French Revolution 1789 1799 5 Stages of the

French Revolution 1789 -1799

5 Stages of the French Revolution � Stage One � Spring and Summer of 1789 � Meeting of the Estates- General � Storming of the Bastille � The Great Fear � Stage Two � 1789 -1791 � National Assembly Declaration of the Rights of Man Constitution of 1791 � Stage Three � 1791 -1792 � Legislative Assembly Emergence of 3 political groups September Massacre � Stage Four � 1792 -1795 � National Convention Reign of Terror Committee of Public Safety Thermodorian Reaction � Stage Five � 1795 -1799 � Directory Coup d’etat

Causes of the French Revolution �Old Regime � Left over feudal social system from the Middle Ages � Third Estate (lowest class) �heavily taxed �No rights �poor

Causes �Enlightenment Ideas � Enlightened figures questioned why so few held so much power � Ideas of equality, liberty, democracy spread among the Third Estate � Inspired by the American Revolution

Causes �Economic Woes � Once prosperous economy failing � Population expanding rapidly � Cost of living on the rise � Heavy taxation � Widespread crop failures � Debt due to support of American Revolution

Causes �Weak Leader � King Louis XVI indecisive � “out to lunch” � Married to Marie Antoinette �“Madame Deficit” � Wanted to tax 2 nd Estate to save economy

Old Regime �Estate=social class �Three estates �First Estate � Catholic Church Clergy � Types of jobs? � Bishops, abbots, priests � What was their % of France’s population? � 1 -2% of population � Did they pay any taxes? � No � Paid “free gift” of 2% of income to the king

Old Regime �Second Estate �Nobility � What types of job? �Military officials �Court officers � What % of population? � 2% of the population � Did they pay taxes? �NO

Old Regime �Third Estate � % of population? � 97% of the population � Did they pay taxes? � All of France’s taxes � Bourgeoisie � Jobs? � Doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants � Urban Working Class (sans-culottes) � Jobs? � Blacksmith, baker, servant, peddler � Peasants � Jobs? � Farmers � Homeless and poor � Paid “corvee” Working tax

Stage One-Spring 1789 � Calling of the Estates-General May 5, 1789 � Topic: Should nobility pay taxes to reduce economic crisis? � Voting System � Each estate gets 1 vote total � 1 st and 2 nd estates vote the same � Third Estate demanded a direct vote—told no and eventually dismissed from meeting � Estates-General voted against nobility paying taxes � In protest, 3 rd Estate refuses to leave and locks themselves into Tennis Court to define their protest

Stage One- Spring 1789 � Creation of the National Assembly � June 17, 1789 � Members of 3 rd Estate voted to end the absolute monarchy � Intent on creating a representative government � Signed their pact on June 20, 1789 -Tennis Court Oath

Stage One-Summer of 1789 �Storming of the Bastille � July 14, 1789 � Parisians storm the largest prison in France in protest to King Louis XVI’s placement of Swiss troops in Paris � Parisians storm the prison’s magazine to gain ammunition and released all prisoners � 7 political prisoners � Symbolic event of French independence

Stage One-Summer 1789 �The Great Fear � Wave of panic sweeps over countryside � Peasant fear noble terrorization so they lash out � Burn noble’s homes � Destroy nobles financial books

Stage One-Summer 1789 �Woman’s March on Versailles � Parisian women marched to Versailles to bring Louis and Marie back to Paris � They were successful �– Louis XVI and his family will never return to Versailles

Stage Two-National Assembly � Created in Fall of 1789 � Created and lead by bourgeoisie members � Wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen � Goal was to restructure French government � Constitutional Monarchy � Held elections for new representative body

Stage Three-Legislative Assembly �Legislative Assembly made up of elected representatives �Goals: � implement and uphold the Constitution of 1791 � Tackle food shortages, debt, cries for more freedoms �Plagued with disagreements the Assembly splits into 3 political groups: Radicals Moderates Conservatives

Stage Three-Legislative Assembly RADICALS �“left-wing” � Opposed the king and MODERATES CONSERVATIVES � “centrists” � “right-wing” � Wanted some changes � Upheld idea of limited monarchy but not as many as idea of a monarchy radicals � Wanted few or no � Wanted sweeping changes � Believed power should changes not be in the hands of � Bourgeoisie and some � Proposed a Republic the masses nobility � Used violence � Bourgeoisie � Peasants, intellectuals, urban working class

