THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONA R E P U B L I C B O R N I N B L O O D

CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTIONSociety based on inequalityThree estatesFirst Estate = Catholic clergyMade up 1% of the population, owned 10% of the land,

and paid no taxesSecond Estate = nobilityMade up 2% of the population, owned 35% of the land,

paid some fees, but no taxesGot the best positions in gov’t and military

Third Estate = peasants, bourgeoisie (middle class)Made up 97% of the population, paid all the taxes

Relics of feudalism = aristocratic privilegesPeasants had to pay rents and fees to use village facilitiesAll part of the Ancient Regime, or the old order

Weak King Louis XVI and his queen Marie-Antoinette, whom the people of France despise

She is Austrian, unpopular, and spends lots of moneyIdeas of the EnlightenmentWant to put Enlightenment ideas into effect, see how

successful the American colonists were

American RevolutionAmerican colonists are successful and the money France

gives to the colonists partially bankrupts FranceFinancial crisisThe near collapse of gov’t finances is the immediate cause1/3 of the country is starving – no food, bad wintersFrance deeply in debt, half the taxes used to pay off debtGov’t still spends lots of moneyFirst and Second Estates refuse to pay taxes

START OF THE REVOLUTIONMeeting of the Estates-GeneralEach estate gets one voteFirst and Second Estates could always outvote the ThirdMembers of the Third Estate demand that each

representative gets one voteHave a new sense of importance

The king refuses, saying he is in favor of the old system, but he does double the number of representatives in the Third Estate

In response the Third Estate declares itself a National Assembly with the right to make laws for France and to draft a constitution

The king has them locked out of their meeting hallThey meet at a nearby indoor tennis court insteadTennis Court Oath = swear that they will continue to meet

until they create a French constitutionLouis XVI orders troops to Paris and Versailles to protect

the monarchyThe National Assembly feared the king was preparing to

use force against them

Storming of the Bastille – July 14, 1789A mob of Parisians attack the Bastille, an armory and prisonWere looking for gunpowder to protect themselves from the

king’s troopsThey dismantle the prison and kill the commander, then cut off

his head and parade it around the streets on a long stickCreates The Great Fear – violence in the countrysideGreat Fear was a time of rumors that people would be attackedSome peasants rebelled and burned homes of nobles, along

with records of feudal dues

A NEW GOVERNMENT National Assembly 1789 to 1791 – liberalCreates the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the

CitizenInspired by the American Declaration of Independence

and Constitution, and the English Bill of RightsCo-written by Thomas Jefferson

Proclaims free and equal rights for all menAccess to public office based on talent, no exemptions

from taxation, and free speech and press

States basic principles of the Revolution – “liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood)”Did not extend to womenOlympe de Gouges wrote a declaration of rights for

women, she is later beheadedWomen’s march to VersaillesLouis remains at Versailles, refusing to accept the Declaration

and the abolition of the relics of feudalismIn October 1789 women of Paris grew upset over the price

and lack of bread and decide to bring their grievances to the king. Thousands of women march to Versailles and demand to see the king

When they king hesitates about seeing them, the women become enraged and break into the palace, intent on killing the queenThey massacre the palace guards, decapitate them, and

put their heads on pikesThey force the king to accept the decrees and Louis and

his family go to Paris to take up residence in the Tuileries PalaceHe brings wagonloads of flour as a goodwill gesture, but

the royal family are now prisoners in Paris

In 1791 the National Assembly finishes the constitution, which creates a moderate gov’t called the Legislative Assembly

Sets up a limited monarchyStill a king, but the Legislative Assembly will make the

lawsOnly men over 25 who pay a certain amount of taxes can

vote

The old order is completely destroyed and there is opposition to the new order

Louis watches his power slowly taken away and decides its time to flee France

He and his family, wearing servant disguises, flee Paris in the middle of the night

Get within miles of the Austrian border before they are recognized and dragged back to Paris

FACTIONS SPLITRadicals - opposed the monarchy and

wanted extreme changes in the way the government was run

Conservatives – upheld the idea of a limited monarchy and wanted few changes in government.

Emigres – Nobles who fled France during the peasant uprisings and hoped to restore the old system

Sans-culottes – Workers and small shopkeepers who wanted a greater voice in the French government.

