Grace Thomas and Shannon Farrell

Absolutism is that the king has absolute rule of a countryThe ruler has no rules or restrictionsKing Louie XVI was an absolute ruler

France lived under this in 1789It was a HEREDITARY position

It was restricted only BY religion

What is Absolutism?

Absolute Rules taxed 3rd estateNobility

King and Queen had all the wealth, King Louie XVI, and Marie Antoinette

Weren’t connected to the peopleNo leadership qualities

Lived in Versailles and everyone else was poreVersailles was 12 miles from Paris and had nothing in common with what the people in Paris were living in

Political cause of French Revolution

King Louis XVI

Versailles Palace

Clergy and French Catholic ChurchUpper: Bishops and Abbots

Lower: PriestsOwned 10% of the landLived in a tax free land

Responsibilities:

Registration of Births

Marriages & Deaths

Collected the Tithe

Censored Books

Operated Schools and Hospitals

Served as Police

Distributed Relief to the Poor

1st Estate: Clergy

Nobility, Government, and Army20% of the land

Privileges and Responsibilities:

Highest Position in the Church

Collected Rent from Peasants

Did not pay taxes

Collected dues on cloth, bread, salt, and wine

Became involved in banking, shipping, finance, insurance, and manufacturing

Patrons of the arts

2nd Estate: Nobility

Peasants, Merchants, and Artisans65% of the land

Paid most of the heavy taxes to the church and kingPaid Dues of Goods

Not enough money or food to eatNo status in France

No privilages

3rd Estate: Everyone Else

• Domat was a French jurist who stated government was necessary and that society was like a body, each person having their own function. 

• God himself established government and was the natural sovereign so it's necessary

•  Because of this, going against the King, a ruler chosen by God,  and his laws is like rebelling against God. 

• Emmanuel stated that the Third Estate was the society • Nobody would be able to function or succeed without

the Third Estate • The Third Estate is the nation and the whole 

Emmunuel Joseph Sieyes 

A meeting that represented each estate (Nobility, Church, Common People).

King Louis XVI was never paid attention to the economic crisis in France. He always borrowed money from the national bank. One day, the bank cut off his loans because his debt was so big and he wouldn’t pay back anything. King Louis tried to tax the

first 2 estates, but they started rebelling and started huge riots, which wasted money and time to put down. With the bank and

first 2 states refusing to give money, and the nation’s debt getting worse and worse, the king had to turn to the Estates-

General to help solve the tax problemTennis Court Oath

Created after the third estate couldn’t attend the Estates General

Got the name from the tennis court it was made on Formed the National Assembly

Estates General

Bread Shortage

American Revolution

Enlightenment

Absolute Rule of Louis XVI

• Absolute rulers taxed 3rd estate

• Nobility• King Louie XVI

and Marie Antoinette

• Why:• They had all

the wealth• Disconnected

from their people

• Had no leadership qualities

• Lived in Versailles in luxury while the country was in poverty

• Versailles is figuratively and physically detached from the people

• France helped the Americans against Britain by giving troops and money, which put them in financial debt

• The French go to help America in spite of Britain because they lost land to them

• As a result, French went into massive debt

• Social: The French were inspired by the American Revolution

• Don’t trust your authority

• Individual autonomous

• People started to question the status quo

• Age of reason• People have

the right to govern

• Montesquieu, Locke, Voltaire

• Robespierre was a Frenchmen, sent a complaint to the King criticizing his lifestyle

• He soon became a radical, killing people then they eventually killed him

• Bad harvest• Flour prices

increased • Created

starvation• Riots, raids,

robberies broke out

• The nobility had a lot of bread

• Low wages• Bread was the

main part of their diet, it’s basically all they ate

• Supply and demand, as the supply went down the demand went up

Kevin Hsieh and Jenny Schneider

Jordan Cattelona

Zach Blair

Group 5

The bastille was a enormous fortress in the heart of Paris. Primarily used as a prison, the people held there

were brutally tortured, beaten, and executed.

Origin

Because of the poor economic conditions in France at the time of the attack on the bastille, tensions were high with the common people. There was a serious depression, as well as a bread shortage. The attack

itself was very violent. The people of Paris tore into the building, killing the guards and taking all the stockpiles

within.

Leading up to the attack

Ultimately, the storming of the bastille symbolized the end of feudalism within France. Before this, they had stayed in their

own areas while the king had absolute power.When they attacked and destroyed the building, they destroyed their own

bonds and allowed themselves to rise up. To this day, the people of France celebrate “Bastille Day,” which is like our

Independence Day.

The Effects

Citizens are responsible for the abuses toward their opinions.

The military is there to protect the people.

All citizens pay an equal, common contribution.

All citizens have a say in electing a representative.

All powers are distributed evenly throughout the government.

No citizen can be deprived of their property/belongings unless their is a legal reason.

DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN

Created by The National Assembly of France on August 26th,1789.

It is the declaration of the natural unalienable and sacred rights of men.

Concept: People are free, have basic rights that are preserved and they ARE the government. These rights are to also preserve the citizens happiness and the common good.

Rights:

Men are born and remain free, given equal rights.

The rights of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression are preserved.

No man is above the law.

Liberty consists of the freedom to do anything which does not cause harm to anyone else.

No one is forced to do anything not provided by law.

Every citizen has a right to participate in government.

Everyone is equally eligible to public positions.

Citizens can only get arrested if they go against the law.

All people are innocent until proven guilty.

Everyone has a right to their own opinions.

The Revolution was a revolution because it led to a change in government and society.

There was no more feudalism or monarchy. The people were granted different freedoms that they didn't have before.

The killed because the people of France felt that there was no need for a monarchy, and it symbolized the end of the monarchy all together with the

start of a new government system

The government changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy to a republic.

They made a constitution.

France has a president today because of the French Revolution.

Why was the Revolution a revolution?