1. French Revolution

2. French Revolution When? 1780s
Long-standing resentments against French monarchy fueled revolution
France followed “ancient regime”
King Louis XVI at the top with three social groups called estates under him
Unequal structure of French government and society

3. Causes of Revolution France on the brink of financial collapse
Mother nature didn’t help 
Poor weather leads to poor harvests and famine
Enlightenment ideas  questioning ancient regime
Motivated by American Revolution

4. Wealthy and privileged Paid NO taxes!!!
First Estate
Roman Catholic clergy
1% of the population
Wealthy and privileged
Paid NO taxes!!!

5. Second Estate French nobility Less than 2% of the population
Held key positions in gov’t and army
Less than 2% of the population
Wealthy and privileged
Paid some fees but NO taxes!!!

6. Third Estate 97% of the population Broke down into groups:
Bourgeoisie (Upper Third Estate)
City dwelling factory owners and professionals
Highly educated and wealthy
Lower Third Estate (very poor)
Sans culottes – city workers
Peasant farmers
Paid taxes; no influence in government
(Video Clips 1 & 2)

7. First Events
King Louis XVI pressured to call a meeting of the Estates-General
First time in 175 years!
Cahiers (kah-YAHZ) written to document grievances
France is broke – Reform desperately needed
(Video Clip 3 – 2:45)

8. First Events First & Second Estate Always outvote Third Estate
After over 6 weeks of arguing, King Louis XVI locks the Third Estate out of the meeting place
Third Estate breaks away and forms National Assembly

9. First Events National Assembly meets at indoor tennis court instead
Tennis Court Oath formed – The French Revolution has started!
We won’t leave the court until we’ve written a constitution for France!
Many nobles and clergy join the cause; King Louis XVI relents
(Video Clip 3 – 5:00)

10. Storming of the Bastille
Louis sends troops to Paris and Versailles to preserve monarchy
National Assembly feels threatened…
Rumor of takeover in Paris leads to storming of the Bastille (an ancient prison) in search of weapons
Start of the Great Fear
Would Louis seek revenge???

11. Creating a New Nation
August National Assembly adopts Declaration of the Rights of Man
New legislative body created – Legislative Assembly
Expanded voting rights
Severely restricted the king’s power
Eliminate feudal system

12. Creating a New Nation
July 1792 – Austria and Prussia threaten war if French monarch is harmed – 50,000 troops sent to France’s border
August 1792 – angry mob runs out Louis and Marie-Antoinette; demoted to commoners and thrown in prison
No more monarchy!
Legislative Assembly hopeless; replaced by National Convention
National Convention declares France a republic! Same day, France wins battle against foreign invaders! Story’s over, everybody’s happy, right???

13. Three Key Radical Leaders
Jean-Paul Marat – advocate of violence; one of the most radical
Georges-Jacques Danton – popular with the public; violent agitator in the early days of Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre – intense dedication to Revolution; Led the National Convention; Became increasingly radical and blood thirsty

14. The Rise of Napoleon

15. After the Terror National Convention writes a new constitution in 1795
Directory – governing board; 5 members elected by Upper House
Upper House
Lower House

16. After the Terror Economy improves but…
Poor still suffered
New constitution restricts voting rights
Corrupt leaders; lots of arguing
PAVED THE WAY FOR A DICTATORSHIP IN FRANCE

17. The Rise of Napoleon Revolution has left France vulnerable
Napoleon helps France fight off foreign invaders and is a renowned army captain by age 26
France actually gains territory during this time!

18. Napoleon Takes Power
Napoleon’s ambition grows
Capitalizes on “national hero” status and decides to seize power
Directory is weak and ineffective
The French people want security, stability, and prosperity
Coup d'état of November 1799 – Napoleon takes over!

19. Was Napoleon good for France?
Complete Cornell notes on the text provided to you
Keep in mind, any of this material may appear on Thursday’s quiz
You will be using this for our next assignment!!! 