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

2. The 3 Estates of France (The Old Regime)
Class
Clergy (Priests)
1st Estate
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.
They Blamed the King and Queen
of France for the economic
problems in the country.
Angry mobs soon stormed
the streets of Paris.
Queen
Marie-Antoinette
King Louis XVI

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

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

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

9. .....More Causes the majority of the taxes. That’s unfair!
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.

10. The Meeting of the Estates-General
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 King 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!

11. The Meeting of the Estates-General
1st meeting in
175 years!

12. 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!

13. 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
on July 14, 1789, which is now a national holiday in France.

14. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
Written by the National Assembly in 1789
Statement of Revolutionary ideals (rights)
Men are born free
Equality
Freedom of speech/religion
Influenced by Declaration of Independence

15. Up Next...
The Reign of Terror