1. Was the Crisis in France Unavoidable?
Louis XVI
Problems in France
Marie Antoinette
Unemployment

2. Louis XVI Louis XVI was immature and lacked self-confidence.
He wanted to be a good king and help his subjects, but he faced enormous debt and rising resentment towards the monarchy.
Not interested in governing, and he left many decisions to others

3. Problems in France Laws differed from place to place- hard to enforce
High Inflation impacting everyone- especially on food
High taxes and high debt
Famine and the majority of the population struggling to survive
No ability to move up in Estates
Upper classes living in luxury

4. Food Shortages
Crop failures in France created food shortages and famine
Many parents could not feed their children, in turn, many children were abandoned
More than children in 1 decade

5. Serious Debt!
Louis XIV and his successors spent more money than they could raise in taxes
Seven years war, American Revolution, and the palace of Versailles were done at great expense to the people of France
No money for social welfare

6. Marie Antoinette
An Archduchess of Austria, and the last queen of France
Outgoing and bold social butterfly who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions.
She was a teenager when she became queen, so she was immature and strong willed

7. Marie Antoinette
Helped provoke the popular unrest that led to the French Revolution and end of the monarchy
She promoted and dismissed people based on if she liked them or not
A bad reputation as spoiled and greedy

8. Was Marie Antoinette a Victim?
In 1785, an infamous diamond- necklace scandal permanently tarnished the queen's reputation.
While she was innocent of any involvement, she was guilty in the eyes of the people
Countless pamphlets accused the queen of ignorance, extravagance and adultery
dubbing her "Madame Deficit."

9. The Legacy of the American Revolution
The American revolution influenced the French
Ended the monarchy's control of the colonists
Colonists stood up to tyranny and unfair taxation
Benjamin Franklin visited France and helped spread ideas about freedom and liberty

10. In 1865, France developed the idea of creating a giant statue to honor the friendship and the commitment to liberty between France and the United States.
The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tablet evoking the law upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
The statue is an icon of freedom

11. Industrial Revolution Impacts Employment
The process began in England in the 18th century
the process of change from an agrarian, handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture.
Putting French people out of work
textiles could be made cheaper with machines and French workers could not compete

12. The Power of the Unemployed
Unemployed and starving people had nothing to lose and little to do except sit around and criticize the monarchy
Mobs of angry unemployed formed and rioted against the price of bread
The monarchy responded by opening fire on the mob
Only made things worse
Revolution seemed unavoidable