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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