ideas and the success of the American Revolution inspired those that wanted change in France
Quoting Rousseau and Voltaire lower classes demanded equality, liberty and democracy
Economic problems- high taxes made it hard to conduct business, cost of living was going up
Years of deficit spending by monarchs led to economic trouble
Wars, lifestyle of monarchs drained money
Government borrowed money
Late 1780’s bad harvests caused food prices to go up, famine among lower classes

6. The French Revolution Begins
Louis XV, Louis XVI weak kings
1789-All classes demand reform, Louis XVI calls meeting of Estates General (meeting of representatives from all three estates)
Nobles hoped to gain privileges, control king
Each group prepared list of grievances
Demands show class resentment
Third Estate demanded Enlightenment reform, wanted changes in government

7. The French Revolution Begins
May Meet at Versailles
Third Estate tired of being dominated by 1st and 2nd estates
Third Estate breaks away and becomes National Assembly
Represent people of France, proclaimed the end of the monarchy and the beginning of a representative government
Locked out by Louis, meet on tennis court at Versailles
Tennis Court Oath taken by Third Estate, vow to meet until reforms passed
Many from clergy and nobility join National Assembly
Seen as threat to Louis XVI power

8. The French Revolution Begins
Storming the Bastille
July 14, 1789 – Rumors royal troops were going to take over city (Paris), king was going to use force to get rid of National Assembly
800 march to Bastille (prison in Paris), to get gunpowder that was stored there
Bastille seen as symbol of monarchy and abuses
Commander refused to open gate, mob stormed in
Killed guards, released prisoners, found no gunpowder
Challenged regime of Louis XVI
Day is now a national holiday in France

9. The French Revolution Begins
The Great Fear
Fall Rebellions spread from Paris into the country side.
Senseless panic called the Great Fear rolled through France
Peasants broke into Nobles’ manor houses.
Parisian women rioted over the rising price of bread
Women marched on Versailles, broke into the palace and demanded that Louis and Marie Antoinette return to Paris.
The king , his family and servants left Versailles
Signaled the change of power and radical reforms about to take over France.

10. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Section 2
Revolution Brings Reform and Terror

11. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Great Fear caused many nobles to support revolution out of fear
National Assembly took away any of their privileges
Made commoners equal to the clergy
August of 1789 National Assembly issues the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (based on the Declaration of Independence)
Rights guaranteed life, liberty and freedom from oppression
Gave citizens equal justice under the law, freedom of speech and religion
Olympe de Gouges wanted these rights of women as well, they were rejected and she was later executed

12. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
National Assembly reforms also focused on the Catholic Church
Took over church lands and used money to pay off French debt
Many French peasants were devout Catholics and these actions turned them against the Revolution
1791 Louis XVI and his family tried to escape from France but were caught at the border and returned to Paris to face trial

13. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
September 1791 National Assembly created a constitutional monarchy that stripped the king of most of his authority
Created the Legislative Assembly to create laws
Legislative Assembly had to handle problems of food shortages and government debt
Assembly split into three different groups
Radicals that wanted the most change
Moderates wanted some changes
Conservatives- wanted a limited monarchy with few changes
Groups outside of the government wanted to control the direction of France
Émigrés were nobles and others that left France and wanted to restore the Old Régime
Sans-culottes- workers and shopkeepers that wanted the Revolution to bring greater change

14. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
European leaders saw revolution as threat
Did not want similar revolts in their own countries
Leaders denounced the Enlightenment, condemned revolutionaries
Threatened to intervene to protect French monarchy
April 1792 Austria and Prussia declare war on France

15. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
August 1792 French mob attacks palace and imprisons Marie Antoinette and her children
September 1791 Rumors that the king was going to be freed from prison caused mobs to attack prisons and kill royal sympathizers (known as September Massacres)
New government is dissolved and a new government founded known as the National Convention takes over
They abolish the monarchy and declare France a republic
Gave all men the right to vote and hold office

16. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Jacobins were a radical political organization that were involved in the governmental changes
Newspaper editor Jean Paul Marat called for death to all who supported the king
Georges Danton was a lawyer and member of the Jacobins
He was devoted to the rights of the poor people of Paris
Louis XVI was declared a common citizen by the National Assembly
Louis was tried for treason and found guilty
January of 1793 Louis was beheaded by the guillotine
February 1793 Britain, Holland and Spain declared war against France
National Convention drafts 300,000 men between to join army and defend France

17. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Jacobins created enemies within France
Church was not under their control, peasants were shocked at the death of the king and rival leaders were stirring up trouble outside of Paris
Maximillen Robespierre (a leader of the Jacobins)seized control of the government
Wanted to build a “republic of virtue” by erasing France’s past
Closed churches, changed the calendar (renamed each month, and took out Sundays), all people referred to each other as citizen
July 1793 Robespierre became a dictator and this phase of the Revolution became known as the Reign of Terror

18. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Reign of Terror
Robespierre created the Committee of Public Safety to protect the revolution from its enemies
12 member committee had complete control over the French government
Justified use of terror to make citizens remain true to the ideals of the revolution
To control mobs and those that disagreed with government 300,000 arrested
17,000 executed by guillotine
Most that were executed came from the peasant and urban middle class (those who called for revolution in the first place)
1794 Georges Danton was tried and executed
Marie Antoinette was executed
By July 1794 many tired of executions and feared for own lives

19. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
July 1794 many members of the National Convention feared for their own safety and turned on Robespierre
He was arrested, tried and executed
Public opinion had shifted after the death of Robespierre, people were tired of the revolution
1795 new plan of government drafted that put power in the hands of the moderates
There was a new legislative body and an executive body of five men known as the Directory

20. Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
Ten year revolution- changed old social order, dissolved the monarchy, brought Church under state control
Gave French sense of national identity (nationalism)
Provided education to all
Systems put into place to help poor, old soldiers, war widows
French flag- tricolor symbol of revolution,
La Marseillaise became national anthem