#1: Meeting of Estates General - May, By Mr. Kelemen

Transcription

1 #1: Meeting of Estates General - May, 1789 SUMMARY: Under the Old Regime, the people of France were divided into three social classes or Estates. These were the 1 st Estate (clergy), the 2 nd Estate (nobility) and everyone else (the 3 rd Estate) who paid all the taxes but had no official say in making laws. By 1789, France faced bankruptcy because of overspending by King Louis XVI and his family. The King was forced to call a meeting of representatives of each estate called the Estates General. This had not happened for 175 years. Each estate was to get one vote at the meeting. EXPLANATION: The 1 st & 2 nd Estates together had always outvoted the 3 rd Estate and this is what King Louis XVI expected at the meeting of the Estates General in However, the Enlightenment influenced middle class delegates of the 3 rd Estate. These educated middle class men were called the Bourgeoisie. Some of them wanted to use the Estates General meeting as an opportunity to change the absolute monarchy system. IMAGE: This cartoon illustrates how the 3 rd Estate (common people) felt they were chained and unfairly carrying the burden of the King and other Estates (clergy & nobility) on their back. By Mr. Kelemen

2 #2: National Assembly Created w/ Tennis Court Oath Summary: The National Assembly was a revolutionary assembly that was formed in the months of June and July in The 3rd estate sends a delegate to represent members of the Bourgeoisie, whose views were shaped by the enlightenment, and wanted to make changes in the government. Each of the three states were to meet together and each delegate had a vote. On June 17, 1789 the national assembly was established, the first deliberate act of revolution. 3 days later, the tennis court oath was signed. After being locked out of their chamber, they fled to a nearby indoor tennis court. In there, they signed the Tennis Court Oath. "Never to separate, and to meet wherever circumstances demand, until the constitution of the kingdom is established and affirmed on solid foundations 576 men signed the oath. They followed through with their pledge to the oath until the Constitution was signed. Explanation: These events mattered because they made the 1st and 2nd estates rid of their unfair feudal privileges. They eventually gained traction when the king had to recognize the group due to their large size and their growing following. They also set up the whole revolution itself, by igniting the Storming of Bastille. Later, they provided a Reformation-esque phrase stating Man is born and remains free and equal in rights These events also set a precedent to how revolutions can be effective in uprooting an unjust government. Delegates take their pledge to the Tennis Court Oath

3 Battle of Bastille #3 Heather Alexander and Connor Jenkins Summary: The Battle of Bastille occurred on July 14, This happened because their were rumors about foreign troops coming in to attack people who lived in France. So people started to gather weapons. Knowing the prison would have them they raided it so they could take the weapons to defend themselves better. It also was a symbol of the king because it was where he kept all the prisoners that went against him. It escalated quickly to the people attacking the prison and walking down the street with the guards head on the stick. Explanation: The reason the people attacked it was it represented the Royal authority at the center of paris and by destroying it showed how they were going to destroy Royal authority, mainly the king. Containing lots of guns, ammo and gun powder it would help fuel the revolution. The prison only had several prisoners because most of them had been shipped off. The fall of the prison was a major point during the revolution and is still celebrated today because it was the first thing that showed the people wanted their freedom and was the first step over the edge. Image: This pictures shows all of the 3rd estate people attacking the Bastille so they could get weapons to defend themselves against the French army that was rumored was coming

4 #4: Great Fear/ Women s March of Versailles October, 1789 Summary: Rumors spread around France that Nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize peasants, sparking the Great fear. Many peasants began to riot and destroy legal papers. In 1789, many Parisian women stormed Versailles and demanded cheaper food and the return of Marie Antoinette to Paris. By Eli Arrick, Jacob Zimmerman, Maddie Lerner Explanation: During this time period, women were typically responsible for feeding their families. The scarcities of bread sparked them into fear, and the women rioted against the king demanding cheaper bread. This riot shows that people are starting to fight for the bread and the breadless starving peasants are angry and shouting Bread! Bread!. Image: The top image is depicting woman angry at the king and queen for raising the price of bread. The bottom image is of a prison the Royal family is being brought to in Paris.

5 #5: Declaration of Rights of Man Issued - August, 1789 By Miguel S. and Will B. Summary: The National Assembly adopted a statement called the Declaration of the Rights of Man, stating that men(not women) are born and remain free and equal in rights. It gave rights to everyone such as liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. Explanation: The peasants attacking/revolting prompted the noblemen to make speeches stating how they loved liberty, freedom, and equal rights for all citizens, which ended the Old Regime, they did this out of fear. Only 3 weeks later a list is officially released describing all the rights what made all men free and equal. Which is a huge contrast to the previous method of forcefully making people believe that the king was Absolute. French Artists demonstrating the importance and empowerment the new rights gave.

