The French Revolution

French Revolution(1789-1815)

I. Estate Systema. Society was divided into 3 social

classes1. First Estate-Roman Catholic clergy

a. 1 % of population; had 10% of land

b. Highest officials were very wealthy

c. Only paid a 2% “gift tax”2. Second Estate-nobles

a. 2% of pop., had 20% of landb. Had best jobs in govt. & mil.c. Refused to pay taxes

3. Third Estate-Everyone else (97% of population)a. Bourgeoisie-middle class (doctors, lawyers, the

educated)1. Some were very rich, but law treated them as

peasants2. Wanted social status & pol. power

b. Urban lower class-butchers, weavers, etc.1. Poorer-people that kept cities running2. Ate three lbs. of bread a day-staple of their diet

c. Peasants1. 4/5 of pop. (80%)2. Half of income went to taxes3. Owed the corvee-law required peasants to work

w/o pay on govt. projects

The Estate System of France prior to the Revolution

II. Louis XVIa. not a good leader-very indecisiveb. married to Marie Antoinette-lavish lifestylec. govt. was deeply in debt over financing of

American Revolutiond. was going to tax the nobles, but they refused unless he called the Estates General-they had not met since 1614

III.National Assemblya. 1st & 2nd estates had always dominated the 3rd estate-each only got 1 vote-they expected to dominate as usualb. 3rd estate now demanded that they all meet together-all should be equalc. King refused & locked them out of halld. Tennis Court Oath-3rd Estate meets & vows to pass laws & reforms for France-change their name to National Assembly

IV. Storming of the Bastille July 14, 1789a. Bastille was a jail for political prisoners in Parisb. King was trying to appease the 3rd Estate and said they would meet

1. He was stalling until his mercenaries got therec. In Paris mobs were rioting over the high price of breadd. Mobs stormed the Bastille for its gunpowdere. Fall of the Bastille was important because: 1. forced Louis to give up plan for foreign troops 2. reduce king’s power & saved National Assembly 3. symbolic act of revolution to the French

V. The Great Feara. Rebellion spread to the countrysideb. A wave of panic, called the Great Fear, spread-they said the nobles were hiring men to terrorize the peasantsc. Many hid in caves or forests, but nothing happenedd. The peasants began terrorizing the nobles insteade. October 1789—women rioting over the price over bread againf. Women marched to Versailles-they demanded the royals come to Parisg. Louis & family “agreed” & moved to Paris

VI. National Assembly Makes Reforms

A. Voted to sell church lands to pay debt

B. Put the church under govt. controlC. 1791-new constitution---kept

monarchy, but legislature chosen by voters

D. Delegates were seated by their political beliefs:

a. Reactionary royalists-rightb. Moderates-centerc. Radicals-left

Signatures from

the National Assembly

VII.Decline of MonarchyA. Chaos

1. June 1791-Louis & family try to flee to Austria-caught & go to Paris

2. King agrees to limited monarchy, but people want a republic

3. Aug. 1792-king imprisoned & radicals call for new constitutionB. National Convention

1. N.C. met from 1792-1795: wrote the 1st democratic constitution:

a. Power in a single national legislature

b. Every male could vote2. Jan. 1793-Louis XVI beheaded3. Jacobins-a group in N.C.-extreme

radicals-defenders of the Revolution

Death of Louis XVI

III. Reign of Terror (July 1793-July 1794)A. Crushing Opposition1. Jacobins set out to crush opposition w/in

France to Revolution2. Committee of Public Safety-led the effort

to hunt “traitors” down3. Maximillien Robespierre-leader of the

CPS, leads France4. 40,000 people killed during Reign of

Terror-mostly peasantsB. Republic of Virtue1. CPS set up the “Rep. Of Virtue”-a demo.

republic made up of “good” citizens2. Universal elementary education3. Abolished slavery4. Encouraged religious toleration

C. End of the Terror

1. Robespierre accused his friends of treason-others turned on him, and he was put to death

2. After his death the Jacobins lost power-wealthier middle class took control

3. Many people even favored bringing back the monarchy

4. the people looked to the army to bring order to France

Maximillien RobespierreLeader of France during the Reign

of Terror

The Directory1795: New convention, new constitution

•End of universal male suffrage

•Gov’t in the hands of wealthy middle class

•2 House Legislature

•Upper house and lower house

The Directory 1795-1799

• high prices and food shortages

• royalists and radicals have uprisings