French Revolution Notes

The Age of Revolution

  • Enlightenment ideas spurred the Age of Revolution, following England's Glorious Revolution in 1688.

  • Thinkers like Mary Wollstonecraft and Rousseau expanded upon John Locke's ideas during the 1700s.

American Revolution's Influence

  • The American Revolution (1776) was earlier than the French Revolution and inspired by French thinkers.

  • The success of the 13 American colonies in revolting against England inspired the French to overthrow their monarchy.

  • The slogan of the American Revolution was "no taxation without representation."

  • The French, under King Louis XVI, aided the Americans against the English. Marquis de Lafayette was sent to help George Washington.

  • The French Navy's assistance at Yorktown was crucial for the American victory.

  • French soldiers witnessed the American Revolution, inspiring them to consider revolting against the French monarchy.

France Before the Revolution

  • The last French monarch discussed previously was Louis XIV of the Bourbon line.

  • Louis XIV was the epitome of an absolute monarch who spent vast sums on the Palace at Versailles and expansionist endeavors, leading to French debt.

  • By 1789, Louis XVI, Louis XIV's grandson, became king.

  • The main events of the French Revolution occurred in Paris, about 11 miles from the Palace at Versailles.

  • Louis XVI's wife was Marie Antoinette of the Habsburg family; her mother was Marie Therese. This marriage solidified the alliance between Austria and France.

  • Marie Antoinette's brother was the Holy Roman Emperor.

  • The alliance was between monarchs, not with the French people.

Marie Antoinette

  • Marie Antoinette was married off at 14, giving up her Austrian identity for French culture.

  • She embraced court life at Versailles, focusing on displays of wealth through lavish parties, dresses, and hairstyles.

The Estates General

  • The Estates General in 1789 represented the old regime, a system of socioeconomic classes.

  • It was similar to feudalism but without the exchange of land for loyalty due to France's national army and navy.

Social Class Pyramid

  • A social class pyramid existed comprised of three estates:

    • First Estate: Clergy officials and cardinals. They held high positions and maintained some of the traditions of the Age of Faith.

    • Second Estate: Aristocrats and wealthy landowners who often lived at Versailles and were supported by the king. Many held high military positions or government roles.

    • Both the First and Second Estates enjoyed social privileges and were mostly exempt from taxes.

    • Third Estate: Comprised 97% of the population and paid the highest taxes.

      • Bourgeoisie: Wealthy members, including ship owners, factory owners, doctors, lawyers, and businessmen. They were well-educated and influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. They felt it was unfair that nobles were exempt from taxes.

      • Workers: Included cooks, servants, seamstresses, shoemakers, and soldiers.

      • Peasants and Day Wage Earners: Very poor, religious individuals with unsteady, low incomes

Estates General and Social Class

  • Estates General represented social and economic classes, not an egalitarian system.

  • Egalitarianism signifies equality. The French motto: Liberté, égalité, fraternité (freedom, equality, brotherhood).

  • French society was divided into unequal social classes.

Louis XVI and the Debt Crisis

  • Louis XVI funded the American Revolution, leading to a debt crisis in France.

  • June 17, 1789: Louis XVI convenes the Estates General to address the debt crisis.

  • The Estates General comprised representatives from all social classes, representing a population of 25 million.

  • Representatives from each group attended the meeting at the Palace of Versailles based on population size, with the third estate having the most representatives.

    • The Palace of Versailles was located 11 miles from Paris. Holding the meeting there with angry members of the third estate was a bad idea.

  • The First and Second Estates wanted to force more taxes on the Third Estate to resolve the debt crisis.

  • Bourgeoisie members of the Third Estate protested against taxation without representation, quoting Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu.

  • The Third Estate forms the National Assembly to make laws, due to the King's failure.

  • At first, the National Assembly was a group of about 100 angry members of the bourgeoisie (doctors, lawyers, business owners, etc.).

  • Louis XVI and the First and Second Estates dismissed the National Assembly.

  • Louis XVI locked the National Assembly out of the meetings at Versailles. This occurred in June 1789.

  • The National Assembly refused to leave Versailles and camped out on the indoor tennis courts.

Tennis Court Oath

  • Members of the bourgeoisie camped out on Louis XVI's indoor tennis courts, refusing to leave until the king listened to them.

  • Food and supplies were snuck into the tennis courts from Paris.

  • Louis XVI sent his palace guards to the tennis court.

  • The National Assembly told the palace guards: "Go tell your master that we are here by the will of the people and that we shall only be removed from this tennis court at the point of a bayonet."

  • The palace guards (who were also members of the Third Estate) did not fire on the bourgeoisie.

  • Louis XVI realized he couldn't trust his palace guards and hires Swiss mercenaries for protection.

  • He requested and paid for Swiss mercenaries, hiring only 100 Swiss Guards to be bodyguards for the royal family.

  • The Swiss Guards' colorful outfits were meant to be noticeable.

  • News of the Swiss Guards spread to Paris, leading to fears that the king was hiring an army against the people.

  • Rumors spread, exaggerating the number of Swiss soldiers.

Storming of the Bastille

  • Mass hysteria led people in Paris to arm themselves.

  • On July 14, 1789, members of the bourgeoisie, worker class, and peasant class stormed the Bastille.

  • July 14th, Bastille Day, is celebrated in French history similarly to Independence Day in the United States.

  • The Bastille was a fortress used as an armory and a prison.

  • The French stormed the Bastille to seize weapons and arm themselves against Louis XVI.

  • Afterward, the National Assembly broke up and members started to head home.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

  • In August 1789, the National Assembly drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, which Louis XVI has not signed.

  • The declaration restated enlightened thought and declared the rights the people believed they should have.

    • Taxation:

      • A common tax is essential for army maintenance and government costs. Taxes should be equally distributed based on citizens' means.

      • Citizens should decide on the necessity, usage, amount, and collection method of taxes.

  • The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen suggested the election of a parliament and the creation of a legislative assembly.

March on Versailles

  • In October 1789, a bread shortage triggered another crisis.

  • The women of Paris marched to Versailles to demand that Louis XVI move the royal family to Paris to address the debt crisis.

  • The women knocked down the gates of Versailles.

  • In 1789, Louis XVI moved the royal family to the Tuileries Palace in Paris.

  • The royal family was placed under virtual house arrest.

  • Initially, Swiss Guards accompanied him, but he was also guarded by the French National Guardsmen.

  • The Swiss Guards were eventually killed by French revolutionaries.