A Tale of Two Cities Background

The French & American Revolution Journal Assignment: – What do you know about the French Revolution? – What do you think you know about the French Revolution? – What do you know about the American Revolution? – What do you think you know about the American Revolution? You have three minutes; write as much as you can.

The French Revolution Lasted from 1789 to 1799, and effected all of Europe Introduced democracy but did not make the nation a democracy. Ended supreme rule by French kings and strengthened the middle class

Before The French Revolution French society consisted of three groups called estates – Clergy = first estate – Nobles = second state – Everyone else = third state Included peasants making so little that they could barely feed their families Working people of the cities Middle class: merchants, lawyers, and government officials

Before The French Revolution Ruled by absolute monarchy, the king had almost unlimited authority. – He governed by divine right—thought to come from God. – Groups of aristocrats in the parlements (high courts) were checks on the king Just before the revolution, French writers called philosophes and other philosophers raised new ideas about freedom. – Jean Jacques Rousseau suggested that the right to govern came from the people.

Before The French Revolution Meanwhile, a financial crisis developed: – Finance fighting the the Seven Years’ War ( ) – The Revolutionary War in America ( ) By 1788, the government was almost bankrupt. The States-General opened on May 5, 1789 July 14, 1789 Parisians captured the Bastille

The National Assembly August 1789 – Decrees of August 4 – The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Abolished some feudal des that peasants owed their landlords Abolished tax advantages of the clergy and nobles Abolished regional privileges Guaranteed the same basic rights to all citizens

The National Assembly Later drafted a constitution that made France a limited monarchy with a one-house legislature Divided into 83 regions called departments, each with elected councils for local government Right to vote limited to citizens who paid a certain amount of taxes.

The National Assembly Seized property of the Roman Catholic Church – Sold to rich peasants and members of the middle class – Money used to pay some of the nation’s huge debt Reorganized the Catholic Church in France Complete religious tolerance Reformed court system by requiring election of judges 1791, National Assembly disbanded

The Legislative Assembly Opened October 1, 1791 Made up mainly of middle class representatives Faced several challenges: – Stability was dependent on the cooperation between the king and the legislature, Louis XVI remained opposed and he plotted with aristocrats and other rulers to overthrow the new government – Religious policies angered Catholics – April 1792, went to war against Austria and Prussia who wished to restore France’s monarchy – August 1792, Parisians took custody of Louis XVI and his family and imprisoned them

The National Convention Opened September 21, 1792, declared France a republic: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” Louis XVI placed on trial for betraying the country, found guilty for treason – Beheaded on the guillotine on January 21, 1793 The Convention contained three groups: the Mountain, the Girondists, and the Plain (which sat between the two rival groups) Growing disputes between Mountain and Girondists led to a struggle for power, and the Mountain won.

The Jacobin Government Jacobin= Mountain Jacobin leaders created a new citizens’ army which posed threats to neighboring countries but also anyone who publicly disagreed with official policy – Hundred of thousands of suspects filled the nation’s jails – Courts handed down about 18,000 death sentences in what was called the Reign of Terror

The Revolution Ends In time, the radicals began to struggle for power among themselves With the execution of Robespierre, the leader of the Convention, the Reign of Terror ended (July 28, 1794). Conservatives gained control of the Convention and drove the Jacobins from power Napoleon seized control of the government on November —ending the revolution