The French Revolution and Napoleon Section One The

The French Revolution and Napoleon Section One The French Revolution Begins

The Old Order l 1. 2. 3. The people were divided into three social classes called Estates: First Estate Second Estate Third Estate

The Privileged Estates l 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The First Estate: Clergy of the Roman Catholic Church Owned 10% of the land Paid 2% in taxes Scorned Enlightenment ideas Provided education and relief services to the poor 1% of population

The Privileged Estates l 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Second Estate: Rich nobles 2% of population Paid no taxes Owned 20% of the land Scorned Enlightenment ideas

The Third Estate l l 1. l l l 97% of the people belonged to this estate Made up of three distinct groups of people: The bourgeoisie: Middle class Bankers, factory owners, merchants, professionals, skilled artisans Well educated Believed strongly in the Enlightenment ideas Many as rich as nobles Paid very high taxes/lacked privileges

2. l l l 3. l l l The Workers: Lived in cities Poorest class Trades people, apprentices, laborers, domestic servants Low wages/out of work Often went hungry Peasants: Largest group/80% of population of 26 million Half their income paid to nobles, Church, king Resented clergy and nobles

The Forces of Change l 1. 2. 3. Enlightenment Ideas: New ideas about power and authority were spreading among the Third Estate The people of France were inspired by news of the American Revolution Quoting Voltaire and Rousseau, they demanded: equality, liberty, and democracy

Economic Troubles l l l By the 1780’s France’s economy was on the decline Taxes were high, crop failures were rampant, and prices soared France’s government was sinking deeper into debt

A Weak Leader l l l l Louis XVI was an indecisive leader He had little interest in governing Marie Antoinette, his wife, was unpopular, and gave him bad advice She spent lavishly, while the nation sunk into debt Louis failed to act until almost out of money He wanted to tax the nobles, but they required him to call a meeting of the Estates General to approve the new taxes They met at Versailles in May of 1789

Dawn of the Revolution l l l l l The Estates General would vote to advise the king Each estate had one vote and met separately to discuss and debate The two privileged estates could always out vote the Third The representatives of the Third Estate insisted on changing the rules and meeting together, giving all members of the Estates General one vote The king sided with the clergy and nobles and insisted on the old rules The Third Estate, led by a sympathetic clergyman, refused and formed the National Assembly This was the first defiant act of the Revolution The members of the Third Estate were locked out of the meeting rooms They broke into an indoor tennis court and pledged to stay until they drew up a new constitution This became known as the Tennis Court Oath

Storming the Bastille l l On July 14 th a mob of angry French citizens stormed the Bastille Prison in Paris They massacred the guards and paraded their heads on pikes through the streets of Paris This was a great symbolic act of the revolution Bastille Day is celebrated to this day as the National Day of France on July 14 th

A Great Fear Sweeps France l l Rebellion spread from Paris to other towns and the countryside Peasants attacked noble’s homes and nobles terrorized the peasants In October of 1789 thousands of Parisian women rioted over the price of bread The king and queen were forced to return to Paris and face the angry people