The Beginning of the French Revolution

PHASE ONE:From Estates-General to National Assembly

• Enlightenment ideas• American Revolution• Old Regime• Privileges of 1st & 2nd estate• Burdens of the 3rd estate• Financial crisis – impending

bankruptcy…

Causes of Revolution

Any thoughts on how France found itself on the brink of bankruptcy?

• Extravagance (Versailles)• Debt from wars• Aided American

Revolution• Banks refuse to

lend money • Crop Failure

French Financial Crisis

• France Needed Money!!!!• Louis XVI called

The Estates General - hoping to agree on new taxes to be applied to the First & Second Estates

French Financial Crisis

• Had not met since 1614

• Delegates of the 3rd Estate wanted a joint meeting of all Estates with each delegate voting as an individual

• King refused – locked out 3rd Estate!

Estates-General 1789

•3rd Estate delegates met on an indoor tennis court & created the National Assembly…

National Assembly & Tennis Court Oath

• Took the Tennis Court Oath - promised not to disband until they had written a constitution for France

• First deliberate act of the revolution!!

National Assembly & Tennis Court Oath

Why was the creation of the National Assembly considered an act of revolution?

• King ordered other estates to join the National Assembly, BUT called for troops in Paris

• Debates raged in streets, sometimes violent

Call to Revolt

Call to Revolt• Rebellion grew • King gathered more

troops• Paris citizens became

fearful that the King would dissolve the National Assembly & halt reforms so they took action…

Storming the

Bastille

• Bastille (Paris prison); symbolized injustices of the monarchy

• Huge mob surrounded Bastille & attempted to steal weapons to defend the National Assembly

• Forced way into prison; freed prisoners

• Soldiers opened fire

• 98 rioters killed • Rioters took over

prison

Storming the Bastille

Liberated prisoners parading later in the day

• After Bastille, wave of violence swept France

• Rumors that nobles hired robbers to kill peasants & take property

The Great Fear

• Peasants react; arm themselves

• Swear to never pay feudal dues again

• Drive off landlords & destroyed records

• The First Wave of the French Revolution had struck!

The Great Fear