The French Revolution

Why did millions of French people suddenly revolt against institutions

that their ancestors accepted for hundreds of years?

A Breakdown of the causesDiscuss

Formation of Classes

• Since Middle Ages people divided into three large social classes (estates)– The political system before the revolution was known

as the Old Regime

– 1st = Roman Catholic Clergy

– 2nd =Nobles

– 3rd = Commoners

• Collectively they met as the Estates General

1st Estate

• Held about 10% of the land

• Archbishops, bishops and abbots enormously wealthy

• Parish priests were poor

• Paid no direct taxes - gave a “free gift” of about 2% of income to the government

2nd Estate

• Made up less than 2% of the population

• Owned about 20% of the land

• Held all of the highest positions in the church, army, gov’t, and courts

• Had no tax burden for centuries

3rd Estate• 98% of France’s population• 3 Groups

– Bourgeoisie - city dwelling middle class• Wealthy - desperate for social status

– Urban lower class• Hard working sans-culottes (those without knee breeches)

• Ate about 3 pounds of bread a day

• 1788 grain harvest were small

– Peasant farmers• 4/5 of 20 million

• 1/2 of income to tax & courvee (unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes)

Discontent in France

• Population pressures– Population increased in the 1700s - need to supply

more for a larger family

• Financial Crisis– Landowners pressed peasants for higher rents

– Inflation - prices increase while _____ remains unchanged = hatred between the rich and poor

– King is blamed for the economic situation

(financial continued-)• Louis XV - the Well-Beloved king ruled for 59

years– “It will survive for my time, After me the deluge”

(Louis XV )

– Borrowed heavily from banks to keep the government running

– Handed a nation in financial trouble over to his heir

• Louis XVI - – Inherits a bankrupt nation with no one willing to lend

him money

– Many advisors suggest taxing the 2nd estate• Calls the Estates General to gain approval for his plan

Weak Leadership

• Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette– Louis financed a very expensive American Revolution

----- Why?– Was indecisive and let things drift– Marie Antoinette was from the royal family of Austria -

France’s longtime enemy– She spent a fortune on gowns and jewels

• Louis wants to tax the nobility - must meet the demands of calling the Estates General --- Versailles May 1, 1789– Why would he want to call the E.G. after 175 years?

– Read Abbey Sieyes (handout)

The Estates General

Commoners3rd Estate

Aristocracy2nd Estate

Clergy1st Estate

The Number of Representatives

325

325

325

The Estates General & Controversy

Commoners3rd Estate

Aristocracy2nd Estate

Clergy1st Estate

1

1

1

Voting by Chamber

• The 3rd estate sees that it represents the entire nation, & decides to reform unilaterally:

• Calls itself the “National Assembly”• Louis closes down the meeting and members flee to

a nearby tennis court

– Tennis Court Oath• Pledge to stay in service until a constitution is

written.– That constitution must limit king’s powers, and must

require regular sitting of an elected legislative assembly with power to budget and create law

The Great Fear and the constitution

• While the urban masses supported National Assembly– Peasants did not know what to think

• They were afraid that removing power from the king would …

• Began attacking aristocratic homes looking for documents & destroying homes & property

– This convinced the N.A. that …

• 3rd Estate ---- “National Assembly”• To end the Great Fear and Violence

– Abolished the special privileges of the First and Second Estates

– Declaration of Rights of Man & Citizen• Born and remain equal before the law• Freedom of speech, press, religion• Equal to hold public office• Fair trial• “liberty, equality, fraternity”

– Adopted France’s first Constitution• Set up an elected Legislative Assembly

• In what way was the Declaration a sham?– Women Excluded

• Olympe de Gouges “ A Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizenesses”

Legislative Assembly Continued

• Constitution– Divided into 3 Branches (Montesquieu)– Weak executive

• Unable to make or block laws

– Tax paying males elect members of the legislative branch

• How might this arrangement fail the new government and France?

Legislative Assembly• King tries to flee France and is captured

– What does this do to the people’s confidence in the new government?

– Whose voice grows in strength?

• Legislative Assembly– Conservatives, Moderates, Radicals– Foreign Matters

• Declaration of Pillnitz - (Leopold II & Frederick William II)– Invited European rulers to help Louis XVI restore the monarchy

• Success in war would legitimize the new government• L.A. declared war on Austria• Forces invade France

– Mass uprising in Paris– Commune calls for the abolition of the Monarchy and arrest Louis XVI

and his family

• Legislative Assembly – Suspends the monarchy

– Needs a new constitution• Voted itself out of existence

• Any adult male could vote for officials to National Convention - no property requirements (universal manhood suffrage)

• National Convention– Girondists - S.W. France, middle class, feared domination by Paris

– Jacobins - republicans who favored domination by Paris - Danton & Robespierre

– Sans-culottes - extreme radicals who wanted reforms to benefit all class -- Jean Paul Marat

• N.C. first order of business– Proclaim the end of the monarchy– Suppress revolts– Fight off foreign invaders– Kings Trial - execution– Decide to export the Revolution and liberate all of Europe

• Successes– Executed Louis XVI (plotting against the nation)– Army fought off foreign invasion– Invaded Austrian Netherlands

• 1st Coalition (G.B., Neth, Spain, Sardinia, Aust, Pr)– Created in response to the success

– Set up Committee of Public Safety• Direct army in crushing foreign forces• Turned on the domestic opposition to the Revolution• Started the Reign of Terror - a program to silence the critics of the

Revolution– The Law of Suspects defines in broad terms enemies of the state

Reign of Terror - a program to silence the critics of the Revolution

• The Law of Suspects defines in broad terms enemies of the state

• The Program was led by Georges-Jacques Danton and Maximilien Robespierre

• The violence eventually will turn inward and the Reign of Terror will come to an end with the death of Robespierre

Reign of Terror• Carried out by the Jacobin Dictatorship

– Robespierre and Danton– The Law of Suspects defines in broad terms enemies of the state

– Committee of Public Safety and Revolutionary Tribunal– Lasted about 10 months– Execute those disloyal to the revolution regardless of class

• Twice as many bourgeoisie as nobles and three times as many from peasants and laborers

– Ends with Robespierre execution• How did his trial go against the ideals of the Declarations of the

Rights of Man and Citizen– No freedom of speech or equality before the law

Napoleon Bonaparte

The Napoleonic Era

France

Napoleon

• 3 Primary Goals– Win peace by military

victory

– Achieve steady government

– Create economic prosperity

Institutional Changes• Created:

– The Consulate• He was first Consul• Later became Emperor after a referendum

– The Napoleonic Code• Organized all French laws into one code• Instituted the code on all conquered lands

– Established a Centralized financial institution– A public school system

• Create common ideals– A meritocracy– Signed the concordat

• Acknowledged Catholicism as the religion of most French• Retained the religious freedoms granted in the D.R.M