French Revolution

Social Causes

Estates system

• France’s society was divided into three estates; each group had different privileges and obligations. The first estate (clergy) and second estate (nobility) enjoyed numerous privileges, including tax exemption. The third estate (common people) included both peasants and the bourgeoisie. They were burdened with taxes and had little power.

• The third estate was the largest (97%0 of the population and felt particularly oppressed. Eventually this group would call themselves the national assembly, marking a critical step in the revolution.

Political Causes

Absolute Monarchy

• King Louis XVI ruled as an absolute monarch, meaning he had unchecked power, believing it was granted by god. This led to common widespread resentment, especially among the common people who had very few rights.

Corruption and inequality

• The French government was inefficient and corrupt, primarily benefiting the nobility and the clergy. The commoners had to bear the brunt of taxation and the government had little concern for their needs.

Intellectual Causes

Enlightenment ideas

• The Enlightenment, which emphasized reason, individual rights, and the challenge of absolute monarchy, strongly influenced the French Revolution. Thinkers like Rousseau and Voltaire inspired revolutionaries to question the old systems of power.

American Revolution

• The success of the American Revolution in 1783, which overthrew British rule, inspired the French to think about their own system of government.

Economic Causes

Bankruptcy and Financial Crisis

• France was nearly bankrupt by 1789 due to extravagant spending, including funding the American Revolution and the costly seven-year war. The royal family particularly Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, led a lavish lifestyle at Versailles, worsening the financial strain.

Unfair taxation

• The tax system was deeply flawed. The third estate, especially the peasants bore the heaviest tax burden, while the clergy and nobility were largely exempt.

Bread Riots

• Bread was so expensive that bread riots broke out which lead to the meeting of the estates general.

Estates general

King Louis XVI called for the Estates-General, a meeting of representatives from all three estates, to address the financial crisis. However, the Third, feeling underrepresented, broke away and declared themselves the national assembly.

Tennis Court Oath (June 1789)

Members of the National Assembly were locked out of the meeting of the Estates-General. In response they took an oath on a tennis court, vowing not to disband until they created a new constitution. This is part of the beginning of the french revolution.

Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)

In July 1789, Parisians stormed the Bastille, a prison that symbolized royal tyranny to seize weapons and gunpowder. This event became a symbol of revolution.

The Great Fear (August 1789)

Peasant Revolts

• The fear of a royal crackdown led peasants to attack noble estates burn records and seize land.

August 4th decrees

• The national assembly abolished feudal privileges, eliminating noble dues, tithes to the church, and other feudal rights.

Women’s March to Versailles (October 1789)

Women in Paris, angry over food shortages, marched to versailles demanding bread and the return of the royal family to paris. The King and queen were forced to move bak to paris.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (August 26, 1786)

The national assembly issued the declaration, stating that all men are born free and equal in rights, promoting liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

Limitations on Royal Power

The national assembly created a constitution, limiting the king’s power and establishing a constitutional monarchy. The King’s power was reduced to a symbolic role.

The republic and the execution of the King

National Convention: The monarchy was abolished, and the First French Republic was declared. The national convention took control of the government.

Execution of King Louis: Louis XVI tried for treason, convicted and executed by guillotine, ending the monarchy.

The Reign of Terror (1793-1994)

Led by Maximilien Robespierre, the revolution took a radical turn. The committee of Public Safety initiated the Reign of Terror, during which around 40,000 people were executed as suspected enemies of the revolution. Robespierre justified the violence as necessary to protect the revolution but became increasingly paranoid and dictorial.

The Thermidorian reaction (1794)

Robespierre was overthrown and executed. The Reign of Terror ended, and moderate leaders took control.

The Directory (1795-1799)

The Directory, a five-member executive body, governed France but was weak, corrupt, and unable to address the nation’s issues. It faced economic problems and political instability. Amid the chaos, Napoleon Bonaparte, a military leader, rose to power, first as a consul and later as emperor.

End of the revolution and Rise of Napoleon

In 1799, Napoleon staged a coup d’etat against the Directory, ending the revolution by establishing a consulate, which eventually led to his rise as emporer.

Outcomes of the revolution

End of the monarchy: The French Monarchy was overthrown and the first french republic was established.

Rise of Radical Political Ideals: The revolution spread the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity throughout Europe.

Social Reforms: Feudalism was abolished, and the declaration of the rights of man and citizen established individual rights.

Napoleon’s Rise to Power: After the revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to prominence and eventually became the ruler of France.

Louis XVI

The King of France during the revolution. His indecisiveness and financial mismanagement contributed to unrest. He was executed by guillotine in 1793.

Marie Antoinette

The Queen of France and wife of Louis XVI. Known for extravagance, she became a symbol of royal excess. She was also executed in 1793.

Maximilien Robespierre

A radical leader of the Jacobins and the Reign of Terror. He played a key role in executing the king and enforcing revolutionary policies before being executed in 1794.

Jacobins

A radical political group that pushed for the abolition of the monarchy and the execution of enemies of the revolution. Led by Robespierre, they dominated during the Reign of Terror.

Royalists

Supporters of the monarchy who opposed revolutionary changes and sought to restore the king’s power. Many fled or fought against revolutionary forces.

Abbé Sieyès

A political thinker and clergyman who wrote What is the Third Estate?, arguing that the common people were the true nation. He played a key role in shaping the revolution.

Sans-culottes

Radical working-class revolutionaries who pushed for more extreme measures, including the execution of the king and social equality.

Olympe de Gouges

A feminist writer who authored The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, demanding equal rights for women. She was executed during the Reign of Terror.