The French Revolution Liberty Fraternity Equality The Causes

The French Revolution Liberty Fraternity Equality

The Causes of Revolutions Unpopular Methods of Rule -people don't like the way their rulers do things Enlightened Ideas -someone comes up with a new and better way for government to work Religious Intolerance -people feel they are treated unfairly b/c their religion Social Injustice -groups of people are treated unfairly Economic Distress -there are problems dealing with money - not enough, high taxes, gov't waste, etc

Louis XVI 1754 – 1793 Indecisive and allowed matters to drift Paid little attention to his government advisers Little patience for details of governing Well-intentioned Sincerely wanted to improve the lives of the common people Lacked ability to make decisions and determination to see it through Followed poor advice

Maria Antoinette Often interfered in government Frequently offered Louis poor advice Member of the royal family of Austria – Hapsburg, long time enemy of France Unpopular and behavior made situation worse – “Madame Deficit” Pretty Lighthearted and charming Unpopular Spending Involvement in controversial court affairs

The Old Regime Period of time before 1789 Everyone in France belonged to a social class First Estate Second Estate Third Estate

The Estates of France

First Estate – The Clergy ¨ Wealthy and privileged ¨ Less than 1% of population ¨ Owned 10% of land ¨ Held high offices in ¨ ¨ government Collected tithes (diezmo) Paid no taxes Helped the poor Reformation showed the abuses by the clergy

Second Estate – The Nobility ¨ About 2% of population ¨ Owned about 20% of the ¨ ¨ ¨ land Top jobs in government, army, courts Little money income Paid no taxes Hated absolutism Feared losing power

Third Estate – 98% of Society ¨ 27 million people ¨ Three groups – Bourgeoisie (middle class) – Rural peasants – City workers

Bourgeoisie • Middle class – bankers, factory owners, merchants, professionals, skilled artisans • Well-educated • Believed strongly in Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality • Paid high taxes • Lacked privileges • Many felt that their wealth should entitle them to greater degree of social status and political power

Urban Workers – poorest group • Tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, domestic servants • Low wages, frequently out of work • If cost of bread rose, mobs of these workers might attack carts and bread shops to steal what they needed

Peasants Largest group – more than 80% of French population • Paid about half of their income in dues to nobles, tithes to the Church, and taxes to the king’s agents • Even paid taxes on salt • Resented clergy and nobles for privileges and special treatment

A Financial Crisis Deficit Spending

Deficit Spending ¨ When a government spends more than it takes in ¨ Owes interest ¨ Taxes increased to pay debts

Economic Troubles By 1780, once prosperous economy in decline On surface – economy appeared to be sound Both production and trade were expanding rapidly Reality Heavy burden of taxes made it almost impossible to conduct business within France profitably Cost of living rising sharply Bad weather caused bad harvests Widespread crop failures Severe shortage of grain Price of bread doubled in 1789 Many faced starvation 1770 s and 1780 s – government deeply in debt Extravagant spending of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette Inherited considerable debt from Louis XIV and Louis XV Borrowed heavily to help finance the American Revolution (supported Amer Rev to hurt rival Britain)

The King Takes Action ¨ France on the verge of bankruptcy ¨ Chose Jacques Necker to reduce spending and improve trade ¨ Necker wanted to tax Second Estate ¨ Estates General called

May 1, 1789 Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General, the first one in 175 years. Medieval rules of the Estates General Each Estate’s delegates met in a separate hall to vote Each Estate had one vote The 2 privileged Estates could always out vote the Third Estate insisted that all 3 Estates meet together and each delegate have a vote Would give the advantage to the Third Estate which had as many delegates as the other 2 combined Siding with nobles, the king ordered the Estates General to follow medieval rules

June 17, 1789 Third Estate voted to establish the National Assembly Proclaimed an end to absolute monarchy Beginning of representative government Vote – first deliberate act of revolution Locked out of meeting room 3 days later Broke down the door to the indoor tennis court

The Tennis Court Oath • The Tennis Court Oath – pledge to stay until the drew up a constitution

• Soon after, nobles and clergy who favored reforms joined the Third Estate • Louis stationed his mercenary army around Versailles • Rumors flew around Paris • Began to gather weapons to defend the city against attack

Storming the Bastille July 14, 1789 ¨ Mob attacked Bastille looking for weapons ¨ Political prisoners held there Mob broke through and freed prisoners ¨ Symbol of the Revolution “Is it a revolt? No sire, it is a revolution!”

