FRENCH REVOLUTION

1789
What is a Revolution?

A change in the way a country is governed, usually to a

different political system and often using violence or war.

A change in the way people do things.

Examples: Neolithic Revolution, Industrial Revolution, French

Revolution.
Timeline of the French Revolution

1 Events preceding but pertinent to the French Revolution: Causes

2 Assembly of Notables (Estates-General)

3 Estates-General and Constituent Assembly (Oath of Tennis Court)

4 Legislative Assembly (Constitutional monarchy)

5 National Convention (1792-1795) (The Republic)

6 The Directory (1795-1799)

7 Napoleon Bonaparte (1799-1815)

8 Restoration
What was the Ancien Régime?

Aristocratic, social, and political system established in France under the Valois and
Bourbon dynasties (14th century to 18th century). In English is known as "Old Rule," "Old
Order," or simply "Old (or Ancient) Regime".

Absolute monarchy

Form of government where the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of
state and head of government; as absolute governor, the monarch’s authority is not legally
bound or restricted by a constitution.

Fusion of powers: the king has the three powers of a government:

- Executive: authority and responsibility for the administration of the state (bureaucracy).

- Legislature: creates laws.

- Judiciary: interprets and applies the law.

Ancien Regime Society

It was divided into three Estates:

- The First Estate, Roman Catholic clergy

- The Second Estate, the nobility

- The Third Estate, the rest of the population

The First Estate

It was made up of the religious leaders

who were in charge of the Church.
While these individuals made up only
1% of the total population, they
controlled almost 10% of the land in
France. This land brought them a great
deal of wealth from the products
produced on it, and in the form of rent
from peasants.

Those who belonged to this estate also

received a tithing, or tax of 10% of all
the earnings of those who lived on their
land. This tithing was supposed to be
utilized to run the church. However, it
was often used to fund the extravagant
lifestyles of those who belonged to the
first estate.
The Second Estate

It was made up of the nobility.

These nobles lived on manors
which they had inherited. The
second estate consisted of about
2% of the total population, and
owned about 25% of the total
land in France.

These nobles collected dues and

rent from the peasants who lived
on their lands. This endless
source of income allowed them to
live a lavish lifestyle.
The Third Estate

It was the largest social group in France,

making up nearly 97% of the population.
Members of this estate had few rights, and
little political power.

Life was difficult, and it was nearly

impossible for them to get ahead. Members
of the third estate were required to pay a
10% tithing to the Church, dues to their
feudal lord, and a land tax to the king. This
left them with little to support their families.

They were different, because the Third

Estate includes the bourgeoisie, the
peasantry, and the urban artisans.
A contemporary cartoon showing a peasant crushed by the levies which the monarchy and the privileged orders imposed.
What do they represent?
New ideas
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau Montesquieu Voltaire

The Social Contract The Spirit of the Laws Dictionnaire philosophique

SOBERANY OF NATIONS DIVISION OF POWERS TOLERANCE

 In 1774 Louis XVI a 19 year old
prince came to the throne as the
King of France. His 18 year old wife
was named Marie Antoinette.

Louis XVI
Marie Antoinette
Palace of Versailles
King Louis XVI inherited a massive amount of debt from his predecessors ( by supporting the American
Revolution against France’s bitter rival, Great Britain ).

In order to pay of these debts, he decided that we would tax the first and second estates, which had always
been exempt from paying taxes before. These estates refused to pay the new taxes.

In 1789 King Louis XVI summoned a group known as the Estates-General to meet in Versailles to discuss the
matter of taxes. The Estates-General was a body of people representing each of the three social estates in
France. They had not been called together since 1610.

King Louis XVI hoped that by calling them together they could solve the problems of debt facing the nation. The
Estates-General had other plans however. They wanted to use the meeting to take power from the King, and
address the social ills that they felt were plaguing them.
Members of the Estates-General
representing the third estate
outnumbered representatives from
both the first and second estates
combined. If each representative
were to be given one vote, the third
estate would have more votes, and
would be able to get their will
passed. In order to insure this did
not happen King Louis XVI locked
representatives of the third estate
out of the meetings.

Outraged, they met at a nearby

indoor tennis court, where they gave
themselves the name of The
National Assembly. Here
representatives took an oath that
they would not leave until they had
written a new constitution for
France.

King Louis XVI worried about the

form this constitution would take, if it
were to be written strictly by
members of the third estate. He
ordered representatives from the Jacques-Louis David. The Tennis Court Oath
first and second estates to join the
National Assembly.
The third estate awakens!!!
As the National Assembly met to write a new constitution, their debates often spilled out into the streets of
Paris. Soon everyone in the Capital was debating the social ills of France, and what form a new government
should take.