Stage. Three-Legislative Assembly �Monarchies around Europe feared revolutionary ideas may spread �Austria states support for Louis XVI and threatened to invade �Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria �What is significant about the relationship of Louis XVI and the Austrian Emperor? �France now has domestic and foreign conflicts

Stage Three-Legislative Assembly � Radicals begin to dominate Legislative Assembly � July 25, 1792: Radicals capture Louis XVI and family and put in a stone tower in Paris � September Massacre (September 1792) � French troops leaving Paris to fight Austrians � Parisians fear less troops will allow captured nobles to escape and regain control � Radicals lead raid on imprisoned nobles and clergy and kill 1000’s

Stage Three-Legislative Assembly �Radicals take over Legislative Assembly �Ends limited monarchy and Constitution of 1791 �Louis XVI deposed as king �Legislative Assembly dissolved

Stage Four-National Convention � Takes over after Legislative Assembly-September 21, 1792 � Made up of radical leaders from the Jacobin Club �Supported a REPUBLIC � 3 Main Leaders: � Maximilien Robespierre – “The Incorruptible” � Jean Paul Marat-writer, newspaper editor � George Danton-great orator

Stage Four-National Convention �CHANGES: � Abolished monarchy and declared France a REPUBLIC � All adult males could vote and hold office � Louis XVI=common citizen �Citizen Army � 1793 - First Coalition takes on France �GB, Holland, Spain, Austria and Prussia � National Convention holds a draft � By 1794, 800, 000 men and WOMEN fighting to protect France

Stage Four- National Convention �“REPUBLIC OF VIRTURE” � Goal: to create a republic based on the virtues of “LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY” To lead a “virtuous” life, one must change his ways… -No signs of monarchy allowed -no face cards in deck of cards -closed churches --- seen as a threat to authority -Changed calendar -eliminated Sundays -10 day weeks, 30 day months -changed names of months to represent climate -1789=year 1

Stage Four-National Convention � REIGN OF TERROR “The first maxim of our politics ought to be to lead the people by means of reason and the enemies of the people by terror. ” ~Robespierre Goal: use terror to enforce the Republic’s virtues Committee of Public Safety -created and lead by Robespierre -seek out enemies of the Republic -try and execute enemies of the Republic in an equal manner -3000 Parisians and 40, ooo executed by the guillotine alone; mostly 3 rd Estate Infamous executions : Louis XVI-King of France Marie Antoinette-Queen of France George Danton-a leader of National Convention

Stage Four-National Convention �Guillotine � Device created by Dr. Guillotin as a means to an enlightened execution without prejudice � How might the guillotine be an enlightened form of execution?

Execution of Louis XVI �Louis XVI-King of France � Executed Jan 21, 1793 � Said to have cried like a baby as he climbed the scaffolding � Symbolic event signifying the emergence of a true radical republic

Execution of George Danton � A leader of National Convention and close friend and confidant of Robespierre � Executed by guillotine in spring of 1794 � Considered not RADICAL enough!!

Execution of Marie Antoinette �Marie Antoinette- Queen of France � Executed on Oct. 16, 1793 � Was never liked by the people of France � Was executed as a traitor for conspiring against France with her brother the Emperor of Austria

Murder of Jean Paul Marat � Writer and publisher of “The Friend of the People” � Murdered in his bath tub on July 13, 1793 � Murdered by woman that feared his ideas too radical � Wanted an end to unnecessary violence

Radicals Too Radical? �How does this cartoon depict the “arms” of the radicals? �By the people represented in the cartoon…what might be the cartoonist’s opinion of the “radicals”?

Stage Four-National Convention �Even the Radicals had enough �National Convention leaders secretly organize the arrest and execution of Robespierre �July 24, 1794 Thermodorian Reaction

End of National Convention �After Robespierre’s execution, National Convention leaders rally to create a more “moderate” government structure. �Convention remains in place until the new structure is created and new members elected �This will become the 5 th and final stage… THE DIRECTORY

Stage Five-The Directory � 1795 - members of defunct National Convention create new “moderate” government �Still have many economic and social problems to tackle �Made up of MODERATES, mostly bourgeoisie �Corrupted; enriched themselves at the public’s expense �Structure: � 2 House Legislature � 5 Executive members

Stage Five-The Directory � Somewhat successful � Created sense of order and stability throughout France � Responsible for the rise of France’s greatest military mastermind… NAPOLEON BONAPARTE Napoleon will overthrow the Directory in November of 1799.