1. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!
The French Revolution
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!

2. The 3 Estates of France (The Old Regime)
Class
Clergy (Priests)
1st Estate
Rich Nobles/Lords
(Owned Land)
2nd Estate
Estates 1 & 2 are called the privileged classes.
They owned most of the land and paid little in taxes!
3rd Estate
Peasants
Servants
Bourgeoisie-
(Educated, often wealthy
merchants or artists)
98%
of the French
Population
The 3rd Estate paid almost all of the taxes in France!

3. Causes of the French Revolution
Widespread Poverty
The peasants of France were
starving and needed bread
to eat.
Queen Marie-Antoinette
King Louis XVI
They Blamed the King and Queen
of France for the economic
problems in the country.
Angry mobs soon stormed
the streets of Paris.
Why?...Look at the way they lived…

4. King Louis XVI & Queen Marie-Antoinette’s House
The Palace of Versailles

5. More Wasteful Spending by the Monarchy………
The Hall of Mirrors
Queen Marie’s Bed

6. More Causes……. 2. France was home to the Enlightenment
Montesquieu
3. The 3rd Estate was
inspired by the
American Revolution
Rousseau
Voltaire

7. .....More Causes 4. The 3rd Estate pays the majority of the
taxes. That’s unfair!
Louis was controlled
By his wife,
Madame Deficit!
5. Louis XVI was a
weak leader and
could not fix
France’s financial
problems.

8. The Meeting of the Estates-General
1st meeting in
175 years!
1. King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette refused to economize and France faced
Bankruptcy. They now started taxing the 2nd Estate!
2. The 2nd Estate forced Louis to call a meeting of the Estates-
General (an assembly of all 3 estates) in order to discuss tax reform.
3. The 3rd Estate wanted more reforms for France like freedom of speech, equality and a constitution
The 3rd Estate was
Out voted 2-1!

9. The Tennis Court Oath
The 3rd Estate representatives were upset about the meeting and declared themselves to be the National Assembly.
They broke into a tennis court and took the Tennis Court Oath on June 20, 1789, vowing to not leave until they created a new constitution for France.
This was the 1st revolutionary step!
The National
Assembly
also writes
The Declaration
Of the Rights
Of Man!

10. The Fall of the Bastille
The French peasants
heard that King Louis
hired a foreign army
to protect him
July 14,
1789
A Mob of angry
French peasants
stormed the
Bastille (armory)
and stole all of
the gun powder
in order to defend
themselves
The Bastille falls into the control of the French people
July 14 is a national holiday

11. Up Next...
The Reign of Terror