6 #6: King Louis XVI and Family Captured Fleeing France - June 20-21, 1791 SUMMARY: In the early summer of 1791, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their family attempted to escape past the borders of France. They were captured at Varennes after being recognized at an earlier stop they made on their way out of the country. Explanation: He wanted to initiate a counter-revolution in which he would have asked for help from other absolute monarch. He did so because the people in his country were revolting against his ruling (revolting against absolutism), feeling mistreated by their ruler. IMAGE: This image shows a group of soldiers invading a building where King Louis XVI and his family were staying. Additionally, it shows them being captured and arrested in Varennes. by Riley Brum and Will Goltra

7 #7 France At War With Austria & Prussia - Summer of 1792 Summary: The changes happening in France caused many other European countries to fear revolutionary ideas might reach them. Austria and Prussia asked that Louis restore his position as absolute monarch, and the Legislative Assembly responded by declaring war. In the summer of 1792, Prussian forces began to advance on Paris. They threatened to destroy the city if and members of the royal family were harmed. On August 10, 20,000 people invaded the Tuileries, the palace of the royal family, killing the royal guards and capturing Louis and his family. After hearing that imprisoned supporters of the king planned to break out and take control of the city, citizens decided to take on the law. They raided prisons and murdered more than 1,000 prisoners, along with nobles and royalist sympathizers. As a result of pressure, the Legislative Assembly created a constitution that removed the monarchy, and a new legislature was elected. They were called the National Convention and they took office September 21. Explanation: The French Revolution started within France and then later spread to other countries like Austria and Prussia. This caused many wars and hundreds to thousands of deaths. The Revolution became an issue for the kings and monarchs ruling over Austria and Prussia, because it sparked ideas to the civilians about revolting against the government. So the kings sent armies out to stop the spread of the Revolution into their countries, allowing them to continue to hold positions of power over society. Overall the revolution sparked violence within France and other nearby countries. Image: (right) The painting illustrates the battlefield where French troops challenged Austrian Troops. By: Josh Katz and Mitsy Cante

8 #8: Legislative Assembly Splits into Factions - September, 1791 SUMMARY: For two years, the French National Assembly had difficulty completing a new constitution. Finally in September of 1791, a new constitution was created. They also devised a Legislative Assembly that made laws and managed declarations of war. Since the constitution resulted in a limited constitutional monarchy, the king lost most of his authority to the Legislative Assembly, but he still kept executive power when enforcing the law. Unfortunately, a new government wasn't enough to rid France of its underlying problems. Even thought most wanted change with the king not everyone agreed with this idea. EXPLANATION: Issues like starvation and debt created debate. Eventually the Legislative Assembly split into three groups- radicals, moderates, and conservatives. Radicals wanted to rid of monarchy altogether, moderates wanted some adjustments, and conservatives praised the idea of limited monarchy. In the revolution, people had many different opinions on what should happen to the government. The factions were divided into two sides left and right. The left side was represented by the radicals and the right side was represented by the conservatives. The moderates were in the middle. Other groups outside the Legislative Assembly also tried to influence the government. Emigres who fled France wanted to return to the Old Regime, while Parisian workers and shopkeepers, called sans-culottes, wanted the revolution to spark more change. They did not directly have power in the assembly, but they found ways to influence the people of Paris. IMAGES: The top picture illustrates the 3 different factions in the Legislative Assembly The bottom picture is a visual of the 3 groups and how they were divided and what side the remained on. By: Ava Cook, Emily McSwain, and Conner Lauchle

9 #9: King Louis XVI Guillotined - January 21, 1793 Summary: King Louis XVI was guillotined (beheaded) at La Place de la Revolution a month after being tried and found guilty for committing high treason against the state. He was arrested on August 10, 1792 and sent to the temple prison with his family. He was the first victim of the right of terror. Explanation: When King Louis XVI was arrested it started the fall of monarchy. Louis was arrested for 33 different charges having to do with everything from attempting to leave France to advancing an army on the people of Paris, he was found guilty for high treason and crimes against the state in an almost unanimous vote. The right of terror that started with Louis XVI s beheading was marked by the mass execution of enemies of the Revolution, In total 41,594 people were executed during this period. This was a major event of the French Revolution. Image: This picture shows someone showing King Louis XVI s head to the crowd after he was beheaded. By Nanki Sandhu, Patrick Sadil, Caroline Spence, Riley McIntyre & Nicole Fazzari

10 #10: Robespierre Leads Committee of Public Safety - July, 1793 SUMMARY: In the first month of 1793, Robespierre and his colleagues set out to build a republic of virtue and rewrite France s past. They changed the calendar, by removing sundays due to the belief that religion was old-fashioned and dangerous. For the next year, Robespierre governed France as a dictator in a period known as the Reign of Terror. His regime tried in the morning and guillotined in the afternoon. He justified the use of terror, saying it helped the French keep their virtues. EXPLANATION: Due to the French Revolution and political discord, Robespierre was able to take over the government as a dictator and instituted his terror regime that caused more political and social discord in France. It is this regime that lead to his and 21 of his follower s deaths by guillotine. This shows how the Committee of Public safety got out of hand and had the enemies of the Revolution killed in front of the masses. IMAGE: This is an image of the guillotining of Robespierre s enemies in a public square. Michael Schroer, Oliver Harary

11 #11: Reign of Terror Ends Summary: The Reign of Terror was a period of time between September 5, July 28, Robespierre became a dictator in which everyone became unsafe from him. As a result the National Convention went against him and sentence him death (beheaded). As of 1795 a new government was formed, it was a two house legislative bodies and five man executives called The Directory. Later on Napoleon Bonaparte was asked and put in charge of the French Army. Explanation: The National Convention and the citizens of France were tired of Robespierre s ways and reign, so in fear of being executed themselves, they arrested, tried, and executed him by guillotine. Due to the state of destruction that the government was in and the high prices for food, the Convention made major reforms, developing a two-branched government and the Directory. After such insanity was caused by their fight for democracy, the French turned to the military, and eventually Napoleon.Though they still had corruption, France had finally achieved a temporary time of peace and equality that they had been fighting for since the reign of Louis XVI. Image: This drawing depicts Robespierre s execution by guillotine, which marked the end of the reign of terror. By: Grace McNally and Ollie Sagastume