The French Revolution Causes of the Revolution Causes

The French Revolution

Causes of the Revolution

Causes of the Revolution �Anger about royal spending � This had been going on for a long time �Example—Louis XIV’s building of Versailles and other actions had put the country in debt � Poor leadership of Louis XVI �He and his wife Marie Antoinette wasted a LOT of money and he didn’t want to collect taxes from the rich people

Causes of the Revolution continued �Class structure—estates (classes) � First Estate=Catholic clergy (1% of the population) �Privileges of clergy—no taxes, no need to adhere to law � Second Estate=aristocrats (2% of the population) � Third Estate=everyone else (97% of the population) �Bourgeoisie—merchants, owners �Sans-culottes—workers �Peasants � The people were angry about inequality �Poverty, hunger, and unemployment

Causes Continued—The Three Estates

Causes Continued �Enlightenment ideas � Social contract � Natural Rights � British tradition of holding their king accountable to Parliament since the Magna Carta in 1215 �American Revolution, 1775 -1783 � French helped the Americans win AND were inspired by the victory � Declaration of Independence was particularly inspirational https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=w. Xs. Zbkt 0 yqo

Stage 1: National Assembly in Charge

Stage 1: Calling of the Estates-General (French legislature), 1789 -1792 � French Legislature meets � Nobles wanted the Estates -General to approve new taxes for the Third Estate to have to pay � Louis called them to meet in spring 1789 � Had not met in 175 years – wow! � People expected reforms, but the First and Second Estates could always outvote the Third Estate

Stage 1: Estates-General Continued � June 17, 1789—once they are together, the Third Estate declared itself a National Assembly and refused to vote by old, unfair method � Louis XVI reacted and locked the Third Estate out of the meeting room!

Stage 1: Estates General Continued �June 29, 1789: The Tennis Court Oath (no, I am not kidding!) � The Third Estate went to the tennis court and swore that they wouldn’t leave without writing a new constitution �Louis then agrees that each man may vote in the legislature, but he brings extra military into Paris because he feels vulnerable � It is too late, the revolution in already in motion

Stage 1: The Great Fear, Summer 1789 �Peasants believe that the upper class is going to destroy them, therefore, they � Start attacking fancy houses and destroying property � Storm the Bastille prison—July 14, 1789 �In response, the National Assembly � Issues the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” (see separate slide) � Abolishes any leftover parts of feudalism in France

Stage 1: “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” Written by the National Assembly �Inspired by—English Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and Enlightenment thinkers �Included freedom of speech, press, and religion for all men �Women not included—Olympe de Gouges wrote a version that included women � She was later executed

Stage 1: Revolution Gains More Power �October, 1789— 7, 000 women marched from Paris to Versailles, protesting lack of bread �Royal family moved from Versailles to Tuileries palace in response—basically, house arrest! �This made revolutionaries bolder

Stage 1: Revolution Gains More Power �National Assembly wrote the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, a way to decrease the power of the Catholic Church � Took Church land sold it � Said priests were just regular people

Stage 1: Revolution Gains More Power � 1791—New Constitution was ready—constitutional monarchy � Louis had MUCH less power � ½ of adult men can vote � Louis and Marie try to flee to Austria —bad idea! They get locked up in prison � France declares war on Austria and Prussia

Stage 1: Revolution Gains More Power �Shortly thereafter. . . � National Assembly decides that it needs to form a new body to run the revolution called the National Convention � Radical forces will now be in charge. . .

Stage 2: The Convention, 1792 -1795

Stage 2: The Convention � Forms Committee on Public Safety � Creates new court to try enemies of the revolution � Drafts men 18 -45 to win the war � Created metric system, new calendar, etc.

