1

The French

Revolution

1789-1815

2

3

French Social Structure:

First Estate = Clergy

Second Estate = Aristocracy

Third Estate = Bourgeoisie,

Urban Workers,

Peasants

4

Bourgeoisie = middle

class with money who

want political power.

Ex. =

Doctors, lawyers, larger

scale merchants, etc.

5

Nobility

6

Social Preconditions to Revolution:

1. 1st and 2nd Estates had privileges,

especially exemption from the land tax

(taille)

2. Bottom heavy tax structure = peasants still

required to pay feudal dues, perform

feudal services, and pay church tithe

Examples:

A. corveé = road work obligation of peasants

B. gabelle = salt tax controlled by nobles as monopoly

C. taille = tax on land and income paid only by 3rd

7

Political Preconditions to Revolution:

1. Weak Kings – refused to stand up to the

aristocracy and clergy to force them to pay the

land tax. Failed to use the Estates General.

Masses of people had NO political voice!

Bourgeoisie had wealth, but wanted political

power as well.

A. Rene Maupeou (Chancellor for King Louis 15, 1770-

1774) dissolved the Parlement of Paris in 1771 and

greatly weakened the power of the aristocracy. Also

dissolved other Parlements and exiled magistrates. 1774

when Louis 16 became king (19 yrs. old) he restored the

Parlements to get popular support for the monarchy!

Was major mistake!!

B. At least 5 other finance ministers advised King Louis

16 to change the tax structure!

8

Historical

cartoon

illustrating the

Ancién Regime

or Old Regime

9

Rene Maupeou,

Chancellor to

King Louis 15 - -

drastically

weakened

aristocratic

power. King

Louis 16

reinstated it!!

10

Economic Preconditions to War:

France was bankrupt by 1789. Her debts were

due to:

1. Wars

A. Louis 14’s wars of expansion

B. Seven Years War (fighting Brits & Iroquois)

C. American Revolutionary War

2. Cost of building the Palace of Versailles (Louis 14)

3. 1787-89 droughts = bad harvests, food shortages,

high prices

4. 40% of land owned by peasants who could not afford

to buy new equipment and technology

11Aerial View of the Palace of Versailles and Grounds

12

The Hall of

Mirrors,

Versailles

13

14

King Louis 16

of France

(1774-1793)

15

16

Queen

Marie

Antoinette

and

children (sister of Kings

Joseph II and

Leopold II of

Austria)

17

The Aristocratic Revolt

Louis 16 tried to pass the land tax through

the Parlement of Paris.

Parlement of Paris claimed that ONLY the

Estates General could create new taxes.

(last mtg of Est. Gen. was in 1614!)

In 1788 King Louis 16 ordered delegate

selection for the Estates General which

would meet 5 May 1789. He also ordered

the creation of cahiers de doleance (lists of

grievances).

18

The Aristocracy planned to vote the land tax

down because:

Traditionally, the Estates General met in

separate buildings (for each of the three

estates) and had one vote per estate. Although

each estate had 300 delegates, it was a

majority wins vote to decide the 1 estate vote.

Example:

1st Estate votes 50 votes FOR the land tax and 250 votes

AGAINST, so the majority rules and the 1 vote for the First

Estate is AGAINST the land tax on all estates.

19

Since neither the 1st or 2nd estate

currently paid the land tax, the

aristocracy assumed that the vote to

place the land tax on all estates would go

like this - -

1st Estate = No 1 vote

2nd Estate = No 1 vote

3rd Estate = Yes 1 vote

Result = 2 to 1 No Land Tax on All Estates

20

The 3rd Estate hoped for a chance to

pass the land tax:

In 1788, the 3rd Estate convinced Louis 16 to

give them 600 delegates (instead of the usual

300) since they represented 98% of the

population. This was referred to as “doubling

the third.”

However, this would NOT make a difference if

the estates still had 1 vote each.

