French Revolution
French Revolution When? 1780s Long-standing resentments against French monarchy fueled revolution France followed “ancient regime” King Louis XVI at the top with three social groups called estates under him Unequal structure of French government and society
Causes of Revolution France on the brink of financial collapse Mother nature didn’t help Poor weather leads to poor harvests and famine Enlightenment ideas questioning ancient regime Motivated by American Revolution
Wealthy and privileged Paid NO taxes!!! First Estate Roman Catholic clergy 1% of the population Wealthy and privileged Paid NO taxes!!!
Second Estate French nobility Less than 2% of the population Held key positions in gov’t and army Less than 2% of the population Wealthy and privileged Paid some fees but NO taxes!!!
Third Estate 97% of the population Broke down into groups: Bourgeoisie (Upper Third Estate) City dwelling factory owners and professionals Highly educated and wealthy Lower Third Estate (very poor) Sans culottes – city workers Peasant farmers Paid taxes; no influence in government (Video Clips 1 & 2)
First Events King Louis XVI pressured to call a meeting of the Estates-General First time in 175 years! Cahiers (kah-YAHZ) written to document grievances France is broke – Reform desperately needed (Video Clip 3 – 2:45)
First Events First & Second Estate Always outvote Third Estate After over 6 weeks of arguing, King Louis XVI locks the Third Estate out of the meeting place Third Estate breaks away and forms National Assembly
First Events National Assembly meets at indoor tennis court instead Tennis Court Oath formed – The French Revolution has started! We won’t leave the court until we’ve written a constitution for France! Many nobles and clergy join the cause; King Louis XVI relents (Video Clip 3 – 5:00)
Storming of the Bastille Louis sends troops to Paris and Versailles to preserve monarchy National Assembly feels threatened… Rumor of takeover in Paris leads to storming of the Bastille (an ancient prison) in search of weapons Start of the Great Fear Would Louis seek revenge???
Creating a New Nation August 1789 - National Assembly adopts Declaration of the Rights of Man New legislative body created – Legislative Assembly Expanded voting rights Severely restricted the king’s power Eliminate feudal system
Creating a New Nation July 1792 – Austria and Prussia threaten war if French monarch is harmed – 50,000 troops sent to France’s border August 1792 – angry mob runs out Louis and Marie-Antoinette; demoted to commoners and thrown in prison No more monarchy! Legislative Assembly hopeless; replaced by National Convention National Convention declares France a republic! Same day, France wins battle against foreign invaders! Story’s over, everybody’s happy, right???
Three Key Radical Leaders Jean-Paul Marat – advocate of violence; one of the most radical Georges-Jacques Danton – popular with the public; violent agitator in the early days of Revolution Maximilien Robespierre – intense dedication to Revolution; Led the National Convention; Became increasingly radical and blood thirsty
The Rise of Napoleon
After the Terror National Convention writes a new constitution in 1795 Directory – governing board; 5 members elected by Upper House Upper House Lower House
After the Terror Economy improves but… Poor still suffered New constitution restricts voting rights Corrupt leaders; lots of arguing PAVED THE WAY FOR A DICTATORSHIP IN FRANCE
The Rise of Napoleon Revolution has left France vulnerable Napoleon helps France fight off foreign invaders and is a renowned army captain by age 26 France actually gains territory during this time!
Napoleon Takes Power Napoleon’s ambition grows Capitalizes on “national hero” status and decides to seize power Directory is weak and ineffective The French people want security, stability, and prosperity Coup d'état of November 1799 – Napoleon takes over!
Was Napoleon good for France? Complete Cornell notes on the text provided to you Keep in mind, any of this material may appear on Thursday’s quiz You will be using this for our next assignment!!!