French and Haitan Revolution

french revolution 

King Louis XIV’s reign (1643-1715) — he was financially irresponsible, using France’s national treasury to build the palace of Versailles, entering multiple costly wars, not fixing the inefficient tax system, and living extravagantly. He left a legacy of massive debt on France. 

King Louis XVI appointed king in 1774 —

Social inequality was already an issue, with the population being divided into three groups (clergy, nobility, commoners). The third estate bore the most taxes while lacking political power. The financial crises exacerbated these inequalities, leading to widespread discontent among the commoners, which ultimately fueled the flames of revolution.

assembly of notables (1787) — Louis XVI called a meeting amongst a handpicked group of nobles, state officials, and other prominent citizens to discuss radical financial reforms to solve France’s serious financial crisis (he needed approval from them for this). It was also called because they hoped that the notable’s endorsement would pressure the parliament into action, effectively bypassing it. They declined the proposal of increasing taxes on the wealthy to take the burden off the third estate, worrying that it would impact their individual incomes. They argued that only the Estates-General could approve new taxes. 

Harvest of 1788 — drought and severe hailstorms happened in July, followed by an exceptionally cold winter. This led to widespread famine, and, in turn, food prices soared. This meant that, with the already high taxes on the third estate, the cost of living for them was not sustainable. 

Calling of the Estates General (1789) — after the assembly of notables failed, King Louis XVI was forced to call the Estates General, summoning representatives from each estate to address the financial crisis. The estates disagreed over voting, since the privileged estates wanted the votes to be counted in three (each estate has one vote), while the third estate wanted the votes to be counted by how many representatives each estate had to better reflect their numbers and power. This led to the formation of the national assembly.

—> Social inequality was already an issue, with the population being divided into three groups (clergy, nobility, commoners). The third estate bore the most taxes while lacking political power.

The Estates-General of 1789 marked a pivotal moment, as representatives from all three estates convened to address the financial crisis. As the Third Estate sought to gain greater influence, they ultimately broke away and formed the National Assembly, signaling the start of a new era in French politics.

The third estate forms the National Assembly and creates the Tennis Court Oath (June 1789) — after not being able to reach an agreement in the calling of the Estates General, the third estate created the National Assembly and declared themselves the true voice of the nation. When they were locked out of their meeting hall by Louis XVI, they moved to a nearby tennis court and vowed that they would not disband until they’d written a new constitution. 

Storming of the Bastille (July 1789) — the third estate, driven by hunger, financial crisis, and fear, sought weapons and gunpowder to defend themselves against King Louis XVI’s perceived crackdown on the newly formed National Assembly. They stormed the Bastille, a fortress in Paris, initially built for defense, that became a prison. They negotiated with the governor, de launay. After hours of fighting, the crowd stormed the fortress and killed Launay as well as the guards. 

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the citizen adopted by the National Assembly (August 1789) — a document outlining the universal rights, like liberty, property, and security. It defined the natural and inalienable rights of man, like freedom of speech, religion, and the presumption of innocence. 

Women’s March (October 1789) — women who felt that the monarchy was hoarding food marched to Versailles to confront King Louis XVI, driven by hunger from the severe bread shortage and high prices in Paris. They surrounded the palace and confronted King Louis XVI, forcing them to relocate from Versailles to Paris, placing them under the watchful eye of the people. King Louis XVI formally approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man under pressure during this march.

Royal family’s failed attempt to flee Paris / Flight of Varennes (1791) — the royal family tried to flee to Marie Antoinette’s homeland, Austria, but were recognized and captured while disguised as servants. This destroyed public trust and accelerated the downfall of the monarchy. 

monarchy abolished, andFrancee declared a republic (1792)

King Louis XVI executed by guillotine (1793) 

The Reign of Terror begins (1793) — Radical Jacobins, led by maximilian robespierre, used mass executions and political purges to eliminate perceived enemies of the revolution. 

The Reign of terror ends with Robespierre’s execution (1794) 

Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in a coup d’etat, ending the revolution (1799) 

A

coup d’état is a sudden, illegal seizure of government power by a small group, like the military or political elites. 

haitian revolution

Christopher Columbus claimed La Hispaniola for Spain (1492) — he claimed the land, killing the Taino people through conquests, enslavement, and diseases like smallpox. The French would later take the western part of the land.

African slaves brought in (1600’s) — as a result of the Taino people being wiped out, the workforce was not adequate. They did not want to work under the French. African slaves were brought in to work on the plantations, producing cash crops like sugar, coffee, and tobacco. 

treatment of African slaves/slave conditions — unlike American slavery, the plantation owners in Saint Domingue were not concerned with keeping their slaves alive. This led to growing outrage among them. 

oge’s revolt (October 1790) — a failed armed uprising in French Saint-Domingue which sought voting rights and equal rights for free people of color. This was led by Vincent Oge, a free man of color. They were defeated by white colonial forces, andVincent Ogee was killed after fleeing.

burning of plantations and attacking whites (1791) — after the Bois Caiman ceremony, which united enslaved people, they started to revolt on a greater scale.

France declares war on Britain and Spain (1793) — this made Saint Domingue a battleground. Toussaint L’ouverture, a military leader, joins the Spanish forces against the French.

slavery abolished in French colonies (1794) — after slavery was abolished in French colonies, L’ouverture switched allegiances and joined the French. 

slavery banned / toussaint names himself governor for life (1801) — all men were free, but to rebuild the economy, Toussaint implemented labor codes requiring work on plantations, but with wages and profit sharing to create a more prosperous economy.