At this time, a very influential pamphlet called,

“What is the Third Estate?” was written by

Abbe Sieyes. It argued for the estates to vote

by head.

21

“What is the

Third

Estate?”

Abbé Sieyes

22

Meeting of Estates General, 5 May 1789

23

At Versailles, King Louis 16 ordered

each estate to meet in a separate

building, just as they always had.

This caused the estates to ASSUME

that they would also vote BY

ESTATE, as they always had! Yet,

King Louis 16 DID NOT specify how

the Estates would vote!!

24

17 June 1789, the 3rd Estate

declared itself the NATIONAL

ASSEMBLY and claimed it would

begin to write a new Constitution!!

It then sent an invitation to the

other Estates to join it in the

National Assembly! (first radical act

of the revolution) 19 June 1789

most of the clergy joined the

National Assembly.

25

The next morning, Louis 16 ordered

the doors to the 3rd Estate’s meeting

hall locked so they COULD NOT

MEET!! 20 June 1789 the 3rd Estate,

some clergy supporters, and a few

nobles went to a nearby indoor

tennis court where they proclaimed

what became known as the

“TENNIS COURT OATH!” This oath

said they would not disband until a

new constitution was written!

26

The Tennis Court Oath, 20 June 1789

27

The Tennis Court Oath

28

French Government #1

= the National

Constitutent Assembly

29

30

The Bastille (Medieval Fortress

used as prison)

31

14 July 1789 “Storming of the Bastille!”

32

The Eiffel Tower

was built in 1889

to celebrate the

100th anniversary

of Bastille Day!

33

Liberté,

Egalité,

Fraternité!

34

“The

Great

Fear!”

July –

August

1789

35

The

Great

Fear

36

National Assembly creating the lasting

reforms of the French Revolution

(4 August 1789)

37

National Assembly Actions, 1789 – 1791 (*

lasting reforms of the revolution):

1. Ended feudal dues and serfdom

2. ** Declaration of the Rights of Man (French Bill of

Rights)

3. Constitutional Monarchy form of gov’t – legislature

had more power than the king

4. ** Voting rights given only to men that paid a set

amount of taxes or above (meant only 2/3 of

male population could vote – had own land)

5. Revised local government (created 83 departments,

roughly equal in size) and gov’t officials

ELECTED by voters of each department – not

appointed by king as before!

38

National Assembly Actions, 1789 – 1791 (*

lasting reforms of the revolution):

6. Seized the lands of the church and of the Emigrés

and sold them to pay state debts. Much of this

land was bought by the bourgeoisie, who then

owned enough land to get VOTING RIGHTS!!

7. ** Civil Constitution of the Clergy (**considered the

biggest mistake of the revolution since it turned

the church and most of the peasants against the

revolution)

39

The Declaration

of the Rights of

Man (French Bill

of Rights)

40

French

departments

before 1789

revisions

41

Newly

revised

departments

of France

42

Hammering

Out a New

Constitution

43

Events During the Meeting of the Nat’l

Assembly (1789-1791):

1. Women’s March on Versailles

2. 1791 Flight to Varennes

3. New government (#2) called the

Legislative Assembly is created

4. Late 1791, both aristocrats & radicals

want war with Austria-Prussia

44Women’s March on Versailles

45

Hotel de Ville (rebuilt after 1871 fire

destroyed the original)

46

1791 Flight to Varennes (Louis 16 & family try

to escape, incognito, and are caught!)

47

Marie Antoinette’s Connections = Brothers King Joseph II

(left) and King Leopold II, 1790-1792 (right) of Austria

48

THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

(gov’t # 2) was more radical than

the National Constitutent

Assembly because none of the

delegates to the National Const.

Assembly could be elected

again.

49

The Counterrevolution 1792 – 1794

1. 1792 – Legislative Assembly declared war

on Austria-Prussia!

