5.4 The FRENCH REVOLUTION

what was the French Revolution all about

the people of France who wanted an equal seat at the table of power

causes of the French Revolution

• economic crisis —> Louis XIV plunged France deep in debt and now Louis XVI drowned the commoners, who can barely afford food, in taxes

• imbalance of the estate-general —> the catholic clergy, nobility, and everyone else (commoners) got ONE VOTE EACH (clergy + nobility had a combined total of 3% always voted together so they controlled the other 97% of people)

• bread shortages —> famines made bread scarce, so French lower classes were suffering hunger

the estate-general met to solve these crises. what happened? (everything leading up to the French Revolution)

in 1789 the first and second estate decided they aren’t going to do anything to solve these problems unless it’s in their own interest.

the third estate members left and declared themselves as the true representative body of France, they’re called the National Assembly.

the third estate tried to join the meetings again but were barred from coming in so they went to a nearby tennis court and swore the Tennis Court Oath

Louis XVI was forced to accept the new limitations to his power but secretly built up an army to crush the National Assembly

once the people found out his secret, a group called San Culottes stormed the bastille (the first real uprising of the French Revolution)

Tennis Court Oath

the third estate members —> National Assembly promised not to leave that place until they had drafted a new constitution for France which Louis XVI was forced to accept

the two phases of the French Revolution

The Liberal phase and the Radical phse

what happened at the beginning of the Liberal phase of the French Revolution

the national assembly drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen which provided for:

• freedom of speech

• representative government

• abolished hereditary privileges of the first and second estates

(this was deeply influenced by the American constitution and Bill of Rights)

the national assembly also _____ the catholic church

nationalized

Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)

The assembly disbanded the Church’s religious orders, confiscated church’s lands, eliminated the Tithe, and the clergy were placed under the authority of the state now

Tithe

Taxes the peasants had to pay to the church

October March on Versailles

a huge part of the liberal phase for women. in 1789, the enraged women were mad because of the extravagant excesses of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. the thousands of women that marched in the pouring rain to Versailles and demanded for their bread —> Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette didn’t give it so the women stormed the palace + killed people and put their heads on a pike

what did the women do after the October march on versallies?

they forced the King to accept the declaration of the rights of man as citizens and they would’ve killed him if it wasn’t for