1. The French Revolution

2. Great Unrest in France
Why?
High Prices and High Taxes
Enlightenment Ideas
Weak Leadership
Old Regime – 3 estates

3. France’s Social Pyramid- “Old Regime”
1st Estate: Church
Owned 10% of land
Paid little taxes
Were less than 1% of the people
2nd Estate: Nobility
2% of population
Wealthy
Owned 20% of land
Paid no taxes
3rd Estate: Bourgeoisie
& Peasants
98% of population
3 Different Tiers
Paid more than 50% of taxes

4. 4 Causes of the French Revolution…EEEW!!

5. Enlightenment Ideas
Spread by the educated of the Third Estate…bourgeoisie will lead the French Revolution
Believed in equality and liberty (Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu)
All men have natural rights (Locke)
Inspired the American Revolution
Believed in a democratic govt. and democratic elections…DEMOCRACY for all!
Power should be in the hands of the people!

6. Old Regime (Estate System)
Ranking of the people into social classes (is a hold over from the Middle Ages)
Three Estates- 3rd estate HEAVILY TAXED and had NO SAY in government. Made up 97% of the French!
Wanted democracy and rights for all (3rd)
First estate HATED the ideas of the ENLIGHTENMENT

7. Economic Problems $$$$
France was in debt- King borrowed money to help Americans during their revolution
High taxes hurt business
High cost of living
Crop Failure led to food prices doubling and starvation
Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette spent a lot on themselves (her nickname was “Madame Deficit”)
The king and queen spent the money on themselves

8. A Weak Leader
Louis paid little attention to advisers and big issues…he avoided the problems and did not focus on govt. duties
Instead of fixing crisis he let it happen!
Q: How to raise funds?
A: Tax wealthy
BUT – Aristocrats/Noblemen (2nd Estate) resisted and called for general meeting of all 3 estates = Estates-General
GOAL - to deal with the problems France faced

9. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

11. Marie Antoinette’s Home
Chateau Versailles

12. Marie Antoinette’s Riches

13. Third Estate Gets Tough!
Estates-General: Revolution Dawns (1789)
Third Estate Gets Tough!
Demands National Assembly to END absolute monarchy!
So, what happens?
Third Estate Gets Locked Out!
Moves to indoor tennis court and VOWS not to leave until a new Constitution is written – they take the “Tennis Court Oath”

14. Tennis Court Oath (1789)

15. French Citizens Storm the Bastille

17. End Result of the National Assembly
Increased power for legislature…
National Assembly
… reduced power for King
King Louis XVI

18. The King and Queen Arrive in Paris

19. After two years of signing laws for the National Assembly, Louis wants to get help from foreign lands so, Louis XVI tries to escape to the Netherlands (or Austria)…
BUT is caught by postmaster at near French border…
… and the Royal Family is returned to Paris

20. The King and Queen Arrive in Paris

21. Louis’ Plot
Once back in Paris, Louis and family act like they are supporting the Revolution
Marie has been sending letters to Austria
War breaks out between France and Austria
Louis and Marie are seen as traitors!!
Frenchmen go crazy and attack…Louis is stripped of power and family is put in jail

22. 1792 - Despite Gains, Fear Persists
Upon returning, French mobs attack King because he was aligned with foreigners. With war problems abroad, mobs feared he would re-establish control.
What happens? Attack of Monarchy in Prison & 1,000 people die.
Radicals Assert Control – Jacobin Club removes the King and establishes a republic
New Government = National Convention
Abolishes Monarchy
Tries King Louis XVI
Finds him…Guilty

23. King Louis XVI Executed - 1793
Off with his head

24. Guillotine -
Heading chopping machine created by a doctor to be a more humane way to kill people…yes, a doctor!

25. The Guillotine
Supporters said it was:
Efficient
More humane
No pain
Opponents said it:
It was too quick to be enjoyed by public
Rather pull victims apart by horses; broken on a wheel

26. The French Revolution "Radical" Phase: 1793-1794 Also known as the
Reign of Terror
Special Fonts:
Biblo Display
Black Chancery
Davys Other Wingdings
Edwardian Script ITC
Even More Dings JL
Nosferatu
Press Writer Symbols
Skullz

27. Louis XVI as a Pig Actual cartoon of the time!
To some, the king was a traitor.
Others felt that the Revolution had gone far enough and didn’t want to execute the king [maybe exile him].

28. Marie Antoinette as a Serpent
Actual cartoon of the time!
The “Widow Capet”

29. Raising An Army…
Robespierre was able to raise an army of 800,000 citizen soldiers - the biggest army ever assembled in Europe.
…and Executing the Queen
October 16, 1793

30. Marie Antoinette on the Way to the Guillotine

31. Marie Antoinette Died in October, 1793

32. The Reign of Terror
Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible. -- Robespierre
Let terror be the order of the day!
The Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris alone executed 2,639 victims in 15 months.
The total number of victims nationwide was over 20,000!

33. The Reign of Terror
The political group – the Jacobin Club forms the “Committee of Public Safety” is was lead by Maximilien Robespierre.
Their objective: wipe out France’s monarchy in both present and past
How?
Execute the “unpatriotic”: between 20, ,000 are killed
Removed monarchy from playing cards
Removed Sundays from calendars
Closed Church on Sunday
Trial and execution on the same day
85% killed were common peasants who supposedly benefited from the Revolution
Maximilien Robespierre

34. Different Social Classes Executed7% 8%
28%
25%
31%

35. End of the Terror
People had grown tired of the Terror, were angry at rising food prices, and Robespierre’s new ideas/changes
also…
Fellow radicals – fearing their own lives and positions – turn on Robespierre and kill him
so…
Moderate leaders of the National Convention draft a new government – the 3rd in 6 years.
Robespierre is executed
(Spoof recap 3:37)

36. The Arrest of Robespierre

37. The Revolution Consumes (or ate) Its Own Children!
Robespierre lies wounded before the Revolutionary Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, 1794.

38. The “Monster” Guillotine
The last guillotine execution in France was in 1939!