what were the causes of the french revolution

What is the ancien regime

It means “old regime” - the socio-political system which existed in most of Europe during the 18th century

What is feudalism

Social system represented by a hierarchy where land was held in exchange for service

What is absoluteism

The monarchy had absolute control over the government

There are different classes of people who are privileged and underprivileged, how are under privileged people treated like

• they paid taxes and were treated badly

How were privileged people treated

They paid little to no taxes and were treated very well

Roughly what percentage of people are in the 1 and 2 estate

2% meaning the remaining 98% were at the bottom

Who were the first estate

Th clergy

How many people were in the first estate

100,000

Who were the second estate

The nobility

How many people were in the nobility

350,000

Who were the third estate

Everyone else including ( the bourgeoisie, urban workers, peasants )

How many people were in the third estate

27 million

Be specific about who were in the first estate

King and queen

Catholic clergy

What did the clergy disagree with

Disagreed with enlightenment ideas

Be specific about who was in the second estate

Rich nobles

What were the nobility position in office

They held highest office in government

What did the second estate disagree with

They disagreed with enlightenment ideas

Be specific about who were in the third estate

Bourgeoisie ( well educated )

Urban lower class

Rural poor

What were the third estates position in government

They had no power in government

What did the third estate favour

They favoured enlightenment ideas

Who did the clergy consist of

Bishops and archbishops

How many bishops and archbishops are there

110,000

What were the status of the Catholic Church in France

Thy were very powerful in France

What does the Catholic Church specialise in

Guidance, prayer and held the key to entrance to heaven

What was the name of the church tax

Tithe

How much does one have to pay for the tithe

A tax of around 1/10th of what they have

What was the clergy’s involvement in politics

they were heavily involved in politics and sat in councils called the “notables” which consisted of just the 1 and 2 estate

What did the church control and what did it give them

They controlled births, marriages, divorce - this gave them great power

How much land did the Catholic Church own

They owned about 20% of all land in France yet was less then 1% of the population

What was the official religion of France

The Catholic Church - king and the nobility were Catholic as were most of the French people

How much taxes did the clergy pay to the French state

No taxes

even though many wear devout there were still complaints what were they

tithe, corruption, absenteeism and plurality

Bishops who controlled multiple areas but we often away from the diocese

Who were the nobility

They were aristocrats who inherited their wealth and land or were granted them by the monarch

How much of the nobility were there in France

There were 350,000 of them - approximately 2% of the French population

How much land did the nobility own

20% of the land in France

Do the nobility work

Most didn’t really work - inherited wealth

how much government positions were in the hands of the nobility

Most government positions - granted by the king through patronage

What was the link between nobility and taxes

They collected taxes and taxes were also paid to them - the feudal system was still in operation in France

What is 1 type of nobility

Nobility of the swords - inherited titles-long family lines

What was the other type of nobility

Nobility of the robe - new nobles created by the monarchy and held titles

What were the nobility view of the king

They generally supported the king and the ancient regime - it was their best interest as they benefited a lot from them

what were the percentage of people of the third estate

97%-98% of the French population

Th third estate include the bourgeoise, who were they?

New middle class lawyers, doctors, merchants - educated men

Peasants were part of the third estate - who were they ?

They were poor labourers in the countryside who work for others

Urban workers were part of the third estate - who were they

They worked for others - later often referred to as the sans culottes

What did the third estate lack

They had no political power or representation-no vote

What was mandatory for the third estate to do

Road repair labour service called the “corvee”

How much land did the third estate have

Most owned no land at all - they rented it from the nobles as part of the feudal system

What taxes did the third estate pay

They paid a multitude of taxes - the taille ( land tax ), 5% property tax called the vingtieme, the capitation( based on th number of adults in the family), the gabelle ( salt tax ), aidas ( a tax on food and drinks ) as well as the tithe and feudal taxes

What was Frances economy based on

It was based primarily on agriculture

Who bore the burden of taxation

peasant farmers of France

What did poor harvests mean

Meant that peasants had trouble paying their regular taxes

Hat could the peasant not afford

To have their tax raised

Who in the third estate managed to gather wealth

The bourgeoisie but were upset that they paid taxes while nobles did not

How did Louis xv spent Frances money in a Tim of great struggle

They had been involved in the 7 year war against Britain between 1756-1763

What did the 7 year war result in

It was a massive burden on the French economy

French international trade fell dramatically due to the war especially colonial trade slumped 81%

A lack of raw materials coming into France

France lost a large part of Canada and some of its Caribbean empire due to its defeat

This war would have a long term financial strain on France and its people

It led to an increase of taxes, growing debts, less foreign trade and greater unemployment

What was the enlightenment

When people began to come together and embraced logic and rationality and started questioning

What did scientist during the renaissance discover

Laws that govern the natural world

What did intellectuals ( philosophies ) began to ask

If natural laws might apply to human beings, particularly to human institutions such as governments and the Catholic Church

how did philosophers think

They were secular in thinking - they used reason and logic, rather then faith, religion and superstition to answer important questions

• so they used logic and reason to determine how governments were formed

• Tried to figure out what logical, rational principles work to tie people to their governments

