French Revolution Chapter 7. Revolution Threatens the French King 1700’s France – most advanced country and center of Enlightenment Prosperous foreign.

French Revolution

Chapter 7

Revolution Threatens the French King1700’s France – most

advanced country and center of Enlightenment

Prosperous foreign tradeLarge populationHighly praised culture

ProblemsHigh PricesHigh taxesInfluence of

Enlightenment philosophers Rousseau and Voltaire.

Old RegimeFirst Estate (Clergy)

Owned 10% of land.Assisted the poor.Gave 2% of its

income to the government.

Second EstateRich nobles2% of the

population.Owned 20% of

land.Paid no taxes.

Enlightenment

The first and second estates scorned Enlightenment ideas.

Third Estate

98% of the populationConsisted of three different

groups:BourgeoisieCity WorkersPeasants

BourgeoisieMerchants and

artisansWell educated Believed in

enlightenment ideals

Paid high taxes

City WorkersCooks, servants,

laborers, etc.Paid low wagesFrequently

unemployedOften went

hungry.

PeasantsLargest group of

third estate 80% of population (26 million people)

Paid half of income to nobles, tithes to the church, and taxes to the king

Eager for change

Forces of change

Enlightenment IdealsEquality, liberty, and democracyEncouraged by American revolution

Economy1780’s crop failuresHigh taxesLarge debt

Weak leadership

Louis XVI was indecisive Married an unpopular Austrian princess Marie AntoinetteAttempted to tax the second estate (nobles)

Estates general (May 5, 1789)

An assembly of representatives from all three estates.

Called together by the king, under pressure from the nobles to vote on new taxes.

Clergy and nobles expected to control the Estates General as they had in Middle Ages.

The Third Estate insisted on equal representation for all estates, wanted one vote for each delegate.

Abbe Sieyes “What is the third estate? Everything…What does it demand? To become something herein.”

Suggests a National Assembly be formed.

National Assembly

June 17, 1789, a vote was passed to form National Assembly.

Pass new laws and reforms to change France.

First act of the Revolution

Tennis Court Oath

Third estate delegates locked out of their meeting room.

Broke into tennis court and pledged to stay until a constitution was created.

The pledge came to be known as the Tennis Court Oath.

King Louis XVI

No longer trusts French guards, hires Swiss to protect him at Versailles

Rumors of foreign troops coming to murder French citizens under King’s orders run rampant

People gather weapons and go to get gunpowder at the…

The Bastille

•July 14, 1789•Was a prison where gunpowder was stored•Mob overtakes guards•Becomes a symbol of revolution

Great Fear

Rebellion spreads across countryside as do rumors that peasants are being terrorized

This sparks the great fear where peasants get pitchforks and torches and attack nobles’ houses burning them down

Rioting Continues6000 + Parisian women riot in October

of 1789 angry over the cost of breadMen join in arm themselves and march

to VersaillesThey kill some soldiers and demand that

the Royal Family go to ParisThey do signaling they no longer have

power

http://www.chateauversailles.fr/images/360/Glaces360.htm

Robespierre

Guillotine

Beethoven