The French Revolution An Era of Terror

The Old Regime By the 1770s, the France that existed in the Middle Ages, the “Old Regime” was still in power The population of France, which was over 27 million people, were divided into THREE ESTATES, or classes: The First Estate The Second Estate The Third Estate

The First Estate Consisted of the clergy (Church Officials) About 130,000 people who owned about 10% of the land in France Clergy were exempt from the taille, France’s main tax The first estate was very divided: Higher clergy  came from aristocratic families and shared interests with the nobility Lower clergy  Parish priests who were often poor themselves and were from the common class.

The Second Estate Made up of the nobility Around 350,000 people who owned 30% of the land The nobility would often hold the positions of power in government, the military, law courts, and church offices Sought to extend their power at the expense of the monarchy They were exempt from almost all taxes

The Third Estate Made up of the commoners of society This was the majority of France (almost 98%) Divided into three groups: Bourgeoisie: well educated merchants and artisans Workers in the city: Paid low wages, often starving. Mobs would riot in bad economic times. Peasants: About 80% of the population. Forced to pay most of the taxes, wanted change.

The Effects of the Enlightenment New political ideas of the enlightenment proved attractive to both the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie Both elites would benefit from a society in which importance is based on wealth and economic achievement Many of the wealthy French were frustrated with the old monarchical system based on privileges and a rigid, social order

Other Problems Facing the Monarchy Bad harvests in 1787 and 1788 and the beginnings of a manufacturing depression resulted in: Food shortages Rising prices for food and other goods Unemployment in the cities The Number of poor in the cities reached a crisis proportion Costly wars and royal extravagance drove French governmental expenses to an all time high King Louis XVI was finally forced to do something about all of the problems in France

From Estates-General to National Assembly Estates-General  consisted of representatives from the three orders of French society In elections for the Estates-General, the government decided that the Third Estate should get double representative since it made up most of the population First Estate  300 representatives Second Estate  300 representatives Third Estate  600 representatives

From Estates-General to National Assembly Estates-General opened at Versailles on May 5, 1789 Dispute over how votes should be counted First & Second Estate  each estate gets one vote Third Estate  each person gets one vote On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate declared itself the “National Assembly” and created a constitution The King sided with the First Estate and threatened to dissolve the Estates-General and use force if necessary

Tennis Court Oath Oath signed by 576 out of 577 members of the Third Estate who were locked out of the meeting of the Estates-General in a tennis court Collective oath “not to separate, and to reassembly wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established”

The Storming of the Bastille Peasants heard rumors of foreign troops coming to kill French citizens July 14, 1789 A mob of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a royal armory and prison They dismantled the Bastille Louis XVI was informed that the royal troops were unreliable and this signified the collapse of royal authority

Destruction of the Old Regime National Assembly abolished the rights of the landlords and fiscal exemptions of nobles, clergy, towns, and provinces Adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen Proclaimed equal rights for all men and access to public office based on talent All citizens have the right to take part in legislative process All citizens are guaranteed the freedom of speech and the press

Destruction of the Old Regime Olympe de Gouges created the Declaration of Women and the Female Citizen The National Assembly ignored her demands Catholic Church needed to be reformed Lands of the church were seized Civil Constitution of the Clergy was put into effect  Bishops and clergy elected by people and paid by state New Legislative Assembly to make laws

Death of Louis XVI Louis, and his wife, Marie Antoinette, attempted to flee from Paris In August 1792, radical political groups took the king captive and forced the Legislative Assembly to suspend the monarchy and call for a national convention September 21, 1792  National Convention abolished the monarchy and established a republic January 21, 1793  Louis XVI were executed

Marie Antoinette Louis XVI

Who was Marie Antoinette? Austrian princess “Let them eat cake” Marie Antoinette NEVER said that! “Madame Deficit” “The Austrian Whore” Captured by French radicals Executed on October 16, 1793