French Revolution

French Revolution

A major political and social revolution in France from 1789 to 1795

Ancien Régime

The old social class system in France that descended from medieval feudalism

Estates System

The division of French society into three social classes

First Estate

The clergy of the Catholic Church, about 1% of the population

Clergy

Religious officials of the Catholic Church

Church Land Ownership

The Church owned about 10% of the land in France

Church Tithes

Taxes collected by the Church from the population

Second Estate

The nobility of France

Nobility

Aristocrats who made up less than 2% of the population

Noble Land Ownership

Nobles owned about 20–25% of the land

Noble Privileges

Exemption from most taxes and access to high government, military, and court positions

Tax Exemptions

The First and Second Estates paid little to no taxes

Third Estate

The remaining 97% of the French population

Third Estate Tax Burden

Paid most of the taxes in France

Bourgeoisie

Educated upper and middle class of the Third Estate

Bourgeoisie Occupations

Lawyers, doctors, bankers, merchants, and industrialists

Bourgeoisie Characteristics

Wealthy, educated, urban, and influenced by Enlightenment ideas

Bourgeoisie Goals

Wanted equality under the law and political rights

Urban Working Class

Lower

Sans

Culottes

Peasants

Rural farmers and the largest group of the Third Estate

Peasant Population

About 80% of the population

Peasant Land Control

Controlled about 35–40% of the land

Peasant Taxes

Lost about half their income to taxes and fees

Taille

A royal land tax paid by the Third Estate

Corvée

Forced labor tax

Financial Crisis

Severe economic problems faced by France

French Debt

Massive debt caused by war spending and poor management

Louis XVI

King of France during the French Revolution

Costly Wars

French and Indian War, Seven Years’ War, and aid to the American Revolution

Versailles

The lavish palace and court of Louis XVI

Debt Interest

By 1789, half of tax income went to paying interest on debt

Resistance to Tax Reform

Nobility and clergy blocked tax increases

Bad Harvests

Poor crops that caused food shortages

Rising Bread Prices

Increase in food prices that worsened hardship

Economic Recession

A slowdown in France’s economy

Riots

Violent protests caused by food shortages and unemployment

Reform Failure

Attempts to reform the tax system failed

Assembly of Notables

Group of nobles asked to approve tax reforms

Estates

General

Estates

General Meeting

Voting by Estate

Each estate had one vote, favoring the First and Second Estates

Third Estate Voting Demand

Wanted voting by individual delegate

National Assembly

The new governing body formed by the Third Estate

Tennis Court Oath

A pledge made on June 20, 1789 to not disband until a constitution was written

Constitution Goal

The National Assembly aimed to create a written constitution

Abolition of the absolute monarchy

Ended the king’s absolute power and began a representative democracy

Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)

Paris citizens attacked the Bastille, symbolizing resistance to royal authority

Louis XVI’s response to unrest

Tried to make peace with the Third Estate and yielded to many demands

Use of foreign mercenaries

Louis XVI brought in foreign troops, causing fear and mistrust among Parisians

Reason for storming the Bastille

People feared an attack and searched for gunpowder and weapons

Effect on Louis XVI

Forced the king to give up plans to reinforce Paris with foreign troops

Impact on government

Reduced the king’s power and strengthened the National Assembly

Symbolic importance of July 14, 1789

Became a symbol of the French Revolution, similar to July 4 in the U.S.

Great Fear (summer 1789)

Period of widespread panic and rebellion in rural France

Spread of rebellion

Unrest spread from Paris into the countryside

Rumors during the Great Fear

Peasants believed nobles were hoarding food and hiring soldiers

Peasant reactions

Peasants attacked manor houses and destroyed property and tax records

March on Versailles (October 1789)

Women marched to Versailles over rising bread prices

Cause of the March on Versailles

Anger over food shortages and high bread prices

Outcome of the March on Versailles

King and his family were forced to return to Paris

Status of Louis XVI after October 1789

Lived as a virtual prisoner in Paris

Reforms adopted by the National Assembly

Implemented revolutionary changes to society and government

Revolutionary motto

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (August 1789)

Document inspired by Enlightenment ideas outlining natural rights

Limited monarchy

King retained executive power while a lawmaking assembly made laws

Constitution of 1791

Established a limited monarchy and formalized revolutionary reforms

Administrative reorganization of France

Abolished old provinces and divided France into 83 departments

Great Fear social impact

Nobles and clergy fled or went into hiding

Civil Constitution of the Clergy

Put the Catholic Church under state control and required church officials to be elected and paid by the state

Church lands sale

Church property was sold to help pay off the national debt

Peasant reaction to church reforms

Conservative peasants were alarmed and opposed revolutionary changes

Division within the Third Estate

Church reforms created conflict between peasants, bourgeoisie, and urban workers

Peasant opposition after 1789

Many peasants began resisting further revolutionary reforms

Louis XVI approval of reforms

The king reluctantly approved revolutionary measures

Flight to Varennes

Louis XVI attempted to escape France but was captured

Perception of Louis XVI after escape

Many viewed the king as a traitor

End of the National Assembly

The National Assembly stepped down on September 17, 1791

Legislative Assembly (September 1791)

New elected body that replaced the National Assembly

Political factions in the Legislative Assembly

Government divided into conservatives, moderates, and radicals

Conservatives (Right)

Opposed further changes to the government

Radicals (Left)

Wanted sweeping and dramatic revolutionary changes

Moderates (Center)

Supported some reforms but rejected radical change

European reaction to the revolution

Monarchies feared the spread of revolution and mobilized against France

Austrian threat

Austria threatened to intervene in France due to royal family ties

Marie Antoinette’s role

Her brother was the Emperor of Austria, increasing foreign tension

War with Austria

Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria

Paris Commune (Spring 1792)

Radical, popularly run city government that took control of Paris

Causes of Paris radicalization

Food shortages and military defeats

Storming of the Tuileries Palace

Paris mob attacked the royal palace and imprisoned the king and queen

Impact on the Legislative Assembly

Attacks forced the Assembly to abandon the limited monarchy

Dissolution of the Legislative Assembly

Assembly dissolved itself to allow a new legislature to be elected

National Convention

A radical government that ruled France during the French Revolution

Jacobin Club

A radical political group that took control of the National Convention

Jacobin Leaders

Radical leaders such as Danton and Marat

Abolition of the Monarchy

The Jacobins ended the French monarchy

Execution of the King and Queen

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by the revolutionaries

Universal Male Suffrage

All adult male citizens were given the right to vote

Committee of Public Safety

A committee of 12 members formed to prepare France for war and eliminate internal enemies

De Facto Government

The Committee of Public Safety acted as the real government of France