1. The Causes of the FRENCH REVOLUTION
European History
Part 2
Lesson #1

2. French Revolution
1789 – – 1815
French people rose up against King and Nobles
Chaos and death
Bloody Reign of Terror
Napoleon restored order
Napoleon then went on to take over Europe
All of Europe ganged up and defeated Napoleon
Europe restored to “old” ways
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John Green

3. FRENCH SOCIETY on the “eve” of the French Revolution
(1789)

4. The Social Classes What is a social class?
How do you tell the difference between social classes?
Describe our classes in America
How was Europe different, with the Aristocracy?
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5. French Society prior to Rev
Divided into “Estates” First Estate: “clergy” (Church People) Second Estate: “nobles” (born with a “title”) Third Estate: Everyone else

6. Royalty – THE KING
~10% of land Paid no taxes Educated Lived a “clean” life Trusted Lived in amazing luxury at Versailles
King Louis XVI
Queen Marie Antoinette

7. First Estate – THE CLERGY
1% of population 10% of land Paid no taxes Educated Lived a “clean” life respected

8. Second Estate – THE NOBILITY
1% of population 30% of land Rented land to Peasants Paid almost no taxes Educated Lived a “clean” life Hated by Third Estate

9. Typical home for Nobles
Château de Chenonceau

10. Typical home for Nobles
Château of Dampierre-en-Yvelines

11. Third Estate – EVERYONE ELSE
98% of population 50% of land Paid MOST taxes NOT educated Lived a hard and dirty life

12. Recap: What are the three estates?
What people are IN the three named estates?
What conflict can you see causing a rebellion?

13. CAUSES of the FRENCH REVOLUTION

14. What do you do? You have no job You have no money People depend on you
You need food
WHAT DO YOU DO TO SURVIVE? -
What do you do when you WANT to work, but there are no jobs?

15. $$$ #1 PROBLEM: FRANCE WAS BROKE FLAT BROKE FROM WARS
AND FROM BAD GOVERNMENT DECISIONS
BUT… SOME FRENCH PEOPLE WERE NOT
SOME WERE FILTHY RICH!

16. AND THAT MADE PEOPLE MAD!
That led to rebellion
Which led to revolution
(massive change)
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17. Revolution in France Will be led by Max Robespierre
Will lead to creation of the Metric System
Will lead to thousands of beheadings
(just for speaking out against the government)
Will lead to the elimination of a king
And the start of a democracy in France
And the elimination of the nobility and the class system

18. Issue #1: wars Rivalries in Europe
Each European nation was like an individual battling for existence. They made friends only to become more powerful. One example is France vs. Austria.
Wars are expensive!
So, how do you stop them from happening?

19. Solution to Rivalry
Answer: use marriage to create friendships Austrian government forced Austrian princess to marry the French prince (who would be king – “DAUPHIN”). Marie Antoinette of Austria… and… Louis August of France. (will be Louis XVI)

20. Issue #1 - Rivalries
Who was the Austrian Princess who married into French royal family? Who was the French Prince she married?
MARIE ANTOINETTE
What are the “Dauphin” and “Dauphine”?
LOUIS, DAUPHIN
NEXT IN LINE TO BE KING AND QUEEN

21. Issue #2 - Inequities in French Society
First Estate – 1%
CLERGY
Owned 10% of the land (wealth)
Second Estate – 1%
NOBLES
Owned 30% of the land
Third Estate – 98%
EVERYONE ELSE
Bourgeoisie (MIDDLE CLASS)
Peasants – 85% of society (very poor farmers)
Owned what was left…

22. Issue #2 - Inequities in French Society
What two groups have almost everything?
What group has almost nothing?
What group is the largest?
FIRST and SECOND ESTATES
THIRD ESTATE
THIRD ESTATE

23. Issue #3: Impact of Enlightenment
Educated bourgeois demanded change
Wanted a “rational” government
Locke said a government should protect your natural rights (Life, liberty and property)
Voltaire, Montesquieu and Rousseau agreed
The bourgeois respected BRITISH government
Parliament
(a voice of the people)
Free speech
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24. Issue #3: Impact of Enlightenment
What did the Third Estate hope could happen?
THEY COULD DECREASE THEIR BURDEN OF TAXES AND DEBT

25. Issue #4: Financial Crisis
France had been going into Huge DEBT
from wars,
from cost to maintain Versailles,
support of American Revolution
BUT…
King and NOBLES kept living
well and extravagantly
Parties
Fancy clothes and food

26. Issue #4: Financial Crisis
What three things caused the mammoth French debt?
WARS
VERSAILLES
SUPPORTING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

27. Marie Antoinette Some blamed her She was from AUSTRIA
(traditional enemy of France)
She spent a LOT
But not enough to matter
She was just out of touch
Rumor: when she was told on one had bread & were starving:
“LET THEM EAT CAKE”

28. Weak Leadership King Louis XVI wanted to tax the all ESTATES
First Estate said it was not legal
Claimed only a meeting of the
ESTATES GENERAL could
change national policy

29. Louis Called Estates General
King Louis XVI planned the meeting
All three Estates would meet together
The hope: solve the debt problem
Their debt was TEN TIMES
worse than ours now
(ours now is $17 trillion;
about $55,000 for
every American

30. Guess the expectations
What do you think the FIRST and SECOND ESTATES might want to happen at this meeting?
What do you think the THIRD ESTATE might want from this meeting?

31. Louis Called Estates General
How bad WAS the debt of the French Government?
Where did the king hope to get the money he needed?
VERY BAD
THEY PAID HALF THEIR TAXES ON INTEREST
From the Nobles (aristocracy) and the Church
(they owned almost half the land, had lots of $$, paid no taxes)

32. Expectations for the Meeting (Estates General)
First Estate
PROTECT PRIVILEGES AND POWER
Second Estate
PROTECT PRIVILEGES
Third Estate – Bourgeois
LOWER TAX BURDEN
BECOME A PART OF GOVERNMENT
Third Estate – Peasants

33. What caused revolution?
This was just supposed to be a meeting…
Why did it become a whole revolution?
What could have prevented revolution?
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