2. July 1792 – The Brunswick Manifesto

3. August 1792 – Paris City Council replaced

by the Paris Commune (sans culottes)

4. August 1792 Parisian Sans Culottes Attack

the Palace of the Tuileries

5. September 1792 – The September

Massacres

50France in 1789

51

52

Duke of

Brunswick

(Brunswick

Manifesto)

53Sans culottes

54

Sans culotte

apparel

55Storming the Palace of the Tuileries

56

Sans

culotte

urban

fighters

57

The Radical Phase of the Revolution 1793-94

1. 20 Sept. 1792. Government #3, THE NATIONAL

CONVENTION, was elected by ** universal

manhood suffrage. **22 Sept. 1792 the National

Convention officially created a REPUBLIC!!!!

Jacques Louis David became the official artist of

the French Revolution. He was one of the

Conventionels.

Nat’l Convent. Consisted of 780 members = 20

nobles, 40 clergy, and 720 bourgeoisie!

Parisian militants (sans culottes & Paris

Commune) drove The Convention in its first year.

Sans culottes read inflammatory journals such

as:

58

Jacques Louis

David, self

portrait

(the artist of the

French

Revolution)

59

Jean Paul

Marat’s - -

“Ĺ Ami du

Peuple” {The

Friend of the

People}

60

The Death of

Jean Paul

Marat

(stabbed by peasant

woman, Charlotte

Corday)

Big owee!!!

61

Jacques

René

Hébert’s - -

“Le Pere

Duchesne”

{Father

Duchesne}

Énrages

62

“La Pere

Duchesne” (meaning Father

Duchesne, imaginary

character representing

the man of the people) -

- Revolutionary

Newspaper of

Jacques René

Hébert

63

Radical Phase of the Revolution (contin.)

Problems for the National Convention:

A. Nat’l Convention became divided between 2 factions

of the Jacobin Club - - the Girondist were the

conservatives who thought the revolution was now

going too far. They were happy with the reforms of

1791. Their leader was Georg Jacques Danton AND the

Montagnards who were the radicals or leftists. They

saw the creation of the Republic as the beginning of

the revolution. The Montagnards wanted further

economic reforms by the gov’t, such as rationing and

the establishment of maximum prices and minimum

wages. Saw gov’t as protector of the poor. Wanted

universal manhood suffrage and direct democracy.

The Montagnard leader was Maximilien Robespierre.

64

Georges

Jacques

Danton, leader

of the Girondist

65

Maximilien

Robespierre,

leader of

Montagnards

Leader of the

Committee of

Public Safety

66

Problems for the National Convention:

B. What should be done with King Louis 16 & the

royal family?

C. What should be done with foreign countries

occupied by French troops? Belgium??

“Guerre aux Chateau, Paix aux Chaumiere” {war

on the palaces & manor houses, peace for the

huts of the poor}

2. January 1793 – National Convention put Louis 16 on

trial.

3. First Coalition of 1793 – consisted of Britain,

Netherlands, Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Naples,

and Spain!!

4. Early 1793, inflation spirals out of control?

(assignats)

67France in 1789

Belgium

Prussian Troops on the

march!

Austrian troops on the

march!

68

Members of the First

Coalition of 1793

69

70

Problems for the National Convention (contin.):

5. Civil War developed between rival factions - -

Nobles & peasants (Girondist) vs. bourgeioisie &

urban workers (Montagnards)

*** Something had to be done to STOP THE CIVIL

WAR so France could unify to fight the oncoming

foreign armies!! (all revolutionary gains at stake!)

6. 1793 the Committee of Public Safety was created

(1793-1794) - - was an emergency gov’t

consisting of 12 members from Nat’l Convention.

Key leader was Maximilien Robespiere. Key goal

of Com. Of Publ Safety was to end the civil war to

save the revolution.

71

The Committee of Public Safety

72

How Did the Committee of Public Safety Work?

The National Com. Of Publ. Safety set up LOCAL

committees of public safety in towns across France.

