The French Revolution

Who were the First Estate of French Society?

* The Clergy (__**religious leaders**__)
* They made up __**0.5% of population.**__
* Owned __**10% of the land.**__
* They were exempt from taxes.

Who were the Second Estate of French Society?

* They were the __**Nobles**__.
* They made up __*1.5% of population*__.
* Owned __**25% of the land**__.
* They were exempt from taxes.

Who were the Third Estate of French Society?

* They were the commoners.
* __**90% peasants**__ and __**8% Bourgeoisie**__ in total made up 98% of the population.
* They owned __**65% of the land**__.
* Paid all the taxes.

When did the French Revolution begin?

1789

What were the economic crises in France?

* The French treasury was bankrupt as a result of __**wasteful and unnecessary spending**__ **by the king and queen at the time**.
* They were also at war for more than a century.
* They tried to get out of debt __**by taxing the first and second estates**__ (**this was what was being talking about during the Estates General**), but they rejected the tax reform.

Peasantry

* They were the most liberated on the continent.
* They had increasing taxes. Their increasing population on rural land resulted in pressure.
* They also had no political voice.
* Tithe - one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the Church and clergy.

Why was the Estates General called?

* Due to France helping the Americans during their revolution, __**France needed money**__. Louis XVI was forced to call an Estates Geneal for the first time in __**175 years (since 1614)**__.
* Louis **broadens franchise** which means to increase the amount of people affected by tax. (maybe TBD) In other words he proposes a tax reform but it is rejected by the third estate.
* Third Estate dominated by **radical lawyers and professional**s.
* Third Estate demands equal representation.

What was the Estates General?

The Estates-General was a **representative assembly of the Ancien Régime also known as the old order**, the closest France had to a congress or parliament at the time. It was comprised of representatives from all Three Estates. The Estates-General would play a pivotal role in the revolutionary events of 1789.

What was the National Assembly?

* Existed from __**17 June 1789 to 29 September 1791**__.
* Third Estate **renames themself to National Assembly**.
* A revolutionary assembly of the Kingdom of France.
* Formed by the representatives of the Third Estate (commoners) after the events of 1789.
* Swore to never stop meeting until a new constitution for France was written (part of the Tennis Court Oath).

The Tennis Court Oath

* The Third Estate met at the Royal Tennis Court after finding the place where they planned to meet and enter into the Estates General tax reform meeting in 1789 with closed & **locked** doors and pledged an oath.
* __**Promised to write a new constitution for France**__, and the king would be forced to comply with the new constitution (**Declaration of the Rights of Man**).
* Louis capitulates __**(gives in)**__ = new constitution.

Storming of the Bastille

* Rumors start that the king prepares to use force against the National Assembly.
* Due to this, a mob storms the Bastille __**(14 July 1789) wanting to free prisoners and attain gun powder**__.
* Only __**8 prisoners**__ were freed showing this was not the true reason for the raid.
* __**Sets off the French Revolution**__ because the King did not do anything about the storming. Thus, making people feel as if they could do something like this again.

A Social Revolution

* National Assembly establishes __**constiutional monarchy**__ and drafts constitution (**constitution of 1791**).
* Abolishes aristocratic financial privileges and landlords’ rights.

How do people refer to the French Revolution?

They refer to it as the beginning of the end for western civilization.

Which group truly led the French Revolution?

* The **Bourgeoise**.
* They were considered to be the educated middle class of French Society.
* They read many philosopher’s theories and gained ideas from them which led to the French Revolution.

The heir of the French throne was about to take a bride to form an alliance with Austria, who was the bride?

Marie Antoinette who was married to King Louis XVI he was very unprepared to become king.

What was Marie’s nickname? Where was she from?

Madame Deficit; Austria

What is said to be the one role of the Queen?

To produce an heir.

What was at the heart of the French diet?

Bread

What was the cost of a loaf of bread?

About a month’s wages.

Who became the leading representative of the commoners?

Maximilien Robespierre known as the incorruptible.

What was the name of the declaration produced by the French people?

* The declaration of the rights of Men (**1789**).
* Main idea - “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.”

What did King Louis XVI write in his journal during the day of the Storming of the Bastille?

Nothing

Fishwives Take Versailles

* Women march on Versailles
* Demand food, rights
* Royal family forced to Paris - Guards on Pikes
* Held virtual prisoners in Tuilleres

Constitution of 1791

* Establishes moderate Constitutional monarchy.
* Indirect elections: Franchise to 2/3 of males (property owners).
* Legislature may override King’s Veto.
* Administration rationalized: 83 departments.
* Church Property confiscated, sold.
* State control over Church.

“Sans-Coulettes”

New style of dress for the revolutionaries also what they were commonly refered to as.

The Terror Begins

* Defeats in war and economic shortages = demonstrations
* **Jacobins** form the Paris commune.
* Capture king & demand a republic.
* Minister of Justice Georges Danton hunts, kills opposition of the revolution.

When was King Louis XVI executed?

Louis is executed January of 1793

What is the Reign of Terror?

* **A period of the French Revolution** when, following the creation of the First French Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervor, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety.
* It was in **1793** and **began as soon as King Louis XVI** was executed.
* Ended in **1794** when the **radical/leader of the Reign of Terror Maximillien Robespierre** was beheaded.

Who ruled France at the time during the French Revolution?

King Louis XVI

Two causes of the French Revolution

* France as a country was broke. The people of France were also hungry and Starving. Due to people dying, they called for a time of change.
* France was experiencing one of their coldest winters ever which caused people to become more desperate and unruly.

What were the two sides of the political spectrum during the French revolutions?

* The **left and the right.**
* The **Jacobins** being the most **radical** types of revolutionaries (**Maximillien Robespierre**).
* The Girondins were to the **right** and more **moderate**.

What happened to Maximillien Robespierre after he was has arrested for creating a new list of enemies of the state?

* He tried to commit suicide but failed.
* He was eventually beheaded in **1794**.

Who was Jean Paul Marat and who killed him?

He was a revolutionist who published the newspaper “**The Friend of the People**”, he was killed by Charlotte Cordae in his bathtub due to him having an open-door policy. She tricked him by saying that she had a list of names of people who were traitors, but in reality, she just wanted to kill him. She killed him in his bathtub. He also had a horrible skin disease due to living in the sewers.

The Great Fear

A time in which peasants rioted out of fear of the king **overthrowing** the Third Estate.

How many phases are there in the French Revolution?

* There are **4**
* National Assembly/**Moderate stage**
* Second Revolution/**Radical Stage**
* Third Revolution/**The Directory**
* Age of Napoleon

Why was the voting system unfair at the time in the Estates General?

Since there was only **one vote per estate**, the first and second would always **outvote the third estate** leading them to never have any say in decisions.