Upload
clifton-gyles-nicholson
View
226
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
French Society was divided into three estates:
First Estate Clergy (priests) of the
Roman Catholic Church less than 1% of
Population Owned 10% of land taxed on only 2% of
income
Third Estate Commoners Made up 98% of the population Paid 50% of their income in taxes Divided into three sub classes: 1. Merchants and artisans
– Rich and well educated (liberal ideologies)
2.Working Class (cooks, servants, and others)Poor wage earners
Price of bread was very important to them
3. Farmers (80% of people)Heavily taxed, had to work for nobles/clergy for free
0.3%
98% 1.7%
First Estate Second Estate
Third Estate
10%70%
20%
First Estate Second Estate
Third Estate
2%
50%0%
First Estate Second Estate
Third Estate
% of Pop.% of Land
Taxation
Level
France’s National Problems
1. Crop failures led to grain shortages
2. Large debt due to Wars (Americas)– Bankers refused to lend more money
3. Weak leader
King and Queen of France
Louis XVI- – Great Grandson of Louis
XIV– easily distracted– would rather hunt or play
with locks Marie Antoinette-
– Daughter of Austrian Maria Theresa
– big spender
Louis is forced to call the Estates-General (May 1789)
meeting of all 3 estates first time in 175 yrs. Each estate gets 1 vote (clergy had one,
nobles had one) 3rd Estate was always outvoted by the other
two estates
Tennis Court Oath (June 1789) Estates-General
refused to have equal voting so the 3rd Estate left
Met in a tennis court renamed themselves the National Assembly
Made an oath not leave until a new constitution was written
Declared that they not the king were the voice of the people
Storming of the Bastille, July 14th 1789 People of Paris heard rumors that
the King’s army was going to attack Stormed the Bastille (old prison) for
gun powder– Had only 7 prisoners( 4 forgers, 1
aristocrat pervert, and 2 lunatics) Today this is France’s
“Independence Day” – Louis wrote in journal that day “Rein”
or nothing referring to his afternoon hunt
Great Fear
In countryside—Rumors of nobles hiring troops to kill peasants
Led to peasants attacking nobles’ homes
Women’s Bread Riot (October 1789) Price of bread rose 6,000 women took up arms 60,000 marched 12 miles to Versailles (King’s
palace) killed two guards forced the king and his family to move to Paris
Declaration of the Rights of Man– Issued August 27, 1789– “men are born and remain free and equal in
rights”– Right to liberty, property, security, and
resistance to oppression– Sets up a Constitutional Monarchy
Slogan of Revolution– “Liberty, Equality,
and Fraternity
(brotherhood)”
France’s Radical Groups: Émigrés: nobles and clergy who
fled France Far right supporters
Sans-culottes: “those without knee
breeches” mobs wage earners of
the cities far left supporters
Political Spectrum:Left
Liberal, wants extreme change
Right Conservative, wants
to go back to old times
Moderate
Europe turns against the Revolution Austria (Marie’s Homeland) feared that the
revolution against nobility would spread to other nations.
Austria declared war on France in 1792, later joined by Prussia, Holland, Spain, and England..
French Émigrés joined with the foreigners. Austrian and Prussian forces near Paris and
threatened to destroy Paris if the Royal family was harmed
Outraged the mobs kill the king’s Swiss guards and imprisoned the royal family in a tower.
The Last Straw: the September Massacre
With foreign armies near Paris volunteers were organized but rumors spread that when the volunteers left the Émigrés would seize the city
Angered the Sans-culottes killed over a 1,000 noble, clergy & other prisoners
Power is transferred to the Left Radicals called the Jacobins
King No More The French army
defeats the invading armies
The Jacobins order the post of king abolished and establish a Republic.
Louis is beheaded by the Guillotine (Jan. 1793)
“I am innocent and shall die without fear. I would that my death might bring happiness to the French, and ward off
the dangers which I foresee.”
New Leader: Maximilien Robespierre
Revolution goes past politics Slavery is outlawed Religious Freedom for Jews and Protestants Playing cards—no jacks, queens and kings Calendar was changed to 12 months 30 days
each– 10 day week, no Sundays
(religion seen as old fashion)
All churches were closed Bread prices were controlled
Committee of Public Safety (July 1793 to July 1794)
Ordered to root out traitors of the Revolution
No one was safe Neighbor turned on
neighbor
Reign of Terror
Marie Antoinette Many leaders of the
earlier revolutions were killed
Fellow Jacobins killed Finally Robespierre (July
1794)– Because the leaders left all
felt threatened
As many as 40,000 people had been killed, most of them were Commoners
“I beg your pardon. I did not do it on purpose.”
The Directory
Five Moderates– Corrupt and relatively weak
– But compared to the Terror it was breath of fresh air to the weary French people