French RevolutionCh 19

I. CausesEnlightenment

Changed views of individual rights and the governmentMonarchy

Lavish lifestylesIneffective rule of Louis XV & XVIIncreased taxes as a result of 7 Years’ War

II. Revolution of 17891787

France was in debtTried to have the Parlement of Paris pass a land tax

Fought by Nobles and ClergyParlement said they did not have power to tax land

Louis was forced to call up the Estates General

Last met 1614Louis agreed to call up the Estates General in 1789

II. Revolution of 17891788

Necker replaces Brienne as minister of finance

1789Louis summons Estates General

Decline of absolutismDivided into 3 parts

1st- Clergy2nd- Nobility3rd- Commoners (initially)

Anyone not of noble birthBourgeoisie (middle class)

Brought to light weakness of Louis and created a power vacuum

II. Revolution of 1789Calling of the Estates General

Met in Versailles in May 1789Initially Aristocracy and Clergy sided together against 3rd

Argument about representatives and voting Brought the Cahiers De Doleances- list of grievances

Equality 3rd Estate refused to sit separate by each estateJune 1st 3rd Estate and members of the other estates met to form a new legislative body

June 17 named this body the National Assembly

II. Revolution of 1789

National AssemblyJune 20

Accidentally locked out of meeting placeTook this as a method to suppress themMet at a Tennis Court and promised to continue meeting until they formed a new Constitution

Tennis Court OathLouis orders them to stop but National Assembly gained power from nobility

June 27- Louis caves and ask the 1st and 2nd estate to join the National AssemblyRenamed itself the National Constituent Assembly

II. Revolution of 1789Storming of the Bastille

Louis tried to regain control of the governmentDismissed Necker with out approval from National Constituent AssemblyBrought royal troops to Versailles and Paris

During bread riotsNCA started forming a militia

July 14- 800 middle class citizens stormed the Bastille to get weapons (Also political prison)

98 attackers were killedThe guards were killedReleased prisonersNo weapons

July 15- Marquis de Lafayette became commander of National Guard- Gave France its new flag

II. Revolution of 1789Great Fear

Rumor of royal troops being sent to the countrysidePeasants started rioting

August 4- A number of nobles and clergy renounced their feudal rights

Resulted in equality under the law

Declaration of the rights of Man and Citizens- August 27

“liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression”Equality of citizensDue process and innocence until proven guiltyEqual tax (if you can pay it)

II. Revolution of 1789October 5

7000 armed women marched on Versailles to protest bread shortages

Became violent and sought to kill MarieLouis calmed them but was forced to move to Paris

October 6- Royal family moves to the Palace of the Tuileries

II. Revolution of 1789Constitution of 1791

Set up a Constitutional MonarchyUnicameral Legislature- Monarch can only influence legislation

Only Legislature could declare warActive and Passive Citizens

Active- men paying 3 days worth of taxes- could vote

Only 50,000Passive- everyone else- couldn’t vote

Power- not hereditary- property and wealthOlympe de Gouges (1791)- Declaration of the Rights of Women-

II. Revolution of 1789Economy

Chapelier Law- outlawed worker associationsConfiscated church lands- sold Assignats – Bonds backed by revenue from the sale of church lands

Overprinted resulting in inflationActed as currency

Civil Constitution of the Clergy- July 1790Secularized the Catholic Church in FranceCreated strife between the National Constituent Assembly and Catholic Church

II. Revolution of 1789Counterrevolution

Emigres- aristocrats that left FranceJune 20,1791- Louis and immediate family tried to escape to Metz

Recognized at VarennesJune 24- escorted back to Paris

NCA claimed he was abductedDeclaration of Pillnitz (August 27, 1791)

Leopold II of Austria (Marie’s brother) and Frederick William II of Prussia promised to protect French Monarch

Needed the rest of Europe to agreeBritain would not have

II. Revolution of 1789September 1791

National Constituent Assembly dismissed itself

No members were allowed to be re-elected.October I- New Legislature met

Pushed for full equality of citizens.Becomes Legislative Assembly

2nd Revolution (1791)July 14, 1790

Louis XVI accepts the Constitution, making France a Constitutional monarchy

People were not happy with changesWomen- no civil rightsLaborers- labor unions were bannedNew Legislative Assembly members- wanted to remove monarchy