What else did philosophers question

The divine rights of kings

Who did the enlightenment have an influence on

Growing influence over the educated middle class

Name the key enlightenment thinkers

Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu

Who was Montesquieu and what were his theories

He was a French philosopher 1689-1755

His main theories concerned thr balance of power and he questioned tyrannies and despots ( a ruler who holds absolute power ). He was a major influence on the American founding fathers and the war of independence

Who was Voltaire and what were his main teachings

He was a French philosophers 1694-1778

His main teachings concerned freedoms of speech and freedom and equality in religion. He was a critic of the power, wealth and influence the Catholic Church had over the people and the state

Who was Rousseau and what were his theories

He was a Swiss philosopher 1712-1778

His main theory was that the people should be involved in power-democracy to an extent. He believed kings should only ruled with the consent of the people-this could be taken away and it should not be taken for granted

What were the opinion of philosophers towards the Catholic Church

They were against the Catholic Church as it was wealthy, corrupt and intolerant. The revolutionaries went by the saying “crush the infamous” the church

What did the ideas of the revolutionaries attack

The idea of the revolutionaries attacked all the assumptions on which the ancien regime was based, these views ignited the French Revolution as people questioned the philosophers views

Why did the people who read philosophers work accused of heresy

Because they begin to question the church, and so they were accused of heresy. However the ideas of the 18th century philosophers only grew in influence

Which dynasty was Louis xvi from

The latest of the bourbon dynasty of monarchs, he had been king since 1774

Who did Louis xvi succeed

His grandfather Louis xv. His father had died in 1765 putting Louis xvi into position

Who was Louis xvi married to

Marie antoinette, an Austrian princess since 1770 with three children

Where did Louis and Marie live

They lived in great luxury at Versailles palace with their royal court as great expense

What did they rule by

They ruled by divine right - the belief God had placed the king on the throne

What type of monarchy was Louis

He was an absolute monarchy - the absolute power in the hands of the king so he decided laws, controlled the military, made peace and war, raised taxes and decided how to spend those taxes

he ruled by patronage, what is that

he chose his ministers, he chose the intendents who controlled the French provinces. He need3 the clergy and the nobility but they needed his patronage

What was the lettres de cachet

He could have anyone arrested and imprisoned for anything

When was Louis xvi born

Born on august 23 1754, born as Louis Auguste and was the eldest of eight children, after his father in died in 1765 from tuberculosis he became heir to the throne with his grandfather Louis xv ruling

Why was Louis a weak monarch

His grandfather was a poor mentor and did not do a good job of preparing his grandson for ruling France

• his teachers told him timidity was a virtue - not great preparation for royalty

At what age did Louis marry Marie

At the age of 15 he married 14 year old Maria Antonia of Austria on may 16 1770 - they only met 2 days before their marriage

What were the attitudes of the French people towards Maria

Many people already did not like the queen coming from Austria an enemy nation. When she couldn’t produce a child and potential heir they were further distanced from her. The real story was that Louis was the one who had a problem however it was Marie antoinette the French blamed and gossiped about

When was a child finally conceived by Marie

Not until 1777, 7 years after their marriage that they consummated their marriage and were able to conceive

When did Louis take the throne

King Louis took the throne at age 20 in 1774 when his grandfather died

What was the situation of the country when Louis took the throne

His government was deeply in debt from past wars, especially the impact from the seven year war ( 1756-1763 )

What were the peoples attitude towards Louis finally taking the throne

He was looked upon with uncertainty, his character, wife and lack of heir. Many felt that he was not prepared to run and was not firm enough because he was indecisive and easily led

It did not help that the throne skipped a generation

He had been sheltered, very naive and a little thrust into the limelight

who was the male heir produced by them

Louis joseph

Give an example of Marie’s lavish spending

She purchased a pair of diamond bracelets for 400,000 livres in 1776

What was Marie nickname because of her lavish spending

Madame deficit

What suggested that Marie was out of touch with her people

He fondness of gambling whilst the countries debt was growing alongside her love of expensive construction projects

What was Louis seen as

The very symbol of tyranny

Which war did France lose and at what expense

They had lost the seven year war against Britain (1756-1763) and some important colonies as a result - the war had been very crippling to France

At 1776 what war occurred

The American colonies began a war of independence against their British masters

What was a terrible decision Louis had made

To involve France into americas war as this was the perfect opportunity to get revenge on Britain and make a new ally for the future

How did France help America

They sent military and financial aid to them

Who won the war of independence

The American colonies and France in 1783

How did this war worsen the French economy

1.3 billion livres

What was the message of this war to the French people

You could rebel against your masters

Who warned the king about Frances financial state

1786 Calonne, th financial advisor warned the king that there was a huge deficit building-revenue of 475 million livres and spending 587 million livres=a huge shortfall

Technically France was headed towards bankruptcy

What was the main cost

War - the French government had loaned money for these and the interest rates were increasing, most of Frances income was spent on the interest on these loans - more than 50% of the entire budget

What was a way that Louis could pay back the debt but why would it not work

By taxing the first and the second estate however this would lead to to resistance