French Revolution Chapter 7- Section 1 Revolution Threatens the French King 1700s France was the most advanced country in Europe and the center of the enlightenment. France was also filled with great unrest among the people They suffered from high taxes, bad harvests, and high prices for goods The ideas of the philosophes had raised some disturbing questions The Old Order The Old Regime divided the people of France into 3 groups The First Estate: the Roman Catholic Church clergy Owned 10% of land, paid 2% taxes The 2 nd Estate: the Nobles 2% of population, owned 20% of the land, paid almost no taxes Third Estate 98% of the population. Consisted of three different groups. Bourgeoisie: the middle class Business owners, factory owners, merchants, etc Often well educated, believed in the Enlightened ideas City Workers: poorest group Tradespeople, apprentices, laborers, servants Often went hungry Peasants: 80% of the population Heavily taxed, about their income went to taxes They wanted a change in the system The Force of Change New ideas about government, serious economic problems, and weak, indecisive leadership helped generate a desire for change The 3 rd Estate was inspired by the American Revolution, and began talking about the ideas of Rousseau and Voltaire Economic troubles The economy of France began to decline in the 1780s. Business people were worried because it was almost impossible to make a profit on business conducted in France Trade and production were expanding, so on the surface the economy appeared healthy The cost of living rose sharply Crop failures resulted in a shortage of grain, which cause the price of bread to double The French government was deep in debt, partly to blame was the spending of the Louis XVI & Marie Weak leadership Louis XVI was indecisive He didnt enjoy politics He was easily bored and got bad advice Married an unpopular Austrian princess Marie Antoinette She spent a lot of money, gambled, and was unpopular She made fun of the king and really tried to limit the amount of time they spent together Estates General ( May 5, 1789) An assembly of representatives from all three estates. Called together by the king, under pressure from the nobles to vote on new taxes. The first time the group had met in 175 years The Estates met in separate halls to vote Then each estate got one vote The 1 st & 2 nd always voted together and out voted the 3 rd The Third Estate insisted on equal representation for all estates. One vote for each delegate. The 3 rd estate would have the advantage because they had twice as many delegates as the 1 st & 2 nd combined They also insisted the three estates meet together for a true debate over the issues National Assembly Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes proposed the 3 rd estate form a new representative group to pass reforms in the name of the French people June 17, 1789, a vote was passed to form National Assembly- by 3 rd Estate. First act of the Revolution Tennis Court Oath 3 days later, the Third estate delegates were locked out of their meeting room. They broke into an indoor tennis court and pledged to stay until a constitution was created. The pledge came to be known as the Tennis Court Oath. Soon nobles and clergy who believed in reform joined them. Louis XVI stationed Swiss guards around the palace for protection Storming the Bastille People in Paris heard rumors coming from the palace and began to fear for their safety July 14, 1789 angry crowd storms Bastille attempting to get gun powder and free political prisoners. They killed several guards and paraded through Paris with the heads on pikes July 14: Bastille Day The Great Fear Rebellion and rumors spread from Paris to the countryside. Peasants attacked nobles and their manor houses, & destroyed old legal documents In October 1789, women in Paris rioted over the price of bread They broke into the palace, killed some guards, and demanded Louis return to Paris to solve the problem How would you protect yourself & your family if the government suddenly dissolved? As group of 3 or 4 (no more than 4) make a list of the steps you would take and items you would need Have at least 5 things and an explanation