Causes of and Events Leading to the French Revolution

Unit Objectives Understanding the causes of the French Revolution Understanding the influence of the Enlightenment on the French Revolution Understanding the influence of the American Revolution on the French Revolution Understanding the Old Regime and why it no longer worked for France

Anatomy of a Revolution There is a theory about how and why revolutions take place, and much of it is based on the French Revolution. Crane Brinton, Anatomy of Revolution: He uses the analogy of a fever to explain revolutions: SYMPTOMS (Causes) CRISIS (The Escalation) DELIRIUM/HIGH POINT (Radical Phase) RELAPSE/THERMIDOR (Reactionary Phase)   Revolutions occur when: pressure groups organize for reform, allegiance of the intellectuals switches, class antagonisms increase, governments are short of money, governments are inefficient and the governed are impatient.

Causes of the French Revolution Intellectual: Enlightenment ideas about liberty and equality influenced the upper classes   Social: French society was still organized based on feudal ideas that no longer matched reality—Feudalism was dead but French society was still divided in a feudal manner

Economic: -King Louis XVI had been unable to pay down the national debt, much of which he inherited, some of which he contributed to  -The 1780s were a decade of bad harvests, rising unemployment, rising prices, and poverty -Despite France being the world’s leading power, many French people were starving   Poor leadership of King Louis XVI: King Louis lost the Seven Years War (French-Indian War) to Britain, he almost bankrupted the nation, and there was much corruption

Unfair Social Classes (The Old Regime) France was divided into three social classes called “Estates”   1. First Estate (.5% OF POPULATION):   CLERGY 2. Second Estate (2-2.5% OF POPULATION):   NOBLES 3. Third Estate (97%):   EVERYONE ELSE (POOR AND MIDDLE CLASSES)

The Old Regime

Events that led to the French Revolution Louis XVI called the “Estates-General” together for the first time in 175 years because he needed money to pay down debt from previous kings, supporting the American Revolution, and frivolous spending by Queen Marie Antoinette (The Estates-General represented the people and its blessing was needed to raise taxes or pass new taxes)

Louis tried to raise taxes on First and Second Estates because he knew the Third Estate couldn’t pay more than they already were, but the First and Second Estates tried to pass on the new taxes to the Third Estate who had no real power to stop them The Third Estate wanted to not pay the new taxes and they wanted more power; Louis sided with the First and Second Estates because they had more power

The Third Estate left the Estates-General and formed the National Assembly:    POLITICAL GROUP THAT REPRESENTED THE THIRD ESTATE

And signed the Tennis Court Oath (signed at a local indoor tennis court—only place big enough to hold the meeting): PLEDGE TO WRITE A NEW CONSTITUTION FOR FRANCE (SOME MEMBERS OF 1ST AND 2ND ESTATES JOINED THEM)

Louis did not want the Third Estate writing a new Constitution for France because he feared what it would include Would be inspired by the Enlightenment and might limit or eliminate the monarchy Louis called out the troops to disband the National Assembly and prevent the writing of the new Constitution

Storming of the Bastille, the symbolic start of the French Revolution IN RESPONSE TO THE TROOPS BEING CALLED OUT, MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ATTACKED “THE BASTILLE”, A JAIL FOR POLITICAL PRISONERS, AND SET EVERYONE FREE

Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen OUTLINED THE RIGHTS OF FRENCH CITIZENS AND LIMITED THE POWER OF THE KING

The Great Fear Rumors circulated that the nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize the peasants, so the peasants panicked, attacked the manors, and destroyed all the paperwork that bound them to the manor