Lesson 3.5

Knight’s Charge  Wo were the bourgeoisie?  What did Louis XVI do to the Third Estate when the Estates – General Met? How did the Third Estate respond?  If Mr. Sliwa could visit any country, what would it be?

Weird Disney Fact of the Day!  An employee was crushed to death at Disneyland… Yeah, that happened.

Declaration of the Rights of Man  1789 – New document passed by the National Assembly stating freedoms that all men had that were inalienable.  Men are “born free and equal in their rights. These rights are liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression.”  “The law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to take part personally, or through representatives in making the law.”  Sound familiar again?

Civil Constitution of the Clergy  The National Assembly resolved the immediate financial crisis by: Seizing all church land Putting the church under the control of the government Clergy were required to swear an oath to the new constitution. Many refused and were arrested.

Revolution spreads  The revolution, instigated by the nobility, and set in motion by the bourgeoisie, now spreads to the common people.  THE GREAT FEAR!  By the end of July/beginning of August, there were riots in the countryside.  Peasants burned their nobles homes and the contracts that bound them to the land.

The Night of August 4th  The National Assembly responded to the “great fear.”  On the night of August 4 th, 1789, one by one, members of the nobility and clergy gave up: Feudal dues Serfdom The Tithe In one night, Feudalism and the Estate System in France was destroyed.

More Events  Woman march to the palace of Versailles and demand bread! = King gives them bread (scary women with pitchforks…)  King and Queen leave Versailles and return to Paris (they would never see the Palace of Versailles again)  The National Assembly adopts a new French Constitution.  The King attempts to flee the country to Verennes – He is in a disguise as a steward and his son wore a dress – He is recognized pretty quickly and captured.

Not a good move….  The news of the King’s attempted escape from Paris destroys what remaining credibility/popularity with the people of France.  The press portrays the royal family as scared pigs

Mob and Violence  The working class poor take control of the revolution  They are much more violent  They storm Tuileries Palace, capturing the king.  August 10 th, 1792, the Constitutional Monarchy ends.

War with….Austria?  France will actually then go to war with Austria for a little while….why?  Because Marie Antoinette was Austrian and her brother was the king of Austria…duh…it all makes perfect sense…

Bye Bye Louis and Marie…

France is now a Republic!  Two radical groups fight for power:  Girondins vs. Jacobins!

Jacobins win!  The Jacobins – Under Robespierre – Gain Power in France.

The Reign of Terror  Robespierre established the “Committee of Public Safety” and the Revolutionary Tribunal (court) which were designed to hunt down and try anyone who was against the revolution.  Probably should have been called the “committee of killing people because it sounds fun.”  Ordered the executions of 2,400 people in Paris in a few months.  Across France…30,000 people lost their lives.

Executions….fun?  Public executions were considered educational.  Women were encouraged to sit and knit during trials and executions while families had picnics.

The Reign of Terror  Most of the people rounded up were not aristocrats, but ordinary people.  A man (and his entire family) might be sentenced to the guillotine for simply “saying” something that disagreed with the revolutionary government.  Watch “committees” around the nation were encouraged to: “Arrest suspected persons, either by their conduct or their relationships, remarks or writing.” (Law of Suspects, 1793)

The Final Tally?  3,000 people are executed in Paris  40,000 people in all of France  85% of the killed were peasants and the middle class  Robespierre himself, was executed on July 28, 1794 (Karma?)

Finally…The Directory  People grew tired of the bloodshed.  1795 – A new constitution was drafted which set up the Directory (an executive branch of 5 men)  The directors were “moderates” and ended the executions.  The guillotine was put away…