1. French Revolution

2. Causes of the French Revolution
Immediate Causes:
Bankruptcy of France
Built Versailles
Helped in American Revolution
No taxes for 1st and 2nd estates
Finance ministers ignored
Estates-General
Other Causes:
Influence of English and American Revolutions
Laissez-Faire
unpopular government leaders
Abuses of Old Regime:
Political abuses
Absolute Monarch by Divine Right
Favoritism (not ability) for government office positions.
Censored speech and press.
Corrupt and inefficient government.

3. Estates-General Summoned
1789
To solve financial crisis
Had not been called since 1614 (175 years)
Admitted king could not solve France’s problems

4. Undemocratic Estates-General
Representation
1st and 2nd Estates each had 300
3rd Estate had 600
Voting
Each estate had 1 vote
First 2 estates could outvote 3rd

5. National Assembly—1789
3rd Estate led by members of 1st & 2nd estates
3rd Estate demanded that Estates General be changed into a National Assembly
Each member (not estate) would have 1 vote
King Louis XVI rejected it

6. National Assembly—1789 3rd Estate:
Kicked out of Estates General
Broke into an indoor tennis court
Declared themselves to be the National Assembly
Tennis Court Oath – pledged not to leave until they had finished writing a constitution
Wanted a new constitution constructed to give more power to the lower estate

7. Tennis Court Oath

8. National Assembly ( )
June 17, 1789, 3rd Estate renamed the themselves to “The National Assembly”
Mostly bourgeoisie class citizens
They began to pass laws and reforms in the name of the French People!
1st official act of revolution
This ended absolute monarchy in France

9. National Assembly (1789-1791) Abolished:
Unfair taxes/tithes
Tax exemptions of privileged
All class distinctions
Guild restrictions on trade and manufacturing
Paris mobs pressured Louis to give in to National Assembly

10. FEAR! Senseless panic fed by wild rumors spread all over France.
Peasants all over the land began destroying nobles property and burning legal papers.

11. The Bastille
Louis XVI tries to make peace with 3rd Estate by yielding to the National Assemblies demands. Orders 2nd and 3rd Estates to join 3rd in the National Assembly.
Sensing trouble, sends mercenary Swiss guards to Paris (no longer trusted French soldiers)
Rumors that king was sending troops to disperse Assembly
In reaction, Paris mobs stormed the Bastille in search of gunpowder
Destroyed July 14, 1789

12. Women’s March on Versailles
October, 1789
7,000 women (?)
Due to bread prices
Demanded
royal family return with
them to Paris

13. Declaration of the Rights of Man
Men are born free & equal with rights to:
Liberty
Property
Security
Resistance to oppression
All citizens are entitled to voice in making laws
All persons are guaranteed
Equality before the law
Freedom from unlawful arrest
Freedom of speech, press, and religion

14. The Declaration of the Rights of Man:
Gave all citizens the natural rights of
Life
Liberty
Property
Speech
Religion
These rights were
declared for men only (not women).

15. National Convention 1792-1795 First French Republic
Tried Louis on charges
of treason
Both King and Queen were beheaded
Louis’ death alarmed other monarchs
About 3,000 people were executed in Paris about 40,000 total deaths from the country including Robespierre.

16. Processing
Write a post card to the Americans talking about the events of the Revolution
Newspaper article on one of the events
Storming of the Bastille
Woman’s march on Versailles
The guillotine
The National Assembly