Foreign reaction to the Revolution

In the beginning other nations are delighted – thought they could gain new territory at the expense of France

Great Britain hopes this will lead to better relations between the two nations and they celebrate the revolution

Eventually European leaders feared that revolution will spread to their countries

–Austria and Prussia start massing troops at the border and the Legislative Assembly declares war•Foreign troops are now on French soil–A Prussian general issues a warning to the people of Paris, warning that he will destroy their city if any harm comes to the royal family• In response the people of Paris attack the Tuleries Palace, but the king and his family make it to safety in the meeting hall of the Legislative Assembly•The palace guards are slaughtered and those not killed will be the first at the guillotine

Radical leaders of the RevolutionJean-Paul Marat –advocates violence in his newspaper

Spends most of his time in his bathtub due to a skin disease he acquired while living in the sewers

Feels that the way to make France better is to kill more and more people

Maximilien Robespierre – great speaker who will lead the gov’t during its bloodiest phase

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC1792 The National Convention splits into factions (dissenting

groups) over the fate of the kingThe most prominent faction were the Jacobin Club –

Members were called Jacobins and represented the rights of Frances poorest people.

King Louis XVI is reduced from a king to a common citizen and prisoner. He is put on trial for treason

January 21, 1793 King Louis XVI is beheaded by the guillotineInvented by a doctor, it was adopted because it kills

quickly and humanelyThe execution of the king creates enemies both in France

and abroad

Domestic CrisisForeign armies were not the only enemies of the French

republic. Many peasants – horrified by the kings execution, priests-

who didn’t want gov’t control, and rival leaders did not like what was going on.

In response, the Committee of Public Safety is created by the National Convention who gives broad powers to this special committee of 12 – led by Maximilien Robespierre

ROBESPIERRE’S - REIGN OF TERRORLasted from spring of 1793 to 1794Revolutionary courts set up to prosecute internal enemies

of the republic, goal was to eliminate people who threatened the revolution

Robespierre stated that terror needed to be used to defend the republic

Most executions take place by guillotinein a public place for everyone to viewPeople would watch and usually throw foodEfficient – could execute more than one person a minute

People in Paris complained of the blood overflowing the city’s drainage ditches

In all, 300,000 people were arrested, 17,000 were executed by the guillotine

The queen Marie-Antoinette, was beheaded a year after her husband

The Committee of Public Safety also sent armies to bring rebellious cities in the Vendee under control

Makes an example out of Lyons1,880 citizens were executedFirst guillotined, then shot over open graves when the

guillotine proves too slowIn Nantes the victims were executed by being sunk in barges in

the Loire River while their family and friends watchedThe Great Terrorthe last phase of the Reign of Terror, the pace of execution picks

upAt the end 800 a month were being executed in Paris alone

THE REPUBLIC OF VIRTUEThe Committee of Public Safety, under Robespierre, wants to

create a new order and society of good citizensErase all connections to the old waysSome of the Changes“citizen” and “citizeness” replace mister and madameWomen wear long robes inspired by ancient timesSlavery abolished in the coloniesSet up schools to produce good citizensA metric system replaces the old system of weights and

measures

Churches are closed and priests encouraged to marryPriests and nuns who refuse visit the guillotine

the title on the Bible is changed to “Declaration of the Rights of Man”

Notre Dame is designated as a “temple of reason”Adoption of a new calendar12 months with new namesEach month has 3 ten day weeks, with the tenth day as a

day of restCult of the Supreme Being created by Robespierre, worship

the goddess of wisdom and reason

Fearing for their own safety, some members of the National Convention turned on Robespierre demanding his arrest and execution.

Robespierre tries to commit suicide, but only ends up shooting his jaw

The next day Robespierre and his followers are executed by the guillotine

The death of Robespierre ends the Reign of TerrorThe power of the Committee of Public Safety is reduced

and churches reopen

THE DIRECTORYWith the end of the Reign of Terror, a new constitution is

created that establishes the Directory, a reactionary gov’t, in 1795

It had a legislative assembly with two chambers and five directors who acted as the executive committee

Gov’t was weak and corruptThe Directory is brought to an end by the coup d’etat by

Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799Coup d’etat = sudden overthrow of the gov’t