1. Absolutism and Revolution
The People Rise up!

2. What is Revolution?
Try and define…

3. What is Revolution?
A sudden and often violent change in the government.
Usually happens when the people rise up and throw out their rulers.
Usually when the government has abused its power…

4. Examples…
In small groups take 2 minutes and brainstorm as many examples as you can of nations that have undergone revolution at some point in their histories…

5. Egypt 2011

6. Russia 1917

7. United States 1776

8. England 1668

9. Four Main Steps 1) Injustice: people treated unfairly
2) Revolution: uprising against the government. Sometimes spontaneous, often organized.
3) Consolidation: people organize and create new institutions of government
4) Aftermath: often, the new institutions/rulers are as bad or worse than the old ones!

10. Why Revolutions?
Following the Age of Exploration, European nations became powerful and highly centralized.
This led, generally to harsh and repressive political systems in which individual and property rights were abused.
Hence, there was a wave of uprisings across Europe and its colonial territories from the 1650’s through the 1800’s…

12. Strong Centralized States
Britain, France and Russia all had very powerful, absolutist rulers.
“Absolutism”: unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator.

13. Revolution Case Study: FRANCE
Why France?

14. Revolution Case Study: FRANCE
Why France?
France is an excellent example of what happens to a country when rulers take for themselves too much power.
The rulers of France drove the people to revolution which then ushered in an era of chaos that engulfed millions…

15. Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch
King of France
Built highly centralized government
Had influential and powerful advisors
Louis as a boy!

16. Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch
As a child Louis ruled with an adviser called Cardinal Marazin who took effective control of France. He pursued a policy of “breaking” the aristocracy.
Louis went along and was a pawn in Marazin’s ambitions.
When Marazin died in 1661, Louis gained full control but essentially continued his mentor’s policies…
Marazin

17. “The Fronde”
As a response to Marazin’s/Louis policies, France underwent two civil wars known as the Fronde.
It was an armed uprising by disaffected nobles who were fed up with tax increases (sound familiar?)

18. Louis Takes Control Marazin died in 1661…
Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions…
QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control?

19. Louis Takes Control Marazin died in 1661…
Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions…
QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control?
ANSWER: Louis loaned them money, thus making them indebted to him… Now he could control them because they were in his “pocket”

20. Discuss these clothes!
Why wear them?
And the wig…?

21. Louis and his “court”….