Throne

ClergyController-General

Manor

Manor

Manor

Manor

Teacher Desk

Background Information

• Who was King Louis XIV?• When did he reign over France?• What was the Palace of Versailles?• How did Louis XIV use the palace

to increase his power?

Palace of Versailles

King Louis XVI

Background Information

• Who was King Louis XVI?• When did he reign over France?• Who was the Queen of France

during Louis XVI’s reign??• Where was she from?

Pre-Revolutionary FranceFinancial Crisis End of 18th cent. France spent more $ than it made.

Took out Loans to pay for: war w/ Englandgov’t operations

1788 50% annual budget to pay loan interest

25% of annual budget to pay for military

6% of annual budget for king’s lifestyle and court at Versailles

19% of annual budget to run country

Taxes King has no option but to raises taxes to cover costs

Tax burden goes to peasantsClergy & Nobles mostly exempt from taxes

Poor harvest hits as taxes increasecaused price of bread to soar

Meeting of Estates General

Medieval representative body: hasn’t met since 16143 orders/Estates: Clergy, Nobility, Commoners

King calls meeting to solve Financial Crisis

The Estates General

1st Estate

Throne

Controller-General

2nd Estate

3rd Estate (Peasants)

(Clergy)

(Nobles)

Step OneThe King assembles the

Estates General for advice.

• Please kneel in reverence for your King

Step TwoThe 3 Estates prepare to meet

1) Decide to vote by head or by order2) Draft proposal to solve financial crisis3) Choose spokesperson to speak to King

& Queen4) Create banner with symbol to represent

your Estate

Step 3Propose Plans

• Spokesperson approach throne, Kneel, and present proposal

Step 4Kings Proposal

• Listen silently and respectfully to your King

Step 5Vote on King’s plan

• Discuss King’s proposal and decide on a vote for or against the proposal

• Cast vote by order

News Flash!!

• A severe famine has occurred.

• Bread price have doubled.

• Commoners are having extreme difficulty in obtaining food.

The Revolution has Begun!

• “I swear an oath to God and nation never to be separated until we have formed a solid and equitable Constitution as our constituents have asked us to.”

The Tennis Court Oath

Start of the French Revolution

Tennis Court Oath • Estates were not allowed to vote by head

• 3rd Estate declares itself to be National Assembly

• June 19, 1789 clergy joins Nat’l Assembly

• Nat’l Assembly established Constitutional Monarchy AND seized all church lands to solve financial crisis

Storming of the Bastille

Start of the French Revolution

Tennis Court Oath

Storming the Bastille

• Estates were not allowed to vote by head• 3rd Estate declares itself to be National

Assembly• June 19, 1789 clergy joins Nat’l Assembly• Nat’l Assembly established Constitutional

Monarchy AND seized all church lands to help solve $ crisis

• July 1789 - 25% of people unemployed• Bread $ is high, so not much food• Rumors spread of King’s troops coming to

crush the National Assembly• July 14 100’s of people storm Bastille

(Prison & Fort) to get gunpowder to defend against troops

• Guards fire on crowd, kill 98• Marks start of Revolution

The March on Versailles

(Notes Continued)

The March on Versailles • Unemployment and hunger continue to increase following the Bastille

• October 5, 1789 - 7,000 desperate women marched 12 miles to Versailles to demand bread

• Women invade Palace & kill Guards & some Nobles

• Women clear out King’s storehouse of flour

• King Louis XVI & Family forced to escort women back to Paris

• Women carried head of 2 nobles on pikes

• King & family never returned to Versailles

The French Revolution

Stage 3

Throne Controller-General

National

Assembly

Step One: King Louis XVI Recognizes the National

Assembly

• Listen to your King in respectful silence

Step Two: Controller-General Describes Financial Crisis

• Listen carefully and quietly

Step 3: National Assembly Discusses & Proposes

Solutions• Discuss ways to raise money to save

France

• Present proposals to the king & queen

• National Assembly votes on proposal

• King approves/vetoes proposal

Step Four: New Proposal

• Listen carefully to the new proposal

Step five: National Assembly Puts King on Trial

• Who will speak on King’s behalf?

• Cast your vote

Step Six: The Republic of Virtue

• Work to write a new constitution to save France from ruin

The Reign of Terror Ends

• Robespierre and his followers led this stage of the revolution for almost two years. During that time, France successfully defended itself against invading European armies. However, approximately 40,000 French men and women were executed for “treason”. Treasonous acts included saying, “Down with the Republic” and possessing a book with the king’s seal on it.

• Given these facts, what do you want to do to Robespierre?

The Reign of Terror

• Execution of King Louis XVI

• June 21, 1791 Royal family was caught trying to escape France - forced to return to Paris

• King signed new constitution, but vetoed all revolutionary decrees

The Reign of Terror Continued

• Terror • Sept. 1792 a more radical gov’t elected - The National Convention

• November-Royal Documents found incriminating King of treason

• January 1793 - King Louis convicted of treason & sentenced to death

• Marks beginning of Reign of Terror led by Maximilien Robespierre & Committee of Public Safety

The Reign of Terror Continued

War with Europe

• French fighting “war of people against kings” with Euro armies

• 1794 French patriotic armies wipe out the Euro armies on all fronts

The Reign of Terror Continued

National Convention

• Any French citizen deemed “not virtuous” enough for the Republic was in danger of execution

• By July 1794 over 40,000 men & women were executed on the Guillotine

• Finally, Robespierre himself was executed.

• The terror came to an end

The Reign of Terror Continued

Napoleon Bonaparte

• After the end of the terror, a 5 man executive, called the Directory, ruled badly for 5 years

• Napoleon became First Consul & then Emperor of France (1799-1814)

• Turned France into police-state - freedoms were violated

• He abolished feudal system & encouraged social movement

• Created French Empire before abdicating (quitting) in 1814