The French RevolutionAP European History

Beth Hals

The Eve of Revolution• Pick up your next set of notes at the front of

the room

• In pairs, with a neighbor, read your Cahiers de doleances or account from Arthur Young

• (cahiers de doleances were lists of grievances that were drafted throughout France while an election for the Estates General was occurring)

– Write a sentence that summarizes the issues in France at the eve of Revolution

– Choose one quote from your document that summarizes one of the most paramount issues

– Be prepared to share with your classmates

The Estates

• First Estate – clergy• Second Estate –

noble families• Third Estate –

everyone else– bourgeoisie– peasant farmers– **Overwhelming

majority

1st Estate

• 1% of population (conservatives)

• Roman Catholic clergy

• 10% of French land

• Wealthy- arch/bishops

• Poor- parish priests

• No direct taxes (2% gift)

2nd Estate

• 2% of population

• Nobility (conservatives)

• 20% of French land

• Highest offices (sons of nobles)– Govt., church, army

• Refuses to pay taxes– Cause of revolution

3rd Estate

• 98% of population

• Comprised of 3 economically different groups:– City-dwelling middle class (bourgeoisie)– Urban lower class– Peasant farmers

Bourgeousie

• Power growing since MA

• Many well-educated– Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality

• Some as wealthy as nobles– Desired social status, political power equal to

wealth

• Paid much in taxes

Workers

• Poorer than bourgeoisie

• Wore sans-culottes (w/out knee britches)

• Most literate

• Often hungry (bread)– Spring 1789 bad harvest, prices doubled

• Most supported revolution

Peasants

• 80% of population

• 50% of income paid in taxes– Feudal dues, tithe, taxes

• Owed the corvee- tax paid w/ work on govt. roads

• No Enlightenment ideals– Revolt against oppression

So Why Revolution?

• All estates had reasons for hating Old Regime

• Weak leadership at top– Louis XVI –

Bourbon dynasty• Weak,

indecisive• incompetent

• Marie Antoinette– Vain, unintelligent– Austrian

• Elitist attitude toward the French

– “Let them eat cake!”

Previous Advisors…

• Rene Maupeou– Chancellor of Louix XV– Had tried to break

apart parlement– Exiled parl. To

different parts of the country

– Tried to increase taxes on nobility

– Reforms halted when Louis XV dies

• Jacques Turgot– Louis XVI’s first

minister– Removed restrictions

on grain trade– Eliminated guilds– Changed corvee into

money payments– Wants to tax nobility,

but Louis XVI dismisses him b/c he wants noble’s support

• Jacques Necker– Director-General of Finances– Swiss banker; produced an overly optimistic

report– Without American revolution govt. would have

surplus• Charles Alexander de Calonne

– Minister of Finance – 1786 (he’s more realistic)– Makes several bold proposals… (wait for it…)

Calonne’s Suggestions

• Lower the “gabelle” (tax) on salt• Convert peasant service to monetary

payments• Create new land tax applied equally to all

people regardless of social status**– **would allow gov’t to abandon most other

indirect taxes thus…– The need to consult parlement would be

rare!

Calonne’s Plan…

• Calonne meets with the Assembly of Notables to present his plan - 1787– (members of clergy and aristocracy)

• Surprise!– Clergy and Aristocracy reject it– Seek reappointment of Necker– Claim only the Estates General can approve new

taxes• Why would they be okay with calling up the EG?

– 2 to 1 vote…clergy and aristocracy continually dominate!

• Louis XVI replaces Calonne with Charles Lomenie de Brienne (Archbishop of Toulouse)– Brienne had opposed Calonne at the Assembly of

Notables– But…when he looks at the books he realizes

France is in really deep trouble– Recommends Calonne’s plan– Nobles and Clergy so mad they reduce the “don

gratuit” • Contribution they usually made to gov’t

So…1788

• Local Parlements calling for pre-Richelieu restoration of privileges

• Urban food shortages from transportation problems• Most taxes fall on poorer population (peasants)• Gov’t bankrupt

– Can we say Versailles? American Rev? Royal gifts to nobles?

• Conflict between King, Nobility, and Bourgeoisie for political control

• Peasants want to own land

Problems…• Desire to tax nobles - refused unless

Estates General called– Had not met since 1614– Called to Versailles May 1, 1789

• Invitation to revolution• Representatives show up with their cahiers de

doleances (list of grievances)

New Demands…• 1789 3rd Estate demands all 3 estates

meet together– Each vote count equally– 610 members in 3rd Estate– 591 members combined in 1st and 2nd Estates

• King sides with nobles- follow old rules

• Can you list the 5 stages of Revolution?

