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Background:

Many high ranking people in France were leading great lives with lavish parties, and all the food they needed. They also paid little to no taxes. The peasants during this time did lots of the work and paid lost of taxes. Over time these glaring problems became the reasons which people used to revolt against their rulers. This was also fueled by the enlightenment ideas.

The three big reasons for the revolution:

1. Inequality of taxes (poor people paid more than rich people)

2. King Louis XIV was a bad/weak leader (was very indecisive)

3. France was in severe debt

The three social classes: (estates)

1. The First estate- was made of the clergy (RCC), they owned 10% of the land, and payed 2% of taxes.

2. The second estate- was made of rich nobles, they owned 20% of the land, were only 2% of the population, and they paid little to nothing in taxes.

3. The Third estate- made of the common people (Bourgeoisie), were 98% of the population, and paid all the rest of the taxes with not many privileges.

The Monarchy:

→ Before the revolution France was ruled by an absolute monarchy.

• King Louis XIV- King of France. He did not listen to advisors nor did he pay attention to government matters. Needed more money.

• Marie Antoinette- spent lots of money on herself. The common people gave her the nickname “Madame Deficit”

The Starting Events:

• Meeting of the estates general- The king needed to figure out a solution to France’s money problem. He wanted to raise taxes on the third estate, but did not want to look bad. So he called upon the states general to do it for him. Prior to this the estates general had not been called upon for 175 years. The king gave each estate one vote which easily allowed him to pass the new taxes.

• Forming of the National Assembly- The third estate decided to create their own government to get what they wanted, and so they formed the National Assembly.

• The Tennis Court Oath- Louis locked the National Assembly out of their building in hopes that they would stop meeting. But the Assembly went down the street to an indoor tennis court where they made an oath to continue meeting until the King gave in.

  • Louis’s response- He sent in soldiers to get rid of them

• Storming of the Bastille- Fearing what the soldiers would do the Assembly broke in the bastille (a prison) and got weapons to fight with.

The Revolution:

→ After the initial events the Assembly went on with many reforms setting the Revolution in full swing.

• Declaration of the rights of man- With many ideas from the enlightenment helping them, the Assembly wrote the declaration. They got help from Thomas Jefferson, and wrote it to give many rights to the men.

“Life, Liberty, and fraternity”

• The new government- The Assembly ruled alongside the king, basically meaning the King enforce the rules they made. This all happened after they found the King trying to escape and brought him back.

• Outside France- Other countries began to fear that their people would follow France’s and revolt against their monarchies. In the end France declares war on most of them starting with Prussia (Modern day Germany)

Inside the National Assembly:

• Conservatives- Little change in government (Right)

• Moderates- Some Changes in government (Center)

• Radicals- Complete changes in government (Left)

• Jacobins- Other term for the radicals. They wanted to get rid of the king. And wanted to get rid of anyone who disagreed with them. Starting the Reign Of Terror.

The Reign of Terror:

• Jacobins had gotten control and began to put in many changes. They also wanted to kill anyone who disagreed with them.

• The Committee of Public Safety- Was created to findand deal with those who disagreed with the Jacobins.

• The Guillotine- A way to kill people quickly and painlessly. It cut off the heads of the kings and his wife, as well as many more people.

• Maximus RobesPierre- leader of the committee of public safety. Eventually got sentenced to the guillotine after his ideas failed.* Problems with the Jacobins- all they did was induce fear, and didn’t really solve problems, so after a while the reign of terror ended.

Next Lesson: Napoleon