1. French Revolution

2. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

3. "Liberty leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix

6. The Suggested Voting Pattern: Voting by Estates
Clergy
1st Estate 1
Aristocracy
2nd Estate 1 1
Commoners
3rd Estate
Louis XIV insisted that the ancient distinction of the three orders be conserved in its entirety.

7. Causes of the French Revolution
1. Social Causes
Differences between three Estates
2. Enlightened Ideas
3. Economic Troubles
4. Weak Leadership

8. The Causes of Instability in France 1792 - 1795
Attitudes & actions of monarchy & court
Fear of Counter-Revolution
Religious divisions
The Causes of Instability in France
Economic Crises
Political divisions
War

9. Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI
The French Monarchy:
Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

10. Let Them Eat Cake! Marie Antoinette NEVER said that! “Madame Deficit”
“The Austrian Whore”

11. Immediate Cause of French Revolution
Louis brings France to bankruptcy
Predecessors debt
Instead of making reforms he worsened the situation by:
Doubling Frances debt by aiding American Revolution
Maintaining a lavish court at Versailles
Refusing to tax the privileged classes

12. Louis Calls the Estates General
Estates General was assembly of all three Estates
Louis tried to impose a tax on the nobility and they insisted he get the tax approved by the Estates General
First time they had been called in 175 years
The meeting was held at Versailles

13. Features of the Estates General
1st Estate – 300 members
2nd Estate – 300 members
3rd Estate – 600 members
Each estate had only one vote, voting not done by the amount of members
The first and second estates would gang up on the third estate.

15. French Revolution Begins
The meeting started
At first it was dominated by 1st and 2nd Estates
3rd Estate would demand that each member have a vote not each Estate
Would be called National Assembly
The king rejected this proposal

16. In response the 3rd Estate:
Declared themselves a National Assembly
Were locked out of the Estates General meeting
Met in an indoor tennis court and founded the Tennis Court Oath
- Vowed not to disband until a constitution had been written

17. “The Tennis Court Oath” by Jacques Louis David
June 20, 1789

18. Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789
A rumor that the king was planning a military coup against the National Assembly.
18 died.
73 wounded.
7 guards killed.
It held 7 prisoners [5 ordinary criminals & 2 madmen].

19. The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt (July 20, 1789)
Rumors that the feudal aristocracy [the aristos] were sending hired brigands to attack peasants and pillage their land.

20. March of the Women, October 5-6, 1789
A spontaneous demonstration of Parisian women for bread.
We want the baker, the baker’s wife and the baker’s boy!

21. The Royal Family Attempts to Flee
June, 1791
Helped by the Swedish Count Hans Axel von Fusen [possible Marie Antoinette’s lover].
Headed toward the Luxembourg border.
The King was recognized at Varennes, near the border

22. The Jacobins Jacobin Meeting House
They held their meetings in the library of a former Jacobin monastery in Paris.
Started as a debating society.
Membership mostly middle class.
Created a vast network of clubs.

23. The Sans-Culottes: The Parisian Working Class
Small shopkeepers.
Tradesmen.
Artisans.
They shared many of the ideals of their middle class representatives in government!

24. National Convention City workers took over the National Convention
Declares France a Republic.
Jacobins (radicals/left wing) and Girondists (conservatives/right wings) struggled to control Convention
Jacobins would seize power
Louis became a prisoner and was tried for treason.
Jacobins were determined to protect the revolution against its enemies both foreign and domestic.
They established the Committee of Public Safety

25. The Political Spectrum
TODAY:
1790s:
The Plain (swing votes)
Montagnards (“The Mountain”)
Girondists
Monarchíen (Royalists)
Jacobins

26. Louis XVI’s Head (January 21, 1793)
They proved conclusively Louis’ knowledge and encouragement of foreign intervention.
The National Convention voted 387 to 334 to execute the monarchs.

27. Marie Antoinette on the Way to the Guillotine

28. Marie Antoinette Died in October, 1793

29. Committee for Public Safety
Revolutionary Tribunals.
300,000 arrested.
16,000 – 50,000 executed.

30. Committee of Public Safety
Committee became a dictatorial group that led France.
Maximillien Robespierre would head the Committee and implement a period known as the Reign of Terror
They arrested all those suspected of treason and had them executed by guillotine.
Estimated that 40,000 died by the guillotine from

31. Maximillian Robespierre (1758 – 1794)

32. Let terror be the order of the day!
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. Different Social Classes Executed7% 8%
28%
25%
31%

34. Jean-Paul Marat (1744 – 1793)

35. “The Death of Marat” by Jacques Louis David, 1793

36. The “Monster” Guillotine

37. End of Reign of Terror National Convention turned on Robespierre.
They feared for their safety
Robespierre was arrested and guillotined
Nation convention drew up a new constitution for a republic headed by a 5 man Directory
Directory was incompetent and lasted only 4 years before being replaced by one man.

38. The Arrest of Robespierre

39. The Revolution Consumes Its Own Children!
Danton Awaits Execution, 1793
Robespierre Lies Wounded Before the Revolutionary Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, 1794.

40. Napoleon Bonaparte would overthrow the Directory and have himself crowned emperor of France