The French Revolution Begins!
France - The Old Regime Social System: pre-1789 Monarch Three Estates Clergy Rich Nobles Commoners Bourgeoisie: Middle Class (Doctors, Lawyers, Merchants, skilled artisans) Urban Workers (poorest class) Peasant farmers
France - The Old Regime 1 st estate: less than 1% of the population Clergy Catholic Church Pay little in taxes Rented out vast amounts of lands Owned about 10% of land
France - The Old Regime 2 nd Estate: 2% of population Nobility Didn t Pay Taxes! owned 20% of land collect feudal dues from peasants - taxes
France - The Old Regime 3 rd Estate: 97% of population Paid most of taxes Bourgeoisie Urban workers / Peasants Often went hungry due to lack of money.
Why did the 3 rd Estate have a raw deal? French Gov t consisted of: Monarch Estates General Each estate: 1 vote on French Policy RESULT:??
The Forces of Change Enlightenment ideas spreading among the 3 rd Estate Inspired by American Revolution Quoted Rousseau & Voltaire: began demanding Equality, Liberty & Democracy
The Forces of Change (cont.) Economy in decline production & trade expanding BUT... taxes were oppressive Cost of living rising sharply Bad weather = crop failure = shortages = increasing prices Gov t deeply in dept Accumulated debt from previous kings Financed American Revolution Extravagant royal spending by Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette
The Palace of Versailles
Palace at Versailles 2000 servants, White House today 200 servants, Marie Antoinette lavish lifestyle - $150 million year gambles away
Poor Leadership Louis XVI was weak & indecisive Marie Antoinette Austrian (France s long time enemy) = UNPOPULAR Offered bad advice to Louis Madam Deficit LOUIS SOLUTION: Tax the nobility
France s Financial Crisis May 1789 Second Estate forces Louis XVI to call a meeting of the Estates General to approve the new tax First meeting in 175 years!
How did the French Revolution Begin?
Estates General Gathers Third Estate Eager to make changes in the gov t Insists that EVERY delegate gets a vote & that ALL Estates meet together Louis XVI refuses A clergyman (!!) Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes suggests that the Third Estate proclaim itself the National Assembly and pass laws & reforms Third Estate agrees absolute monarchy & beginning of representative gov t This is the first deliberate act of REVOLUTION proclaiming end to
The plot thickens King locks Third Estate out of meeting room Tennis Court Oath : Third Estate would stay until a constitution was created & adopted Some Nobles & Clergy join them
The plot thickens Louis XVI stationed his mercenary army of Swiss Guards around Versailles Rumors swirl Louis will use military to dismiss the National Assembly Foreign troops are coming to Paris to massacre French citizens People begin to gather weapons
Storming The Bastille July 14, 1789 Searching for arms & gun powder Mobs of peasants attack a feudal prison/armory Dozens of soldiers & Parisians killed Lynched several nobles/guards took control of the city government
The Great Fear : July Oct 1789 Wave of violence in countryside Peasants sack nobles castles - destroy records of feudal dues Many believed nobles were going to destroy peasant villages to crush the third estate
Beginning of the end. August 4, 1789: French aristocrats/noblemen special privileges ENDED by decree of the National Assembly Feudalism completely destroyed The Old Regime is DEAD
National Assembly adopts statement of Revolutionary Ideals August 26, 1789: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Principles of Revolution: Liberty, Equality, & Fraternity Rights: liberty, property, security, & resistance to oppression
What did The Declaration really do? Men are born equal Freedom of speech, press, religion All men have the right to participate in Government No more Divine Right!!!
October March of Women October 1789: Women riot over high cost of bread Demand that National Assembly provide bread Rumors, Rumors Guests at Royal Banquet trampled on revolutionary insignia Royalty hoarding grain
October March of Women Mob marches on Versailles Forcibly takes the royal family back to Paris Tuilerie Palace to live as prisoners Tuilere Palace also serves as meeting place for National Assembly Paris replaces Versailles as center of power The gov t is now more vulnerable than ever to the will of the restless, and occasionally violent, people of the city.