Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

One of the biggest turning points in European history

Unlike the Russian Revolution or The Chinese revolution, France was the most advanced country of the age

Population growth and declining standard of living increased pressures on an inefficient economy

Writings of the philosophes inspired criticism of the Royal Government and powerful Church

Extravagances of the Court exhausted the treasuryEfforts of the King’s ministers to reduce privileges,

reform taxes, cut spending, and introduce free trade within France had all failed

The Royal Government had proved its incompetence and the nobles saw their chance to seize control of the King’s powers and increase their own

1. Church 2. Nobility3. Third Estate

Church – 100 000 peopleDeeply involved in the prevailing social system

in FranceThey owned between 5 and 10 percent of the

landChurch was the greatest of all landownersChurch wealth concentrated in the hands of

few

Nobility – 400 000 They had enjoyed great resurgence since the

death of Louis XIVArmy, parlements, government offices all

monopolized by the nobilityHad blocked any plan at taxationMiddle class – bourgeoisie, not part of this

estate, didn’t enjoy the same privelidgeMC taxed

Third Estate – disgruntledIn the 40 years prior to the rev, prices rose

65%, whereas wages rose 22%4/5 of the populationNot like serfdom in Russia – they worked for

themselvesNoble still had rights – hunting, collected fees

for mills, bakeshop, wine press

The manorial lord performed no economic function

He lived not by managing his land, but by collecting a series of dues

During the 18th century, lords were faced with rising living costs, and consequently, collected their dues more vigorously

They also revived the old ones that had previously been ignored

Leases and sharecropping also became less favourable to the peasants

Additionally, peasants began to resent the feudal dues because they saw themselves as the true owners of the land

As we saw, France struggled with financial burden

Upkeep of army, and servicing debtRevenues falling short of expenditureNobility and church avoiding taxationLouis XVI, also had appointed Jacques Necker,

a Swiss Banker – also dismissedHis successor, Calonne, proposed a general tax

to replaced the taille - a tax on all landowners

He wanted to pass it by an Assembly of Notables, Louis wouldn’t allow it

Louis dismissed himHe wanted to pass it in an Estates General,

because he knew parliament wouldn’t accept itAdditionally, they tried to replace the

parliaments Nobles were angered, wouldn’t do anything, like

a strikeLouis called the Estates General and various

classes were called to elect representatives

Estates General hadn’t met since 1614-1615It is an assembly of representatives elected

from the three estatesEach estate voted separately on an issueThen the rep from estate would voteDangerous for Louis

Move to politicsWeakening absolutismEveryone felt they could have a say

Rift between old and new nobility – reps for the EG had to be from long established noble lines

Angered new nobility , and pushed them toward 3rd estate

3rd estate thought the voting system was unfairLed by Abbe SieyesThey demanded that double the number of reps

be given to the third estateLouis gave the 3rd more reps, but it was still

rep by estate

Louis missed his chance to be a strong leader in the EG

Main issue was the 3rd refused to do anything until there was a unicameral legislature

Even disgruntled parish priests left the first estate and joined the third

17 June 1789 – Third Estate called itself the National Assembly – urged the other estates to join

“What is the Third Estate?”Complied by Mirabeau and Sieyes

Demands of the estatesFairer tax systemEnd to feudal duesCame from everyone

Rich and poorRural and Urban

Palace of Versailles

Tennis Court OathTennis Court Oath – on June 20th the kings

officials locked the 3rd out of the hallThe 3rd thought the EG was being dissolved,

and met at a Tennis courtThey vowed to stay together even against the

king’s will bc they were the nation, not the kingFirst assertion of power by the 3rdLouis called for a constitution shortly afterLed to the revolutionary myth, united people

Louis eventually gives in – June 27National Assembly formedWhy did Louis do it?

