The French Revolution One of the most important events in history…taught in one class period.

Causes The Enlightenment Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau were encouraging people to question life and government Thought that LOGIC and REASON should be the basis of government and life NOT DIVINE RIGHT Kings and church=Angry

The Enlightenment Ideas of the Enlightenment People are born with rights Government should be selected by the people People should have a say in their government Governments who abuse their power should be ended

Causes The Enlightenment The people were inspired by these ideas

Causes of Revolution Finances (France was broke) Total misallocation of funds in France Spent money on military and foreign wars. HUGE DEBT Monarchs spend money on luxury items Palaces, clothing, Art Only the poor pay taxes The wealthy kept their money while the poor starved

AND A famine hit France in the 1780’s and killed the wheat …no bread

France 1789 Monarchy Wealthy, well fed, clothed, lived in palace Average Person Poor, starving, live with 10 people in one small cottage

Causes of Revolution The Estate System The population was broken into three estates (social classes) Each of the three Estates got ONE vote in the Estates General

Voting in the Estate System Question: Raise taxes on peasants? NO! Yes! Yes!

Voting in the Estate System Question: Tax the nobles? Yes! NO! NO!

Voting in the Estate System Question: Limit the money given to the king? Yes! NO! NO!

Problems with the Estates General The third estate was never included in decisions The third estate made up 97% of France, thus was significantly underrepresented Had not come together in over 100 years

Louis XVI notices that the people are unhappy Invites the third estate to come and speak to government leaders This meeting is called the “Estates General”

Meeting of the Estates General Hey, this doesn't’t make sense! So? Sure it does.

Meeting of Estates General Each group should have the number of votes of PEOPLE they represent! Heck no! Robespierre

Meeting of Estates General Not asking. Join in or prepare for a beat-down. HA! You and what army? Robespierre

Meeting of Estates General Ummm…we are the army, remember? Oh right. We didn't’t want to get dirty. Robespierre

Meeting of Estates General Lets take a break

Meeting of Estates General Hurry! Lock the door while they are in the bathroom!

Meeting of Estates General HA! NOW WHAT!? Robespierre

Meeting of Estates General Fine. We will be in the tennis court, forming a new government. Robespierre

Meeting of Estates General Shoot. Robespierre

WE ARE THE PEOPLE. WE ARE TAKING OVER THIS GOVERNMENT WE ARE THE PEOPLE! WE ARE TAKING OVER THIS GOVERNMENT. We are no longer the “Third Estate” we are the National Assembly.

Robespierre

Tennis Court Oath While in the tennis court, the people decided that they were going to write a Constitution They stated that they were not going to leave the palace until their constitution was considered Robespierre

Meanwhile… Rumors spread in the city of Paris about Louis XIV locking out the third estate People are angry

Fine. Have your assembly. Robespierre

This seems like a good time to randomly send troops into the city of Paris.

The soldiers are coming into the city The soldiers are coming into the city! The king must be trying to kill us all! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

WE NEED GUNS. Kill the soldiers before they kill us WE NEED GUNS! Kill the soldiers before they kill us! We must invade the Bastille and take the guns! AHHHHHHHHHHHH BASTILLE (where the guns are)

Wait, can we talk about this? Robespierre Manager of Bastille

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen But first, lets write a document to start a new government! Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Got it.

July 14, 1789 AHHHHHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

Go back to Versailles and never come back! Robespierre

Its nice that they let us live, right. Lets steal some bread from them Its nice that they let us live, right? Lets steal some bread from them. I am sure they will be okay with that. Sure!

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

RUN AWAY!!!

Hey! WHATS THAT!?

Trial of Louis XVI and M.A. DIE Why is everyone so mad?

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvSod16wfgg

Jacobins A political party in Paris who supported the removal of Louis XVI Attempted to help France transition into a new government

Meanwhile…back in Paris People still have no food People still have no money Many nobles begin to leave France Which you would think is a good thing, but nobles needed to stay because they were the only ones with any money

Committee of Public Safety Leader: Robespierre Job: Be the government of France until another government is created. Military Finance Public issues

Committee of Public Safety Robespierre eventually takes too much power under the committee of Public Safety Essentially a dictator Ironic, yes?

The Reign of Terror Time when Robespierre was leader of France Wanted to get rid of any trace of Frances past Redistributed the calendar 12 months 30 days in each month No Sundays Closed all Churches Executed anyone who threatened the “Revolution” or who was guilty of association with Frances past (Basically, they killed all the nobles)

Karma… In 1794 members of the Committee of Public Saftey realized the Robespierre was out of control They captured him and killed him using the guillotine

Revolution over? Not exactly Still poor. Still scared.

Napoleon Bonaparte I will help you! (I’m on a horse.)