Stage 2: The Reign of Terror �Decides to kill the king—trial, guillotine � January 21, 1793 � Reaction of the rest of Europe � France is now a representative democracy �Jacobins v. Girondists: political groups � Jacobins led the government from 1793 -1794; they were more radical than the Girondists, who they pushed out of power in 1793 �led by Robespierre

Stage 2: Reign of Terror �Girondists were the first victims of the Terror �Robespierre sent Danton to the guillotine and then was sent himself on July 27, 1794

Stage 2: Effects of the Terror �Terror lasted 10 months— 300, 000 arrested, 17, 000 killed �Instead of strengthening the revolution, it weakened it �Decreased international support for the revolution �People all over Europe are scared. . .

Stage 3: Directory, 1795 -1799

Stage 3: Another New Constitution �Revolutionaries create a new government—the Directory � Five leaders were in charge AND � Two-part legislature �Council of Ancients �Council of Five Hundred

Stage 3: Another New Constitution �It was a republic, but the war was causing unrest � Only property owners could vote � Weak government that accomplished little � Power vacuum led to more than one coup d’etat (takeover of the government) � 1799—A group of supporters push the Directory to name Napoleon leader—coup d’etat � Napoleon is now in charge. . .

Stage 4: Napoleonic Era, 17991815

Stage 4: Napoleon �Background � Very ambitious � Military skill �He had attended military school �Fought in war against Europe � Successes in Toulon, Austria, Paris � Directory appointed him in charge of fighting in Italy � He won battles, gained territory AND won the respect of his men

Stage 4: Napoleon’s Dictatorship �Consulate— 3 leaders, Napoleon first consul � Actually, Napoleon had all of the power � He promised to do some of what the revolutionaries wanted �Why did the people let him become dictator? � Citizens were scared during Revolution and wanted safety � Napoleon made promises � Citizens did not want another king

Emperor Napoleon �Plebiscite to French people to get support for his desire to be emperor �Napoleonic Wars � Continuation of wars during Revolution that reflected Napoleon’s desire to rule Europe � British nemesis �British defeated Napoleon at Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 �More successful on land

Stage 4: Emperor Napoleon �In 1804, Napoleon declared himself emperor, and during this time, he � Started the Continental System �It was a blockade designed to hurt British trade, but it was ineffective because British ships got through anyway � Peninsular war (Portugal and Spain) � Put relatives in positions of power

Stage 4: Napoleon’s Domestic Policies �Concordat (agreement) with Pope �National Bank �Better tax system �Napoleonic Code (see later slide) �Established schools �Supported revolutionary ideas � equality before the law � representative government �Growth of nationalism

Effect of Napoleonic Wars

Stage 4: Napoleon’s Achilles Heel-Russia � 1812—Napoleon invades Russia � He thought that Czar Alexander I was conspiring with Britain � Russians retreat and burn everything in their path so Napoleon’s soldiers had no supplies/food � Napoleon took 600, 000 soldiers to capture Moscow � Only 20, 000 soldiers survived

Stage 4: Napoleon’s Exile �After Napoleon lost in Russia, he is exiled to Elba �In 1815, he escaped, went back to France and ruled for 100 days until he lost to the British at Waterloo and was exiled to St. Helena

Stage 4: Napoleon’s Contributions �Military—created an empire �Peace—brought peace to war-torn France �Church—mended fences with the Church after the horrible treatment it received during the Revolution �Napoleonic Code � Protected property � Equal rights of adult males � Males are the head of households � Other countries model their law codes on this document

Aftermath: Napoleon’s Problematic Actions �Although he provided a feeling of safety for his people, he did not believe in � Intellectual freedom � Representative government �Censorship � Limited freedom of speech and press � Secret police arrested his enemies—he had some killed � Used propaganda to get his subjects to believe his point of view � Ignored the legislature

Aftermath: Congress of Vienna— 18141815 �Countries present: Russia, Prussia, Austria, Britain, and France �Leader—Metternich (Austria) �Goals— � to balance the power of the countries in Europe so that no one country can gain all of the power like Napoleon tried to � decrease nationalist tendencies � prevent other revolutions

Aftermath: Congress of Vienna— 18141815 �Effects: � Monarchs forcefully rejected revolutions during the 19 th century � European powers successfully avoided war until WWI