New Demands…• 3rd Estate determined-gain power

–Spokesman Abbe Sieyes

–June 16, 1789 suggests 3rd Estate change name to National Assembly

–National Assembly- pass laws, reform in people’s name

Closed for painting

Tennis Court Oath•Angered, 3rd Estate declares themselves a National Assembly on June 17, 1789•They meet on a nearby tennis court and vow to remain until a Constitution was established

(by Jacques Louis David)

We vow to remain until we ratify a Constitution

National Assembly• Formed June 20,1789

– Tennis Court Oath – Cahiers- list of grievances and desired reform

• End to absolute monarchy

• Representative govt.

• 1st deliberate act of revolution

Louis’ Reaction…• Make peace with 3rd Estate

– All estates meet together

• Swiss mercenaries ordered to Paris– Did not trust loyalty of French soldiers

• Bourgeoisie fear end to Assembly

• Mobs riot over price of bread

Storming of the Bastille

• July 14, 1789

• Want gun powder to defend Paris and National Assembly

No Dice• Storming of the

Bastille• July 14, 1789• peasants sweep

through and attack nobility and feudal institutions

Long-term Causes• People of Paris were hungry

• High unemployment

• High prices

Storming of the Bastille – The Big Picture

• Significance:

–Militarily- Louis gives up use of troops

–Politically- kings power reduced, National Assembly saved

–Symbolic- act of revolution people ready to fight

The Great Fear

The People• Still in MA

– No education– No news- rumors only of Bastille and killing

• Fear of violence spreading

• Worried King will get even with them

– Violent, superstitious, ignorant

• Grouping together for 1st time

The Beginning…• Rebellion from Paris spread to countryside

• Rumors Include that the…– Nobles have hired brigands to terrorize– Royal troops were being sent into rural

districts

• Great Fear breaks out

Great Fear• Reaction: peasants hide but no brigands

– Peasants become brigands– Upset soldiers do not come- fight each other

• Break into nobles houses-– Tore up legal documents binding them to the

land/feudal dues– Houses burned– Try to retake food supplies and land they think

is rightfully theirs

Reforms of the

Assembly

Why Reforms?• Great Fear & Paris mobs• National Assembly – August 4th

– liberal nobles and clergy rose to renounce their feudal rights, dues, and tithes, an act that was more symbolic than real since they would probably have lost them anyway

– most of these aristocrats would receive some compensation for their losses

– this dramatic session led to all citizens being subject to the same and equal laws

Accomplishments • End of Old Regime

• End feudalism & serfdom

• End church tithes

• End social privileges – Nobles & clergy

• End sale of offices

• Opening of public offices

“Liberty, Fraternity, Equality”• Aug. 27, 1789 Declaration of the Rights of

Man and the citizen– Men born and remain free– Limited monarchy (constit.)– Begin drafting a Constitution

• Law making assembly created – Legislative Assembly (1791)

– Replace Provinces with 83 local “departments”

– State controlled church • Cath Ch loses its land and

independence• Church officials and priests to be

elected by the public and paid as state officials

Declaration of the Rights of Women

• 1791 by Olympe de Gouges – Revolutionary radical

• Applied Dec. Rights of Man to women

• Women also citizens w/ property rights

Mary Wollstonecraft• Early feminist

• 1792 A Vindication of the Rights of Women

• Women and men do NOT have definite spheres

New Problems• Church issue divides peasants and

bourgeoisie – Peasants will oppose other revolutionary

changes• Don’t mess with salvation!

King’s Response • King reluctantly approves Constitution and

Declaration

• June 1791 Louis and family try to flee to Austrian Netherlands– Caught and returned to Paris– Louis discredited and plan for constitutional

monarchy– Radicals’ influence increased

Change…• Sept. 1791 new constitution completed

– Legislative Assembly replaced National Assembly

• King and his family taken to Paris so the 3rd Estate Revolutionaries can keep him out of the way

• National Assembly establishes the nation-state as the source of all sovereignty or political authority

• Marie Antionette – sister of the Emperor of Austria

• Austria and Prussia invade France

• French revolutionaries hold them back

• French leaders meet, new constitution

• Convention – new ruling body – abolished monarchy, proclaimed France a republic

Dun, dun, dun….• Jacobins lead the Convention• Imprison royal family• Behead king for treason in 1793