2nd Revolution (1791)Key Groups

Jacobins Named after Dominican Friars (met in monastery)Pushed for RepublicSought to end constitutional monarchyUn-regulated economy

GirondistsJacobins that took over LAPassed measure to force émigrés to return or lose their property (King vetoed)Passed measure forcing Church officials to support Civil Constitution or lose salary (King Vetoed)

2nd Revolution (1791)Girondists cont…

Declared war on Austria (and Prussia) April 20,1792Girondist hoped it would strengthen their powerLouis and court hoped it would strengthen the monarch and weaken the revolutionary armiesPauline Leon

Petitioned for women to be able to bear arms and to join the National Guard

Women did Duke of Brunswick threatens to destroy Paris if royal family is harmed (July)

Caused more distrust of LouisResulted in August 10 attack on Tuileries

Hundreds of royal troops and Parisians were killedRoyal family was imprisoned

2nd Revolution (1791)Paris Commune

Ruling body of ParisRefused to take orders from French Gov.Executed 1200 prisoners as counterrevolutionaries

September 21Pushed for a Convention to write a new constitution

Universal male suffrageMade France a republic

2nd Revolution (1791)Sans-Culottes (without breeches)

Radical JacobinsShopkeepers, artisans, laborersPushed for price controlsHated inequalityAntimonarchical

2nd Revolution (1791)Execution of Louis XVI

December 1792Louis was tried for against liberty and the security of France (High Treason)

Pushed for by the Mountain and Sans-CulottesGirondists tried to keep him from being executedTried as “Citizen Capet”

Executed on January 12, 1793

2nd Revolution (1791)Europe reacts

France declares war on Great Britain, Holland and SpainPrussia renews its war against FranceLater joined by Austria, Spain, Sardinia and Holland

First CoalitionAugust 23, 1793- levee en masse

Full male draftEconomy directed around military

War last until Napoleon comes to powerGreat Britain suppressed reforms

Suspended habeas corpusAllowed literary works to be considered treason

End of Enlightened AbsolutismCensorship of literatureViolent suppression of uprisingsFurther division of Poland

III. Reign of TerrorCommittee of Public Safety

April 1793Acted as a dictatorship at its heightJob was to protect Republic from both foreign and domestic threatsIn charge of the militaryLed by:

Jacques DantonMajor leader of the ConventionLater executed for leniency to enemies

Maximilien RobespierreMost powerful man in committee

Lazare CarnotLeader of the military

III. Reign of TerrorDe-Christianization

November 1793Created a new calendar that started with the first day of the republicCathedral of Notre Dame becomes a Temple of ReasonClosed churchesPersecuted church membersForced priest to marry

III. Reign of TerrorRobespierre (1758-1794)

Jacobin Supported by the Sans-Culotte Strongly favored RepublicOpposed the war of 1792 and de-ChristianizationHad enemies of the state executedHad extreme members of the Sans-Culotte executed

Enrages Had Danton executedHad Marie Antoinette and Girondists politicians executed

III. Reign of TerrorRobespierre cont.

Changed worship of reason to the Worship of the Supreme Being

Civic religion that encouraged morality and the good of the state

Executed people who challenged his authorityJuly 27 (9th of Thermidor)

Robespierre was arrested July 28

Robespierre was executed

IV. Thermidorian Reaction

Began in July 1794Consisted of wealthy middle- classReaction to reign of terror

Too radical (25,000 dead)

Gave amnesty to prisoners from the terrorRestructured the Committee of Public Safety

Limited its power

Closed Jacobin clubWhite Terror- murder of those involved in the Reign of Terror

IV. Thermidorian Reaction

Established the DirectoryResult of the Constitution of Year IIIA two house legislature

Council of EldersMen over 40 (married or widowers)

Council of 500Men at least 30 years of age

IV. Thermidorian ReactionRemoved Sans-Culottes

Unregulated economy

October 5, 1795Royalist rebelledGeneral Napoleon Bonaparte comes to national recognition

“Whiff of grapeshot”

Treaty of Basel (March 1795)Made peace with Prussia and Spain

V. ConclusionFrance was stabilizing but still had numerous uprisingsNapoleon comes to prominence as a result of France’s political structure and condition.