Fearing the sentiment of revolution that was quickly expanding throughout the capital, King Louis XVI placed
troops throughout the capital city, as well as around the palace.

Seeing this troop build up, many of the supporters of the National Assembly worried that the King planned to
use these troops to put an end to the National Assembly, and to the reforms they were making.

In order to defend the National Assembly, rioters attacked the Prison of Bastille, where weapons and
ammunition were stored. In this battle, a number of rioters, and soldiers were killed. The rioters were able to
gain control of the prison, and establish a new radical government in Paris.
The storming of Bastille
The storming of Bastille
The sans-culottes
 "Reply to the Impertinent Question: What is a Sans-Culotte?" (April 1793)

A sans-culotte you rogues? He is someone who always goes on foot, who has no millions as you would all
like to have, no chateaux. No valets to serve him, and who lives simply with his wife and children, if he has
any, on a fourth or fifth story.

He is useful, because he knows how to work in the field, to forge iron, to use a saw, to use a file, to roof a
house, to make shoes, and to shed his last drop of blood for the safety of the Republic.

And because he works, you are sure not to meet his person in the Café de Chartres, or in the gaming house
where others conspire and game, nor at the National theatre . . . nor in the literary clubs. . . .

In the evening he goes to his section, not powdered or perfumed, or smartly booted in the hope of catching
the eye of the citizenesses in the galleries, but ready to support good proposals with all his might, and to
crush those which come from the abominable faction of politicians.

Finally, a sans-culottes always has his sabre sharp, to cut off the ears of all enemies of the Revolution;
sometimes he even goes out with his pike, but at the first sound of the drum he is ready to leave for the
Vendée, for the army of the Alps or to the army of the North. . . .

[Source: Reprinted in Walter Markov and Albert Soboul, eds., Die Sansculotten von Paris, republished trans. by Clive Emsley in Merryn Williams, ed.,
Revolutions: 1755-1830 (Baltimore: Penguin, 1971), pp. 100-101.]
The Great Fear

From Bastille, violence spread

throughout the French
countryside. Rumors were
spread that the feudal lords
had hired robbers to murder
peasants. This rumor was not
true, but it flamed fear, that
lead to the peasants uprising
against their local lords.

Peasants broke into manor

houses, killed many of the
nobles, and took possession
of their properties. This wave
of violence is known as the
great fear.
 Liberté Fraternité
Égalité
The Declaration of Rights

As violence continued to spread throughout

the countryside, members of the third estate
demanded equality for all citizens of France.
Members of the first and second estates
held out, refusing to grant equal rights, and
refusing to give up the special privileges that
they had enjoyed for so many centuries.

The continued escalation of violence finally

convinced them that they had no choice but
to give up, and submit to the will of the
much larger third estate. On August, 4 th,
1789 the National Assembly passed a
number of important reforms that abolished
feudal dues, and established taxes on
members of the first and second estates.

The National Assembly then turned their

attention towards creating a bill of rights for
their people. This Declaration of Rights
included the freedom of speech, the
freedom of the press, and the freedom of
religion. It also protected citizens from being
falsely arrested. This Declaration of Rights
A New French Government Is Created

After passing a new reforms, and forcing the

king of France to accept them, the National
Assembly began the process of setting up a
new government, including writing a
constitution.

By 1791 this constitution was ready. It kept

the monarchy, but limited its royal powers. It
also established a legislature, which would be
elected by the people. This new constitution
granted equal rights to all men, who could
vote, so long as they paid a tax.

In order to pay off the national debts which

had been accumulated by earlier kings, they
confiscated the lands owned by the Catholic
Church, and sold them. They demanded that
Catholic priests take an oath of loyalty to the
French government, and that priests be
elected by local parishes, and not appointed
by the Church. These actions angered Pope
Pius VI, and caused him to condemn the
revolution.
A New French Government Is Created

The constitutional monarchy (1789-1791):

•Abolished feudalism and approved the Declaration of the rights

of Man and of the Citizen which recognised the rights, individual
freedoms and equality of all citizens in law and taxation (August
1789).
•Drew up a constitution (1791) based on the separation of
powers, national sovereignity and legal equality though the king
reserved the right to veto. Census suffrage was also introduced,
giving the vote to people with a certain level of wealth.
Royal Family Flees France

In June of 1791 King Louis XVI,

fearing for the lives of himself, and his
family, attempted to escape into
Austria. Marie Antoinette’s brother
was the emperor of Austria. They
hoped that once in Austria, they
would be safe.

Their attempt failed however, when

they were recognized along the road
by a passerby, who called for soldiers
to have them arrested. Returned to
Paris the king, and his family had no
choice but to accept any demands put
upon them by the people, and to
remain in his home as a prisoner.
A Republic Is Born

From 1792 through 1795 a National Convention met in Paris to further define the new form the French
Government would take. They decided to completely do away with the monarchy, and establish a
republic. They also granted the right to vote to all men, regardless of whether they could pay their taxes or
not.

