French Revolution

1st estate

clergy, prestigious leaders (1% of pop)

2nd estate

nobility, mainly in charge of everything involving the church, government, and military (2%of pop)

3rd estate

peasants + “normal jobs people” (97% of pop)

Marie Antoinette

* 1.5 million lost in gambling
* Became “Madam deficit” because she spent so much money on luxury items.
* Member of the royal family of Austria 
* She gave Louis bad advice and interfered with government

Louis XVI

BAD LEADER, His hobbies distracted him from actually being a good king (such as hunting)

Louis XIV

* Suffered traumatic events as a child→ and moved his palace to Versaille
* Kept close on eye everyone (paranoid)
* Control freak
* Made everyone catholic
* (1643-1715)
* 1715 beginning of french and indian war

Old regime

* Outdated political and social system
* Also called “ancient regime” 
* Three estates 

Estates-general

* Assembly of estates
* Each estate gets one vote- First and Second estate frequently outvoted third estate
* Later lead the Third estate to create the National Assembly, lead by Abbe Siyes

National Assembly

* Third estate assembly to pass laws + reform
* Founded 1789

Tennis Court Oath

* Oath to stay on the tennis court until the constitution was established
* Originally locked outside of the meeting hall, moved to the tennis court

Great Fear

A period of panic and riot by peasants (caused by rumors)

The American Revolution

What was the success of the Third Estate inspired by?

High taxes, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s spending habits

Why was the French economy failing?

He was weak, absent and did not pay attention to the outside world

How did King Loui XVI fail to prevent the coming crisis?

She had bad spending and gambling habits, she was also unpopular

How was Marie Antoinette a factor in the revolution?

Abbe Siyes

Lead the 3rd estate into making the national assembly, asked 3 important questions.

Abbe Siyes’s questions

What was the 3rd estate? (everything), What has it been until now int he political order? (nothing), What does it want to be? (something)

Loyalists

Royals > People (not extreme)

Royalists/Emigres

Wanted the old regime, emigrated out of France (extreme)

Jacobins/republic

Radical political organization (not as extreme as sans-culottes)

Sans-culottes

Believed in direct democracy, anarchist + consisted of urban workers, “those without knee breeches” (extreme)

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

Revolution slogan

People lost trust in him

Consequences to King Louis XVI fleeing France in June 1791

Legislative Assembly

The assembly that could create laws and approve/decline declarations of war (King Louis XVI still had to enforce laws)

Radicals

Left of the assembly, wanted more change

Moderates

Middle of the assembly (wanted some change, but not a lot)

Conservatives

Right of the assembly (Wanted little/no change)

April 1782

The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia

1793

Olympe de Gouges is declared an enemy of the revolution for her writing in “a declaration of the rights of women” and executed

1791- in response to King Louis XVI’s fleeing

National Assembly creates a new constitution + legislative assembly

September Massacre

Rumors of Royalists breaking out of prison, people responded in raiding prisons and killing 1,000 prisoners

September 21st (1792)

Creation of the National convention

National Convention

French legislature in response to the Summer Massacre, republic

Jean Paul Marat

Sickly, spent time in a bathtub, edited the “L’ami du peuple”, and called for the death of royalists (Jacobin)

Georges Danton

a lawyer, passionate speaker, and devoted to the poor people of France, executed by Robespierre, “Don’t forget to show my head to the people. It’s well worth seeing”

3rd estate

Which population was the most executed during the Reign of Terror?

more than 2,100 people

How many people were executed during the Reign of Terror?

Maximilien Robespierre

Builds a “republic of virtue”, Reign of Terror, executed 40,000 people

July 1793

Robespierre becomes leader of the Committee of public safety

July 1794- in response of the Reign of Terror

National Convention turns on Robespierre, he is executed

1795- in response to the FEAR of the Terror

Moderate leaders in the Nation Convention make a new plan, creates the Directory, and appoint Napoleon as a leader

Year one (French Republic calendar)

9/22/1792

No Food, No Representative, No money

Reasons for revolution

Cult of the Supreme Being

New religion in the Reign of Terror, binds people to the revolution

Festival of Reason

Held at Notre Dame (temple of reason), opera singer dressed as Liberty, J-L David builds statues, Robespierre sets statues on fire