He was scaredUnicameral body- set out to provide the

monarchy with a constitutionNational Assembly faced a series of obstacles

11 JulyDismisses popular Finance

Minister Jacques NeckerCalls troops to Versailles and

ParisThe dismissal of Necker, who

was a reformer, sparked outrage amongst the masses because he was seen as a reformer, and it was viewed as a conspiracy

Louis XVI’s actions convinced people that the King was about to dismiss the National Assembly and march on Paris

In Paris, rioters (bourgeois, store keepers, guilds, etc) stormed a prison – the high officials were lynched, and their heads paraded through the streets on a pike

Hoped to arm and defend themselves in the event of an attack

Bastille symbolized royal power and authorityFall of the prison prompted similar actions

throughout the French countrysideExpression of the power of the people to take

politics into their own handsA century later, the French republic made it a

national holidayShort term, it made Louis more receptive, but

this angered the nobles

National Assembly took action to restore order by officially abolishing feudalism and the church tithe

Text Book182-183

Which points reflect those of:LockeRousseauMontisque

Demonstration led by 6000 Parisian women motivated by fear of bread shortages

Decapitated people who had insulted revolutionaries

Royal family forcibly moved to the Tuileries Palace in Paris

French Revolution VideoFor the video take notes on the following

points:Importance/Impact of the RevolutionDescribe

RobespierreLouis XVIMarie Antoinette

Describe Louis and Marie’s relationshipWho are the sans-culottes?

2 November 1789Confiscated property and wealth of the churchSold it to members of the middle class and

peasantry19 June 1790

Abolished hereditary nobility and noble titles12 July 1790

Civil Constitution of the ClergyRequired priests and bishops to swear oath of

loyalty to the constitutionProvided for election of bishops and priests by the

people

Attempted escape of Louis XVI and family from France

Left behind a letter condemning the Revolution, stating his belief in nobility and his right to absolute rule, and his hope to reestablish the Ancien Regime with the help of émigrés

Produced by the National Constituent Assembly (formerly National Assembly)

Strictly limited power of the King, setting up a constitutional monarchy

Original National Constituent Assembly dissolved and replaced by the National Legislative Assembly

Other European rulers were horrified by the example set by revolutionary FranceFeared revolution

would spread to their countries

Declaration of Pillnitz by Emperor of Austria and King of Prussia

Royal Family wanted war to discredit and defeat the Revolution

French moderates wanted war to shift attention from economic problems and preserve the constitutional monarchy

French radicals wanted war to free the people of Europe

20 April 1792France declared war on AustriaPrussia soon at Austria’s aid

25 July 1792Brunswick Manifesto issued by

Austria and PrussiaThreatened severe punishment

for Parisians if anything happened to the royal family

Robespierre used the Manifesto to argue for the overthrow of the French monarchy

Mob anger intensified by conditions in FranceBread scarceRising pricesSevere unemploymentPaper money losing valueFear of reinstatement of the Ancien RegimeFear of émigré revenge

Mob led by Robespierre, Marat, and Danton overthrew the Parisian municipal government and set up the Paris CommuneRepresentation to different sections of the cityIncreased power of the radicals backed by the

sans-culottes

Mob attack on royal palace leads to imprisonment of royal family

National Legislative Assembly suspends the monarchy

Radicals intimidate National Legislative Assembly and force its dissolution

Executive Council rules France until a National Convention is elected

Public Panic caused by King’s arrest and crumbling military

that allowed Austrian and Prussian armies to advance toward Paris

Paris jails full of suspected royalists and “counter-revolutionaries” arrested for “aiding the enemies”

Rumours of a royalist plot to stage a massive jail break

1200 people murdered without trial

JacobinsMembers included

Robespierre and Napoleon Bonaparte

Most famous political clubRadical, included sans-

culottesAdvocated radical reform

and harsh measures to bring about change

GirondinsModerate, did not support

extending political rights to the working class – sans-culottes

The PlainIndependent representatives

opposed to King’s return and committed to the Revolution

The GirondinsLed by Jacques-Pierre Brissot

The JacobinsRadicals led by Robespierre

Abolished the Monarchy by unanimous vote and created a Republic

Disciple of RousseauBoth considered the general will an absolute

necessityRealization of the general will would make the

Republic of Virtue a realityIndividual will not as important

Gained a following and knew how to manipulate it

Louis XVI brought to trial before the Convention, found guilty of treason, sentenced to executionGuillotined on 21 January 1793