French Revolutionary Calendar

King Louis XVI Is Beheaded

In 1792 King Louis XVI was tried before the National

Convention, where he was found guilty of having
conspired against the liberty of the nation. In January of
1793 he was put to death by the Guillotine.
The Assault on the Tuileries Place, August 1792.
The Execution of Louis XVI.
The death of Marie Antoinette
The Reign of Terror

Seeing the turmoil that was both within and surrounding France the leading political party
known as the Jacobins determined that they would crush any resistance within their new
nation. They established neighborhood watches that were intended to find anyone who
was not loyal. These watches would turn in suspected traitors, who would often be put to
death. A new constitution that

•recognised popular sovereignity and the right to social equality was enacted (1793).

•A committee of Public Safety led the executive, leaded by Robespierre.

•To satisfy the demands of the sans-culottes, a series of social laws were introduced.

• Prices and salaries were controlled (Law of maximum), the assets of revolutionaries
were distributed.

•Church lands were sold and education became compulsory.

This period of time is known as the reign of terror, and lasted from July of 1793 until July
of 1794, during which approximately 17,000 individuals were executed.
Jacques-Louis David. The Death of Marat
Maximilien Robespierre
A Revolution In Trouble

Monarchs throughout Europe were concerned about the events that had taken place
in France. The natural order that had existed for centuries had been disrupted. They
worried that the same thing could happen in their own nations, and that their own
thrones, and even their lives might be at risk.

To avoid the revolution spreading into their own nations, these monarchs joined
together to fight against France. Soldiers were sent from Great Britain, the
Netherlands, Spain, and Sardinia to fight against the revolutionaries in France. That
alliance is called the Santa Alianza or the 100000 Hijos de San Luis.
The Directory

After the reign of terror ended, the Jacobins lost their power in France. The National
Convention continued to rule as the government, however, a new constitution was
written (1795), which once again denied the right to vote to those who could not
afford to pay a vote tax. This constitution established the office of five directors,
known as the directory, who ruled France.

The directory ruled from 1795 until 1799.

Napoleon Bonaparte
During the revolution in France one general in particular began to
outshine all the others. This general was a 26 year old by the
name of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In October of 1799 Napoleon returned to Paris, after having

been in Egypt with his armies, to take part in a coup d’ etat, or an Jacques-Louis David. Napoleon Crossing the Alps
overthrow of the government.

In 1804 Napoleon named himself as emperor of France, and had

himself anointed as such by the Pope.
The Battle of Austerlitz (1805)

Napoleon on Battlefieldat Eylau

Jacques-Louis David. Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in
the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on 2 Dec 1804.
Joseph I
Napoleon’s Empire Defeated

The nations that had been conquered by Napoleon resented being ruled by France. They did not like
paying taxes to France, nor did they appreciate having to send their sons to fight as soldiers in the
conquests that Napoleon was pursuing.

One by one, these nations rebelled, beginning with Spain. By March of 1814, Napoleon had been
defeated, and forced to step down as the emperor of France. A member of the royal family, and
brother of King Louis XVI was placed on the throne of France.

A year later in 1815 Napoleon returned to Paris, and called for his soldiers to return to him. He was
still popular among the people who had enjoyed their quick rise to power under his rule. For 100 days,
Napoleon again ruled France. Monarchs in other European nations feared that Napoleon would again
seek to control them. In a decisive battle at Waterloo, France, Napoleon was defeated in June of
1815, and was forced into exile on the island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.
The Battle of Waterloo (Painter Unknown).
Napoleon at Saint Helene

Napoleon's grave
Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863). Liberty Leading the People (1830)
Congress of Vienna (1815)

Five “Great Powers” meet:

* Austria: Metternich.

* United Kingdom: Castlereagh.

* Russia: Tsar Alexander I.

* France: Talleyrand.

* Prussia: King Frederick William III.

Metternich three goals:

a) Contain France: surround with other countries.

b) Balance the power: no country too powerful.

c) Legitimacy: monarchs restored.

How:

- Alliance system

- Nations will help each other if revolutions broke

out
Congress of Vienna (p.36)

The meeting between the powers

which defeated Napoleon. It was
organised by Metternich it was to avoid
the spread of liberal ideas in Europe.
 Holy Alliance Treaty
• In 1815, the stipulation that every monarch
will unite against any treat of liberal
revolution.
 The Revolutions of 1830 “The
first wave of liberal revolutions”
• Two main driving forces: nationalism and
liberalism.
• 1830: Charles X was overthrown in July 1830
and became a new constitional monarchy,
Louis Philipe.
• In Poland upraised against Russian Empire
but was harshly supressed.