The French Revolu.on 1789-1815
The French Revolu.on Causes Class division and privileges of the upper classes Growing number of urban poor Bad harvests War expenditures/debt Taxes Failure of the king to make reforms Bread prices Effects Did not create a las.ng representa.ve democracy Expanded mass par.cipa.on in poli.cs Passions of revolu.on could not be stopped or sustained!!! Napoleon s dictatorship arose out of the Revolu.on- -
Ancien Regime (The Old Order) The three estates (28 million people in France) First estate-clergy (priests, bishops)-130,000 people Second estate-nobility( high administration jobs)-- 300,000 people Third estate-bourgeoisie, middle class (bankers, merchants), urban poor, peasants-(peasants were 80 % of the French Population) approx. 27.5 million people total in Third Estate *Discontent stemmed from the privileges of the first and second estates (little to no taxation, held upper positions in society, wealthy, always outvoted the Third Estate)
Debt in France War of Austrian Succession (Louis XV) new taxes on nobility was not popular widespread protest and refusal by Parlement wealthy privleges rearing its ugly head Seven Years War (Louis XV) The King imposed new fiscal measures authorities exiled member of Parlement and pushed through unpopular financial measures American Revolution (Louis XVI 22years old warned that the French government would fail to operate if involved in war. Half of France s national budget was needed to pay the interest on its debt. Borrowing of money disguised the debt in misleading accounts Increased taxes inevitable, and took the place of loans the privileged estates are unhappy, wanted to protect their own interests
Poor Harvests and Lack of Reform by King Louis XVI By 1780, poor harvests increased Cost of living rises Demand for farmer s goods declined Educated, but too poor to influence policy Lives of the poor especially no.ceable in Paris and other big French Ci.es Violent protest and rage over bread not revolu.onary in character; remedies were short term and conven.onal- - - not long- term solu.ons to these problems Louis XV new financial measures not supported by the elite and privileged estates Louis XVI- - - Tried reforms on his own; could not get the taxes that he needed; called on the Estates General Privileges of the Rich vs. the Poverty of the Poor Much discontent among the three estates=the forma.on of the Na>onal Assembly came from the growing Third Estate
The Estates General and the Na.onal Assembly Estates General Had not met since 1614 Why would it? It gave power to Parlement and away from the ABSOLUTE MONARCH!!! Mostly men of property Some Clergy members also met with and sympathized with the Third Estate Refused to meet with king un.l it was in a single body with other two estates The Na>onal Assembly Goals: To Force a cons.tu.onal monarchy on France Locked out of their mee.ng place Moved mee.ng to an indoor tennis court Pledged to write a cons.tu.on The new reforms will not just be fiscal (economic) in nature
The Tennis Court Oath
Con.nued Problems in France Economic depression Bread prices=one month s salary Unemployment Gathering of Troops by the king to stop the representa.ves of the Na.onal Assembly
The Storming of the Bas.lle, July 14 th, Fueled by hunger, anger, and rumors, common people began to seize arms and mobilize to the Bas.lle, a medieval fortress known for torture and imprisonment, and a symbol of the King 98 people killed trying to take the Bas.lle The commander of the Bas.lle killed, the chief magistrate of Paris killed; heads put on pikes Uprisings of peasants in the country occur at the same.me Peasants stop revolts when the Na.onal Assembly votes to end tradi.onal obliga.ons 1789
The 1 st Stage of the Revolu.on (1789-1791): Declara.on of the Rights of Man & the Ci.zen created Similari.es w/u.s. Declara.on of Independence Thomas Jefferson, ambassador to Paris Natural rights and liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression Free expression of ideas, general will, equality before the law, and representa.ve government. Ideas from Locke, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire
The 1 st stage of the revolu.on con.nued: The Women and new changes Women in the garment and small scale retail hardest hit w/ depression very angry The need to feed families boiled over into sheer anger directed at Marie Antoineoe and the demand for BREAD!!! *alliance forged between the poor and the poli.cal aspira.ons of the French bourgeoisie (middle class) Working women storm the palace at Versailles looking for blood Demanded that the Royal family move from Versailles to Paris Again with the pikes (yikes)
1 st stage of the Revolu.on: Other Events (1789-1791) Great Fear Emigres (nobles) flee France out of fear (1789) Women s Bread March on Versailles (Royal Family moves to Paris) August Decrees 1789 ends feudalism,.thes, tax privileges Royal family failed escape aoempt 1791 under house arrest Declara>on of Pilnitz (1791) war on France threatened by Austria and Prussia Liberty, Equality, Fraternity new revolu>onary slogan The Na>onal Assembly (AKA- - Legisla>ve Assembly) passes a new cons.tu.on (1791) NEW CONSTITUTION - Abolished the nobility - Cons.tu.onal Monarchy is official when Louis XVI agrees to sign - Cons.tu.on adopts limited suffrage (men only) - church lands seized by new Legisla>ve Assembly - Priests elected; put on state payroll; forced to take a loyalty oath - a counterrevolu>onary movement begins led by members of clergy, Catholics - monopolies, trade barriers swept away; benefits working class
The Second Stage: (1792-1794) Most radical phase King s support is gone Brunswick Manifesto Decree of Fraternity: France offers to help others overthrow their governments August 10, 1792 crowd forces Louis to seek protec.on in the Legisla>ve Assembly King suspended, imprisoned Na>onal Conven>on elected by vote of all men; governing body Na.onalism sweeps France; volunteer armies, resources for the war; stalemate with foreign forces by end of 1792 September Massacres (1792) Louis XVI convicted of Treason by Na.onal Conven.on Larger war between France and other major European Powers New Poli.cal Par.es: Girondists, Jacobins, Royalists, The Mountain King Louis XVI and Marie Antoine^e executed in 1793 Robespierre and The Commi^ee of Public Safety ins.tute the Reign of Terror (1793-1794) Repression con>nues