The basic idea is that all people became spies on one

another. REVOLUTIONARY TRIBUNALS were created

to try and execute counterrevolutionaries (those who

DID NOT support the Fr. Revol.). Anyone who said

something against the revolution or did something to

show he was against the revolution was DENOUNCED

as a traitor before the revolutionary tribunal. The

judges of the tribunal almost always found the

denounced person guilty and sentenced him to

execution by the guillotine!!!

73

74

Execution of King

Louis 16!! “Off

with his head!”

75

King Louis 16

76

Aw, aw!! Off

wiz Madame

Shreeve’s ed!!

77

Place de la Concorde (tower = where many of the executions

took place! Called Place de la Revolution at the time)

78

The Reign of Terror (June 1793 – June 1794)

1. May 1793 first MAXIMUM ON BREAD established!

Radicals still not satisfied. Girondist leaders

expelled from National Convention & executed!

2. August 1793 *** LEVEE EN MASSE issued by Lazare

Carnot.

This drafted all men into a CITIZEN’S ARMY and

organized the economy to support the war.

Created army of 800,000 by 1794! Largest army

ever raised by European power!

3. October 1793 Queen Marie Antoinette executed!

4. Oct. 1793 New Calendar created.

Created by Hébert and the ** Enrages to De-

Christianize France. Goes back to 22 Sept. 1792,

79

Lazare Carnot

– issued a

levee en masse

or draft, which

created a

citizen army of

800,000!!

80

Marie

Antoinette

OFF WIZ

ZEE ED,

Madame!!

Aw,Aw!!

81

the day France was made a REPUBLIC. Goal

was to eliminate Christian presence in the

calendar by eliminating: Sundays, Saint’s Days,

& religious holidays. 300 day calendar made up

of 10 day **decades instead of weeks. Each

tenth day was a “Day of Decade” to be taken off

work. They were each named after impt. events

in the revol.

Nat’l Convention sent deputies into France to

enforce De-Christianization by closing churches,

persecuting clergy, & sometimes forcing clergy

to marry.

Nov. 1793 expanded De-Christianization to CULT

OF REASON / REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE - -

Cathedral of Notre Dame became Temple of

Reason.

82

Ceremonies celebrating “reason” were held.

People tried to be humble (Jean Jacques

Rousseau) and dressed in Sans Culotte or

Roman style.

June 1794, Robespiere changed CULT OF

REASON to CULT OF THE SUPREME BEING

since he was afraid the cult of reason would turn

the French masses and foreigners against the

Revolution. Cult of Supr. Being recognized

existence of god and immortality of soul.

Change was TOO LATE!!!

5. Reign of Terror executions estimated at 20,000-

40,000!!! Most were common people.

6. Committee of Public Safety was successful by

spring of 1794! Fr. was winning the Counterrevol. War

& people asked why there was need for more executions.

83

New Republican Calendar

84

New

Republican

Calendar with

Days of

Decade

85

Cult of

Reason /

Republic of

Virtue

86

“Liberty Leading the People” Delacroix

1830

87

Robespierre REFUSED to stop the executions!

7. Thermidorian Reaction {July 1794 – 1795}

Nat’l Convention ordered Robespierre executed in July &

this ended the Reign of Terror! Also removed economic

controls and economy became worse than ever!!

88

Post-Revolutionary Period, 1795 – 1799

Oct. 1795 Nat’l Convention was dissolved and new gov’t called

THE DIRECTORY was created. It was required that at least 2/3 of

the new members of the Legislative Assembly be former members

of the National Convention (to preserve the gains of the

Revolution).

The Directory 1795 – 1799 {Gov’t # 4}

In 1795, a new Moderate Constitution created the

Directory which included:

A. Elected legislature - - vote given to those who could read & who

owned a quota of property.

B. Executive - - consisted of 5 directors

The Directory became ineffective due to corrupt legislators &

inefficient directors. Almost all French HATED IT!!!!

89

Napoleon

Bonaparte as

Consul

90

91

Done!! Bye, Bye!!