Factors that Led to Revolution in France

The Estates General The French parliament was called the Estates General Met only when the King commanded Had not met since 1614 Included representatives from all 3 estates

Issue of Power in the Estates General The Third estate had 2x as many representatives Appears to have more power BUT Each estate voted as a bloc, so each estate only got 1 vote no matter the number of representatives The 1st and 2nd estate could easily outvote the 3rd estate

Estates General Meets 1789 The King needed money, but did not want to give up power Members were upset with the King and how the country was being run They were determined to implement democracy in France, but how? For 6 weeks the estates general debated on whether to address the problem of taxation or completely reorganize the government

The Third Estates Breaks Away The Third Estate was tired of the infighting and lack of progress in the Estates General so… The Third Estate broke away from the other 2 and declared that they would form a new government called the National Assembly Goal was to write a new constitution for France

You Cannot Stop Progress The King Responded by having the Third Estate locked out of their meeting rooms so… The Third Estates moved their meetings to the Royal Tennis Courts Took the Tennis Court Oath A pledge to continue to meet until France had a new government

Louis XVI Tries to Calm the Crowd Louis XVI tried to appease the demands of the Third Estate allows the National Assembly to create a new government The First and Second estate is ordered to join the National Assembly Do you think its over????

The Honeymoon Did Not Last Long Problems of poverty and starvation had not been addressed, and the public was outraged Riots over the prices of bread in Paris and other cities Mobs attacked prisons to free political prisoners Louis XVI sends foreign mercenary troops to keep order Citizens react by arming themselves

The Attack on the Bastille July 14 1789, a mob attacked a prison and fortress in Paris called the Bastille Took all the weapons to arm themselves for revolution Troops sent in to stop the mob ended up joining it instead The Bastille was easily captured 7 prisoners released Prison governor killed and his head was paraded through the streets of Paris The fortress was torn down within weeks

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Passed by the National Assembly Aug 26 1789 Set out basic human rights that the government must follow Guaranteed equality to all citizens, freedom of speech, religion, security, and property Ended special privileges for nobles

Rights for Everyone? The Declaration did not include everyone The right to vote was only granted to “active citizens” property owning men over 25 Excluded non- Catholics, women, slaves, and those who did not own property.

Natural Rights rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws Above the authority of any government Universal Every person should have access to them John Locke argued that Natural Rights include Life, Liberty, and property

The Great Fear (1789) a period of panic and rioting by peasants and others due to rumours that the king and the privileged estates were going to overthrow the Third Estate through violence Mobs stormed homes of the rich, burned buildings, and killed hundreds of people Invaded offices and burned feudal certificates

National Assembly Responds to the Great Fear In order to stop the rioting, the National assembly passed legislation to help reduce the power of the 1st and 2nd estates Abolished all feudal rights for the nobility Ended serfdom Abolished obligations of peasants to their feudal lords The Church could no longer collect tithes

The March on Versailles French mothers were having a very hard time buying bread for their children.  Louis XVI, his family, and the National Assembly were living at the Palace of Versailles The people of Paris were angry that the King lives in luxury while they starve

The March on Versailles October 5 one young woman began beating a drum at the market in Paris. Other women and men joined as they marched through Paris They were armed with kitchen knives, muskets, and swords. They seized more weapons at city hall Between six and ten thousand people decided to express their grievance directly to the King. 

The March on Versailles The mob reached Versailles after 6hours only a small group of women were allowed to speak to the king The crowd got frustrated and attacked the National Assembly and stormed the palace The crowd demanded that the king and queen return to Paris

Why was the March on Versailles Significant? The crowd of women had changed the course of the revolution Forced the King to leave the isolation of Versailles This was a sign that the people were gaining control by taking power from the monarchy

The National Assembly Tries to Create Peace Established a new government called the Legislative Assembly and a new constitution All noble titles dissolved Every person now called citizen Government seized church property Doomed! Too many groups wanted different things

Busted! Many aristocrats fed and attempted to end the revolution while in hiding 1791 Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI , and their children tried to escape in disguise He was recognized, arrested, and imprisoned Clear he did not support change and was untrustworthy