The French Revolution

MEDIEVAL French 1700s King Clergy Nobles Artisans/Merchants Peasants/Serfs King MEDIEVAL French 1700s Clergy Nobles Bourgeoisie Artisans/Merchants Peasants/Serfs

ESTATES One of the three classes into which French society was divided before the Revolution.

1st estate: Clergy – 130,000 out of 27 million people = .5% Land: Owned 10% Taxes: Paid 0% King 2nd estate: Nobility 350,000 out of 27 million people = 1.3% Land: Owned 25-30% Taxes: Paid 0% Held Government, Military, religious, and legal positions French 1700s Clergy Nobles Bourgeoisie 3rd estate: “Commoners: - EVERYONE ELSE – 98% Land: Varied among groups Taxes: Paid 100% Artisans/Merchants Peasants/Serfs

TAILLE An annual direct tax, usually on land or property, that provided a regular source of income for the French monarchy

The Third Estate Peasants Middle Class “Bourgeoisie” owned the rest 75-80% 35-40% of land Middle Class “Bourgeoisie” owned the rest Many peasants had little or no land to own/live on Also, crafts people, shopkeepers, workers Struggling b/c price of consumer goods increased faster than wages

Serfdom continues Ex: Peasants have to pay fees to grind flour/press grapes because lord controlled flour mill/wine press Harvest time: peasants had to work to harvest noble’s crops

Bourgeoisie The middle class, including merchants, industrialists, and professional people

Bourgeoisie 8% of the 3rd Estate population Owned 20-25% of the land Merchants Bankers Industrialists Lawyers, doctors, writers Unhappy with noble’s privileges Did not want to abolish nobility About 6500 new nobles had been created by appointment throughout the 1700s Shared the goals of trying to employ Enlightenment ideas Both groups increasingly upset with monarchical system

Louis XVI LOUIE 16th King of France during the late 1700s, king prior to/during the French Revolution

Financial Crisis Issue #1: Long standing social imbalance Issue #2: Near collapse of French Budget Bad harvests Slowdown in manufacturing Led to food shortages Rising prices for food Unemployment King and Advisers continued to spend the money! Wars Court Luxuries Esp. Marie Antoinette

Estates-General B/c of budget crisis May 5, 1789 Louis XVI forced to call meeting of Estates-General A meeting of representatives from all 3 estates Had not met since 1614 b/c French kings held ALL power May 5, 1789 1st and 2nd estates had 300 reps each 3rd estate had 600! Wanted to set up a constitutional government that would make clergy/nobility pay taxes too

Meeting with the E-G Arguments about voting Tradition Each estate had 1 vote SO… 1st+2nd estate could outvote 3rd (even though combined they only represented 2% of the population) 3rd estate wanted each deputy have one vote Would eventually give them the majority vote King said he like things the way they were 3rd estate had had ENOUGH Declared themselves the “National Assembly” Arrived at their meeting chambers to find the doors locked Moved to an indoor tennis court Tennis court oath

Tennis Court Oath The National Assembly met on an indoor tennis court and vowed to continue meeting until they had formed/adopted a new constitution.

Prepping for War Louis prepared to use force against 3rd estate July 14, 1789 900 Parisians (someone from Paris) gathered at Bastille (BA-STEEL) A prison/armory (Former fortress) Price of bread record high Crowd starving and agitated Rumor said King’s troops were coming There was supposed to be ammunition in the Bastille The Parisians stormed the Bastille and after hours of fighting eventually took it Released 7 prisoners (murderers… yay!) Beheaded prison warden Found no munitions Tore down Bastille brick by brick

Revolt  Revolution Louis mistakenly thought the Bastille was just a “Revolt” Revolution Could no longer trust royal troops to shoot at mobs King’s authority had collapsed in Paris Revolts were breaking out all over France Enough was enough! “Great Fear” Panic sparked by peasant rebellions Peasants afraid the work of the National Assembly would be stopped by foreign armies Rumors spread that foreign troops were on their way Reaction: breaking into houses of lords to destroy records of their obligations

Out with the old, in with the new Aug 4, 1789 N.A. gets rid of legal privileges of clergy and nobility Aug 26 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Inspired by English Bill of Rights & American Declaration of Independence/Constitution Charter of basic liberties “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression” All men are equal under the law Appointment to public office based on talent No group is exempt from taxes

Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen The declaration of guaranteed equal rights drawn up by the National Assembly during the French Revolution.

Olympe de Gouges When men made claims that women were not equal under the law because they “do not hope to exercise political rights and functions” she refused to accept their opinions and spoke out in favor of women’s rights.

King goes to Paris Louis refused to accept the National Assembly’s decrees October 5 Women’s March Thousands of Parisian women marched on Versailles Met with the king Told him their children were starving because there was no bread Forced him to accept it Forced to go to Paris with son and wife as prisoners

New Constitution Limited monarchy Change spread Only “active” citizens could vote Men over 25 who paid a certain amount of taxes Really, only wealthy reps. would be chosen Change spread Some still wanted more radical changes Poor Louis hated the regulation of the church & limited power of the monarchy Tried to flee with family Almost made it Caught and brought back Assembly met and made a law that allowed to try the king if he turned against the country

It gets worse Other nations feared what the revolution would mean, talked of using force to restore Louis XVI Assembly struck first Declared war on Austria 1792 Protests – bread shortages Defeats in the war Paris radicals declared themselves a commune Organized mob attack on royal palace and assembly

Sans-Culottes “without breeches” Members of the Paris Commune who considered themselves ordinary patriots (they wore long trousers instead of fine knee length breeches of the nobles.

Radicals More radical/violent stage Calling for universal male suffrage Birth of the sans-culottes REALLY starting from the ground up