1. French Revolution

2. *Eve of the Revolution Intellectual Capital of the World
Yet Gov’t extremely
oppressive
Well educated
middle class
Inspired by American Revolution

3. *Causes of the Revolution
Bankruptcy of the treasury (High Debt)
Tax burden on the 3rd estate
Inflation
Abuses of Old Regime
Enlightenment ideas influenced demands for social equality

4. *Causes of Revolution-SOCIAL
Social Classes in France
1st Estate - Roman Catholic
2nd Estate - Nobility/ Aristocracy
3rd Estate - Everyone Else
Estates based on social class
Commoners & Bourgesious paid most of the taxes

5. *Cause of the Revolution — Weak Leadership
King Louis XVI
Absolute Monarch - King/Queen have complete control over people & land
King when the Revolution began
Married Marie Antionette
Built the Palace of Versailles

6. *Marie Antoinette Austrian princess—one of France’s longtime enemies
Extravagant Spender $$$
French citizens did not like her
Queen when revolution began
Executed by guillotine in 1793

7. Palace of Versailles

8. Palace of Versailles

9. Marie Antoinette’s Bedchamber & the Hall of Mirrors
                                                                           

11. French Legislature: Estates-General
Each Estate had one vote
Third Estate wanted more representation

12. The National Assembly
King Louis XVI refused - greater representation of the 3rd Estate
Third Estate broke away and declared themselves the National Assembly

13. Louis XVI Actions
June 27- To make peace, called the 1st and 2nd Estates to join the National Assembly
France was bankrupt
Riots were spreading
Louis XVI also called for Swiss guards

14. *The Fall of the Bastille July 14, 1789
Rumor of foreign armies
Citizens stormed the Bastille looking for gunpowder
Great symbolic act of the Revolution
Celebrated much like July 4th is celebrated in the United States.

15. The Great Fear Fear and violence swept through France
Peasants attacked noble’s homes and destroyed old feudal records

16. The Great Fear They broke into Versailles and killed 2 guards
Forced Louis XVI and family to return to Paris
Signaled the change in power

17. National Assembly August 27, 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man
Expressed Enlightenment ideas of liberty, property, speech and religion

18. What document is this similar to in the United States?

19. Louis XVI Louis and family try to flee to Austria
Captured, brought back to Paris

20. Louis XVI Louis XVI arrested and put on trial Found guilty
Executed on Jan 21, 1793 by the guillotine along with Marie Antionette

21. National Convention European monarchs shocked
Formed 1st Coalition against France – April 1793
France defeats in October

22. Committee of Public Safety
Formed to protect France from foreign and domestic enemies

23. Committee of Public Safety
Maximillien Robespierre
Led Reign of Terror
Led Committee of Public Safety
Executed thousands
What conduct is Robespierre trying to justify?
“If the mainspring of popular government in peacetime is virtue, in revolution it is both virtue and terror; virtue without terror is fatal; terror without virtue is powerless”

24. The Reign of Terror ( )
Committee of Public Safety sentencing citizens to death
ANYONE considered an enemy of France is guillotined
No one was safe
20,000-40,000 sentenced to death and executed by the Guillotine

25. *French Revolution Ends
Napoleon seizes power from government in coup d’etat (1799)
Napoleon brought stability to France
Unlike American Revolution, France now ruled by dictator