1 FebruaryFrance declared war on Britain, Holland, Spain

23 FebruaryFood riots in Paris

MarchRoyalist revolt in the Vendée

National Convention set up committees:General DefenceGeneral SecurityPublic SafetyRevolutionary Tribunal

To try enemies of the Revolution

Robespierre and Mountain supporters seize control when Girondins prove ineffective

2 JuneNational Guardsmen and sans-culottes march

on National Convention, demanding expulsion and arrest of Girondin members

Remaining members elect Robespierre to Committee of Public SafetyControl National Convention and rule France from

July 1793 to July 1794

New calendar“Year One” = establishment of the Republic12 months each with three 10-day weeks5 left over days: patriotic holidays celebrating

Virtue, Genius, Labour, Opinions, RewardsNames of the week changed to reflect

mathematical regularityPrimidi, duodi, tridi… decadi

Months renamed to reflect natural rhythms of seasonsJanuary: Nivose (month of snow); Brumaire (fog),

Frimaire (cold)

New national educational system to indoctrinate and educate

New flag – tricolourBlue and red are the colours of FranceWhite is an ancient French colour

Conformity on all levelsClothes, books, songs

Churches renamed to reflect secularizationChurch of Saint-Laurent = Temple of Marriage

and FidelityNotre Dame = Temple of Reason

Cult of the “worship of the supreme being”

Addressed military invasion, food shortages and inflation, and internal revolts

Used the press, theatre, and the arts to appeal to men, women, and children to defend the Republic

23 August 1793 - Introduced levée of entire male populationCreated an army of 850,000 soldiers by 1794

Appointed commissioners to supervise the army and check on the loyalty of generalsRise of Napoleon Bonaparte from major to

brigadier

Death penalty for food hoarders17 September 1793 - “Maximum” law

introduced to control prices, wages and profits

Commissioners appointed to collect food from the countryside for the army and cities

Surveillance committees staffed by local Jacobins report on leading citizens and local government officials

Law of Suspects – 17 September 1793Permitted arrest of any person suspected of

speaking or acting against the RevolutionDeath sentence for incompetent generals, food

hoarders, speculators, and political critics

Some 40,000 people died during the Terror6.5% priests, 8.5% nobles, remainder commoners

1251 persons executed in ParisMarch 1793 to 10 June 1794

16 October – Marie Antoinette31 October – Girondists24 March 1794 – Hébertists6 April - Dantonists

1376 executions10 June to 27 July 1794

30 executions per day

National Convention members join together to overthrow Robespierre and vote for his arrest

He Alienated left and rightDefended France from foreign invasion but

could not save democracy through terror28-30 July

Robespierre and 92 of his supporters are guillotined

National Convention drew up peace treaties with all European countries except Austria

New moderate ConstitutionRemove the power of the Paris mobProtect middle class principles of liberty and

propertyPower reserved for educated property owners

Sans-Culottes marched on National Convention demanding “bread and the Constitution of 1793”Efforts repulsed and Paris

Commune dissolvedLouis XVI’s 10-year old

son died on 8 JuneLouis XVI’s brother

demanded complete return to Old Regime

New republican constitution proclaimedLimited participation to property ownersExecutive power to committee of 5 directors

The Directory passed useful laws in education and justice but failed to control inflation

October 1795Pro-royalist riots suppressed in Paris by republican

troops led by General Napoleon BonapartePerformed day-to-day dutiesBalanced middle path between royalists and

insurrectionAchieved goals of a stable constitutional rule

Sovereign will of the people permanently replaced the monarch’s claim to divine right to rule

Yet with democracy came tyrannyRepression of the terror revealed the

pressures of external war and civil unrestSearch for conciliation, opportunism and

stability by the peopleIronic they turn to a man of war and a

dictator!

Movie QuestionsDescribe the logic behind the guillotineHow was the French Republic born officially?What lead to Robspierre’s demise?What state was France in after Robspierre’s

death?What questions are raised from the French

Revolution?