Creating a New France The Revolution Begins

The Phases of the Revolution 1. National Assembly – France became a constitutional monarchy 2. Radical Phase – violence led to the Reign of Terror 3. The Directory – period of reaction against the violence Age of Napoleon – put into practice many of the ideas of the Revolution

Revolts in Paris and Provinces ¨ Famine led to soaring prices ¨ Great Fear – rumors caused panic • Peasants soon became outlaws themselves • Armed with pitchforks and farm tools, broke into nobles’ manor houses and destroyed legal papers that bound them to pay feudal dues • Some burned down manors

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity ¨ Nobles in Assembly vote to give up privileges ¨ Give up special legal status ¨ Give up exemption from taxes

Declaration of the Rights of Man ¨ Modeled after Declaration of ¨ • • • ¨ Independence Locke – governments exist to protect rights of citizens “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” “life, property, security, and resistance of oppression” Guaranteed citizens equal justice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion Louis XVI slow to accept reforms

Women March on Versailles ¨ Women marched to ¨ ¨ palace – “Bread!” Anger directed at Marie Antoinette Forced king to return to Paris Royal family became prisoners

Women in the Revolution ¨ Many women took part in the Revolution ¨ Divorce made easier ¨ Women could inherit property ¨ Women eventually lost these rights

A Time of Reform ¨ Assembly took over and sold Church land ¨ Clergy under state control ¨ Ended papal power ¨ Many peasants were against this change

Fateful Flight June 1791 – Royal family tried to escape to the Austrian Netherlands (Marie Antoinette Austrian – brother (the Austrian emperor) would give them an army to retake Fr) Apprehended and returned to Paris under guard Increased influence of his radical enemies and showed king was a traitor to the revolution

Constitution of 1791 • Sept 1791 – New Constitution • A limited constitutional monarchy • Stripped king of much of his authority • Legislative Assembly – new legislative body • Power to create laws • Power to approve or reject declarations of war • King still held executive power to enforce laws

Reaction Outside France ¨ European nobility afraid of “the French plague” ¨ Émigrés – nobles, clergy who fled France told horror stories ¨ Predicted Revolution would be violent

From Right to Left ¨ Seats at the Assembly ¨ Conservatives sat on the right side ¨ Moderates sat in center ¨ Radicals sat on left

Legislative Assembly split into 3 groups 1. Radicals – left Opposed the idea of a monarchy Wanted sweeping changes in the way government was run 2. Moderates – center Wanted some changes in government but not as many as radicals 3. Conservatives (conserve – save) – right Limited monarchy and wanted few changes

Political Spectrum

War Breaks Out ¨ Assembly declared war on Austria, Prussia, Britain ¨ Wanted to spread the revolution. ¨ Great powers expected an easy victory over France

Radical Days Violence Seizes France

Downfall of the Monarchy ¨ France losing battles ¨ Royal family fled to ¨ ¨ the Austrian Netherlands Royal family captured and returned to Paris Citizens killed Imprisoned nobles King’s guards killed

National Convention ¨ Radicals take over • Constitution of 1791 set aside by Legislative Assembly under pressure from radicals • Declared the king deposed • Dissolved the Assembly • Called for the election of a new legislature • Sept 21, 1792 – National Convention, new government • Abolished the monarchy • Declared France a republic • Adult male citizens granted the right to vote and hold off ¨ Nobility abolished

Death of King and Queen ¨ Louis XVI convicted of treason and beheaded in Jan, 1793 ¨ Marie Antoinette beheaded in October

1793 - Convention Under Siege ¨ France at war with Britain, ¨ ¨ • • Spain, Netherlands, Prussia Committee of Public Safety – 12 men had absolute power to “save the revolution” Jacobins had thousands of enemies within France itself Included peasants who were horrified by the king’s execution Priests who could not accept government control Rival leaders who were stirring up rebellion in the provinces

Maximilien Robespierre ¨ Jacobin leader who became leader of Committee of Public Safety and governed France virtually as a dictator • Time knows as Reign of Terror • Set out to build a “republic of virtue” • Chief task – to protect the Revolution from its enemies • Often had these “enemies” tried in the morning and guillotined in the afternoon ¨ “Liberty cannot be secured unless criminals lose their heads. ” • Justified his use of terror by suggesting that it enabled French citizens to remain true to ideas of the Revolution • “Enemies of the Revolution” who troubled Robespierre the most were follow radicals who challenged his leadership • Thousands of unknown people were sent to their deaths often on the flimsiest of charges

The Reign of Terror ¨ July 1793 – July 1794 ¨ Perhaps 40, 000 died ¨ Guillotine used as instrument of death ¨ Robespierre eventually executed as people tired of bloodshed

The Directory (1795 – 1799) ¨ 3 rd constitution since 1789 ¨ • • • ¨ 5 man Directory and two house legislature Moderates of National Convention drafted a new plan of government Power in the hands of the upper middle class Moderates, not revolutionaries Some were corrupt Made themselves rich at country’s expense Rise of Napoleon

Changes in Daily Life ¨ Wearing of red “liberty caps” ¨ Showing the “tricolor” ¨ Children called “Constitution”, “Republic’

Nationalism ¨ Revolution and war brought people together ¨ An aggressive feeling of pride in and devotion to one’s country ¨ La Marseilles – song that became national anthem of France

Social Reform ¨ Compulsory elementary education ¨ Secularized France ¨ Nationalism in art ¨ Metric system established

Age of Napoleon Begins