Marie is killed in October

Reign of Terror

• Prussia and Austria regroup• Britain and Spain join in• Convention worried about

foreign threats• Throw out constitution, AGAIN,• Committee of Public Safety –

led by Maximilien Robespierre – an all-powerful enforcer of the revolution– Murders any with

antirevolutionary tendancies

Guillotine: between 18,000 and 40,000 people were executed during the Reign of Terror

Robespierre

• Controls anarchy• Beheads tens of

thousands of French citizens

• Creates strong national military

Symbols of France

• Tricolor – red, white, blue

• Le Marsellaise – national anthem

• Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite

• Viva la nation!– Long live the

nation!

• Guillotine for Robespierre

• New constitution, 1795

• Directory in charge (five man gvt)– builds up the military

Napoleon

• Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the Directory in 1799– Legitimizes actions

with popular vote– Declares himself the

First Consul under the new constitution

– (…the FOURTH new constitution…)

Improving life

• Domestic Reforms– Agriculture, infrastructure,

and public education– Works things out with the

Cath. Ch.

• Napoleonic Codes – 1804 – recognized equality of French citizens– Big step for human rights

law– But not very good for

women or children

Emperor• Crowns himself emperor in 1804• Literally crowns himself, shows he owes his throne to

no one but himself

Building an Empire• Valued rapid movements

and effective use of large armies

• New plan for every battle

• Presence “worth 40,000 troops”

• The Grand Empire – – annexes areas of France, the

Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Italy and Germany

• Dissolves the HRE– Creates 38-member

Confederation of the Rhine

• Cuts Prussia in half; turns old Poland into the Duchy of Warsaw

• Controls Europe by placing relatives and friends on thrones of conquered nations

• Sold Louisiana land to the USA– 1. Money to fund his army– 2. So Britain couldn’t

access the Mississippi• Failed to acquire Britain

– Battle of Trafalgar• Led by Br. Admiral

Horatio Nelson• Napoleon turns his

sights to Russia

Effects of Nationalism

• France has new found sense of nationalism

• Nationalism – tremendous pride and devotion in and to your country

• But, nationalism in conquered countries inspires revolts against France, too

• Spain loses holdings in the Americas b/c colonies revolt against Spain’s weakened control

Russia

• In 1812 Napoleon invades Russia with 600,000 French soldiers

• Scorched Earth Policy• General Winter

– Gives up in October

– Only 100,000 survive

Coalition Against Napoleon

• Russia, Britain, Austria, Sweden and Prussia become allies to take out Napoleon

• 1813 – Battle of the Nations at Leipzig– Napoleon is

defeated

Exiled

• Napoleon abdicated

• Victors exile him to Elba

• Recognize Louis XVIII as king of France (brother of Louis XVI) – Restoration not a smooth one– King accepts Napoleonic Code

and honors land settlements– But, people nervous and fear

oppression

He returns!

• Napoleon escapes island exile and returns!

• Soldiers flock to him

• Citizens cheer, king flees,

• March 1815, Napoleon reenters Paris

The Final Showdown• June 18, 1815 opposing armies meet head to head in Waterloo,

Belgium• Br Duke of Wellington; Pr. General Blucher

– Lead the attack and crush France

(Wellington at Waterloo)

This time it really is the end…

– Napoleon forced to abdicate again– Exiled on St. Helena…no more Napoleon

Fixing Europe• The Congress of Vienna –

1814 to 1815• The principal negotiators

were: • Austria -- Prince Klemons von

Metternich• Prussia --  King Frederick

William III• Russia -- Czar Alexander I• Great Britain -- Castlereagh• France -- Prince Talleyrand

Congress of Vienna• Work to restore order to Europe

– Recognize balance of power

• 5 nation-states

• Austria, Prussia, Russia, Great Britain, and France

– Gain power at expense of smaller states

• Austria took some Italian territories

• Russia took most of Poland

• Britain added territories in Asia and the W. Hemisphere

• Prussia too Rhine River land in W. Germany

• Create Kingdom of Netherlands by joining Belgium and Luxembourg together with Holland

Congress of Vienna cont.

• Return to Status Quo– Restored old monarchies of Europe

• Bourbons on throne in France and Spain• Holy Roman Empire

– Reduced from 300+ independent states to 39 separate German states

• Established a stable Europe which tried to prevent war• Very successful; peace in Europe for the next 100 years• Conservative; Tried to prevent domestic change in

Europe

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