World History Chapter 11 The French Revolution & Age of Napoleon.

World History Chapter 11 The French Revolution & Age of Napoleon

Background to Revolution 1789 What a year in world history! Beginning of the United States of America Beginning of the French Revolution More radical & violent than the American Revolution Attempted to create new political and social orders

Two Causes of the French Revolution Long range cause: The social inequality within France caused by the traditional divisions within their society: the Estates Immediate cause: the near collapse of the French governments finances

1 st Estate: The Clergy Made up 0.5% of the French population (total population: 27,000,000) Owned 10% of French land DID NOT pay the taille Frances chief tax Radical divisions existed among this estate: Higher clergy share the interests of the nobility & often came from aristocratic families Lower clergy (parish priests) were often poor and from the class of commoners

2 nd Estate: The Nobility Made up 1.5% of the population Owned 25% of the land Held major positions in the government, military, church, and judicial system Also DID NOT pay the taille

3 rd Estate: The Commoners Three subdivisions of the 3 rd estate existed Made up 98% of the population Owned 65% of the land Paid 100% of the taille (theyre the only taxpayers!) Among members of the 3 rd estate there was a wide range of wealth, occupations, and education

Divisions of the 3 rd Estate Peasants Farmers who were still mostly tied to local landlords for survival Skilled craftspeople Wage earners: carpenters, cobblers, smiths, etc. Bourgeoisie Middle class Professionals: doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants, etc. Drawn to Enlightenment ideas

What are we going to eat??? Frances population had grown by more than 7 million during the 1700s after growing by less than 2 million people during the previous 200 years The staple of the French diet was bread, which requires flour to make, which comes from grain, which must be farmed Two successive bad harvests in 1787 & 1788 had catastrophic consequences: Food shortages Skyrocketing food prices Decrease in manufacturing Rising unemployment TOTAL MISERY for the poor of France1/3 of the population! (9 million)

Financial Crisis Uncontrolled government spending Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette lived a lavish lifestyle at Versailles with their court Fashion/jewelry/hairstyles Court life: Food, wine, banquets, etc. Excessive costs of war Still had not recovered from the debt incurred during the Seven Years War (1756-1763) Aid to the American Rebels vs. Great Britain

The Kings Response To look for solutions to the financial crisis King Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General The French Parliament Composed of representatives from all 3 Estates Clergy & Nobility had about 300 delegates each 3 rd Estate had nearly 600 total delegates Vote by Order: Each estate could cast only 1 vote as an entire group (individual delegates did NOT get to vote) It was the first meeting in 175 years! (1614)

The National Assembly As the Estates General began, deputies of the 3 rd Estate argued to change voting practices so that each delegate would cast their own vote Louis XVI decided voting would remain by order June 17, 1789 the 3 rd Estate declared itself a National Assembly Their goal was to draft a constitution for France

Tennis Court Oath June 20, 1789 the National Assembly found their meeting place locked They moved to an indoor tennis court & took an oath to continue meeting as a National Assembly until they had produced a French Constitution

Storming the Bastille Louis XVI prepared to use force against the 3 rd Estate July 14, 1789 a mob of Parisians stormed the Bastille An armory & prison in Paris As a symbol of royal oppression, it was torn down brick by brick Paris was abandoned to the rebels The King was told he could no longer trust royal troops The fall of the Bastille saved the National Assembly

Destruction of the Old Regime Peasant revolts & fear of invasion during the summer of 1789 spurred the National Assembly to take action August 4: abolished the rights of landlords & the financial privileges of the 1 st and 2 nd Estates

Declaration of the Rights of Man Produced by the National Assembly on August 26, 1789 Inspired by the: U.S. Declaration of Independence & Constitution English Bill of Rights Natural & imprescriptible rights of man Liberty Property Security Resistance to oppression Freedom & Equal Rights for all men Merit system for holding public office End to exemptions from taxation Affirmed freedom of speech and the press

Declaration of the Rights of Women Women were not included in the provisions of the Declaration of the Rights of Man Writer Olympe de Gouges refused to accept this She wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen It insists women should have all the same rights as men She was ignored by the National Assembly

King Louis XVI Concedes Royal family remained isolated at Versailles & refused to accept the decrees of the National Assembly October 5, 1789: March on Versailles 1000s of women, many armed marched from Paris to Versailles Ran through the palace killing guards & looking for the queen Louis XVI forced to accept their demands Abolition of feudalism & financial privileges Sign the Declaration of the Rights of Man Royal family returned to Paris as prisoners of the Revolution

1 st Attack on the Church National Assembly seized & sold church lands New Civil Constitution of the Clergy Bishops & Priests were to be elected positions They would be paid by the state (French govt) French govt controlled the church Catholics become enemies of the Revolution

Constitution of 1791 Completed by the National Assembly, thus upholding the oath they took on June 20, 1789 Set up a limited monarchy King is still the head of state Laws are made by an elected legislature Requirements to vote for the legislature: Male Older than 25 Pay a certain amount of taxes

The Paris Commune Losses vs. Austria & economic troubles led to a new radical group in Paris the Paris Commune Organized an attack on the Legislative Assembly: Took Louis XVI hostage & suspended the monarchy New national convention to decide the nations future Universal Male Suffrage ALL males could vote for their representatives at this new convention Governmental power passed into the hands of the Commune Many members of the commune called themselves sans- culottes: those without knee pants; to be identified with the working poor

Radical Revolution & Reaction Chapter 11 section 2

A Radical Shift Under Georges Danton the Paris Commune sought revenge on anyone who aided the king or resisted the changes 1000s were arrested & massacred

A New National Convention Began meeting in September, 1792 First Action: Abolish the monarchy & est. the French Repubic Members of the convention split into factions over the issue of Louis XVIs fate Factions: groups connected by a shared belief or opinion within a larger group

The Emerging Factions Both factions are members of the Jacobin club a large network of political groups throughout the country Girondins: represented the provinces (areas outside of the cities) & wanted to keep the King alive Mountain: represented the interests of radicals in Paris & wanted to execute Louis XVI for treason Louis XVI was beheaded by the guillotine on Jan. 21, 1793

New Crisis: Foreign & Domestic National Convention didnt rule all of France Peasants in Western France & those who lived in major provincial cities refused to accept the Conventions authority Executing Louis XVI & Marie angered the rest of Europes monarchs By late spring 1793 an informal coalition prepared to invade France Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, GB, Dutch Republic If France were defeated it would be the end of the revolution, revolutionaries, and restore the old regime

World History Chapter 11 The French Revolution & Age of Napoleon.

Documents

taille slide

education slide

french land

nd estate

french diet

french parliament

rd estate peasants farmers

great britain slide