Where in many people die for the sake of an idea The French Revolution Where in many people die for the sake of an idea

France Before the Revolution I want to be just like France! France was considered one of the most advanced countries in Europe in the 1700s because: it was the center of the Enlightenment had a large population & prosperous foreign trade culture was envied and followed by the rest of Europe Me too! I want to be just like France!

However, it was all just hype However, it was all just hype. There was great unrest in France and they did have problems. One problem was the political and social system in France (left over from the Middle Ages) called the Old Regime. Society was very structured and the people of France were divided into 3 classes called estates.

The Estates The 1st Estate Made up of clergy Owned 10% of the land in France Made up only less than 1% of France’s population Contributed 2% of their income in taxes Disliked Enlightenment ideas

The 2nd Estate Made up of France’s rich nobility Owned 20% of France’s land Made up only 2% of the total population Contributed nothing to the govt. in taxes Held the highest offices in the French govt. Like the 1st Estate, they disagreed with many Enlightenment ideas

The 3rd Estate Made up almost 98% of the population of France Enjoy the ride now ‘cause it’s gonna end soon! The 3rd Estate Made up almost 98% of the population of France Contributed 50% or half of their incomes to the govt. for taxes Had no power to influence the govt. Believed in and supported the new ideas of the Enlightenment such as equality and liberty and wanted to see BIG changes happen Could you please get off of me?!? You are crushing me with these heavy taxes!!!

The 3rd Estate was made up of three subgroups: 1.) Bourgeoisie Were educated and rich (but worked for a living) 2.) City Workers Paid very low wages and were frequently jobless 3.) Peasants The poorest and largest group in France (about 80%)

France had a weak leader named King Louis XVI. He was: Besides the lower classes being unhappy about their situation, there were 3 other forces that also contributed to the revolutionary mood in France… France had a weak leader named King Louis XVI. He was: An absolute monarch Self-absorbed Ignorant of his people’s needs Indecisive and uninterested in being king Married to an unpopular wife named Marie Antoinette a.k.a. ‘Madame Deficit’

2. The new ideas from the Enlightenment. New ideas like equality, liberty and democracy spread throughout France Locke Natural Rights Life, Liberty and Property Voltaire Freedom of speech Montesquieu Separation of powers

3. France was broke. Rising prices Bad weather caused crop failures Extravagant spending by the king and queen France borrowed lots of $$$ to help the U.S. in the American Revolution – in debt big time!

The King thought he had a solution. King Louis XVI decided to increase the taxes on the 1st and 2nd Estates to help solve France’s financial problems. This idea was not popular with the 1st and 2nd Estates!

The 1st and 2nd Estates forced Louis to put these new taxes to a vote so... Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estates General (assembly of reps. from all 3 estates) He needed them to approve his new tax laws Each of the three Estates received one vote, for a total of three The 3rd Estate, which represented the most people, argued that it should be one vote per delegate The 1st and 2nd Estates ignored the request The King agreed with the 1st and 2nd Estates And so nothing changed…

I vote we create a new group! We will call it the National Assembly! Realizing that they would always be outvoted 2 to 1, the 3rd Estate decided to take matters into their own hands… and formed a group to make laws and reforms in the name of the majority of the French people. It was called the National Assembly. By doing this: 1.) the people proclaimed an end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of a representative government. 2.) it became first deliberate act of revolution. I vote we create a new group! We will call it the National Assembly!

Locked out of their meeting room, they crammed into an indoor tennis court and they pledged not to leave until they had created a new constitution for France. This was called the Tennis Court Oath.

If you can’t beat them, join them! Although he wasn’t happy about the forming of the National Assembly, King Louis XVI allowed them to meet and asked that the other two Estates join them.

I’m just in it for the money! I will protect you, King Louis! Not able to trust his guards, King Louis was worried for his safety so he hired guards from another country (mercenaries) to protect him. I’m just in it for the money! I will protect you, King Louis! Rumors began that he had hired this army to massacre French citizens and the people of Paris felt threatened.

The people felt they needed to gather weapons and gunpowder to protect themselves so… the people of Paris stormed a prison called the Bastille and killed the guards. This revolution is on!

Peasants began to revolt throughout the countryside – a period known as the Great Fear The people created a new revolutionary slogan: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

The Great Fear During the Great Fear, food prices rose quickly People couldn’t afford food and were starving to death The king and his family were living comfortably in their palace at Versailles so…

The Women’s March on Versailles 6,000 angry women marched to the palace and demanded that he: move into the city of Paris lower the price of bread They force marched the entire royal family back to Paris. Louis and his family would never again return to their palace.

And this is when it really gets interesting…. Remember to go back and fill-in any part of your notes that requires additional information.