The French Revolution

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The French Revolution
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity
-- Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities
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Breakdown of Ancien Regime (Old Oder)

• Origins of the French Revolution

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Economic Causes

• Public opinion resisted increase in taxes
• Govt financed its enormous expenditures through
  borrowed
• In 1780 debt was so bad that 50 of Frances
  budget went to pay interest only 25 went to
  military 6 to king and court at Versailles
  less than 20 went to function of state
• Couldnt declare bankruptcy no central bank
  couldnt print French currency was gold
• Had to increase taxes tax system was unfair to
  increase revenues you would have to change the
  system

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Socio-Economic Data, 1789
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The French Urban Poor
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Financial Problemsin France, 1789

• Urban CommonersBudget
• Food 80
• Rent 25
• Tithe 10
• Taxes 35
• Clothing 20
• TOTAL 170

• Kings Budget
• Interest 50
• Army 25
• Versailles 25
• Coronation 10
• Loans 25
• Admin. 25
• TOTAL 160

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Social Causes  Old Regime (Ancien Regime)

• Since Middle Ages 25 million inhabitants of
  France were legally divided into 3 orders or
  estates.

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The 3 Estates

• 1st Estate Roman Catholic clergy. 100,000
  members owned 10 of land paid voluntary gift
  every 5 years in taxes church levied a tax
  (tithe) on landowners of about 10.
• 2nd estate 400,000 (2) noblemen and women who
  owned 25 of land taxed lightly or not at all
  had many manorial privileges taxed the
  peasants, fishing and hunting rights.
• 3rd estate commoners
• few lawyers, merchants, officials (educated and
  wealthy) bourgeoisie middle class
• more artisans and unskilled day laborers
• majority peasants and agricultural workers

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The Suggested Voting PatternVoting by Estates
Clergy 1st Estate
1
Aristocracy 2nd Estate
1
1
Commoners 3rd Estate
Louis XIV insisted that the ancient distinction
of the three orders be conserved in its entirety.
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The Number of Representativesin the Estates
General Vote by Head!
Clergy 1st Estate
300
Aristocracy 2nd Estate
300
648
Commoners 3rd Estate
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Out With the Old

• Old Regime no longer corresponded to social
  reality
• social system still based on feudal times
• now society was based on wealth and education
  emerging elite (aristocracy and bourgeoisie) that
  was frustrated with bureaucratic/absolute
  monarchy

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Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes
1st What is the Third Estate?
Everything! 2nd What has it been
heretofore in the political order?
Nothing! 3rd What does it demand? To
become something therein!
Abbé Sieyès1748-1836
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Political Causes

• Weak King Louis XVI
• careless, heartless, foolish wrong man at the
  wrong time
• most hated for his Austrian wife, Marie
  Antoinette
• lived extravagantly
• depleted the French treasury

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The French Monarchy1775 - 1793
Marie Antoinette Louis XVI
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Let Them Eat Cake!

• Marie Antoinette NEVER said that!
• Madame Deficit
• The Austrian Whore

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Stage 1 of Revolution

• Moderate Stage 1789 1792

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Louis calls Estate General (Congress)

• Estates General had not been summoned in over 200
  years!
• 1st and 2nd estate dominate the talks given
  uneven vote
• 3rd estate urges reform, relief for the poor,
  equal voice
• Weeks of arguing 3rd estate leaves meets on the
  Kings Tennis Court

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Convening the Estates General May, 1789
Last time it was called into session was 1614!
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Tennis Court Oath a vow to save France from ruin

• Conservatives gather on the right, liberals on
  the left
• Call themselves National Assembly and start
  making laws
• (Does this have some precedent in the American
  Revolution?)

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The Tennis Court Oathby Jacques Louis David
June 20, 1789
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Bastille Day (July 14, 1789)

• Rioting throughout Paris mob showed up at the
  Kings prison (the Bastille) looking for weapons
• Sparked the Great Fear countryside peasants
  attacked landlords for food stores

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Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789

• A rumor that the king was planning a military
  coup against the National Assembly.

• 18 died.
• 73 wounded.
• 7 guards killed.
• It held 7 prisoners 5 ordinary criminals 2
  madmen.

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August 4, 1789 National Assembly meets

• Ends serfdom, feudalism and all class privilege
• Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
• Called for the creation of a limited monarchy

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National Assembly1789 - 1791
Liberté!
Egalité!
Fraternité!
August DecreesAugust 4-11, 1789 (A renunciation
of aristocratic privileges!)
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The Tricolor (1789)
The WHITE of the Bourbons the RED BLUE of
Paris.
Citizen!
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the
Citizen Posed New Dilemmas

1. Did women have equal rights with men?
2. What about free blacks in the colonies?
3. How could slavery be justified if all men were
   born free?
4. Did religious toleration of Protestants and Jews
   include equal political rights?

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National Assembly (1789 1792)

• Reform France church lands are confiscated sold
  to pay debt
• Radicals called for the death of the King and
  nobles (King tried to escape 1790 to Austria)
• émigrés nobles fled France for more friendly
  countries
• Upper class targeted by mobs and killed
• Eventually dissolves monarchy and declares
  France  a republic

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Stage 2 of Revolution

• Reign of Terror 1793 1794)

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Reign of Terror

• Time of crisis England and Spain join Austria
  and Prussia in opposing the revolution food
  shortages and counterrevolution in western France
  
• Power struggle between Radicals (Jacobins) and
  moderates Girondins
• Jacobins take control of the legislature and
  install an emergency government Committee for
  Public Safety headed by Robespierre

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The Political Spectrum
TODAY
1790s
The Plain(swing votes)
Montagnards(The Mountain)
Girondists
Monarchíen(Royalists)
Jacobins
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Reign of Terror

• Planned economy and Levee en masse (national
  conscription) and reign of terror round up
  nobles for execution thousands sent to national
  razor (guillotine).
• Jan. 21, 1793 Radicals execute Louis XVI and his
  family
• Wanted a republic of virtue
• Changed the names of months abolished Sunday

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Louis XVIs Head (January 21, 1793)

• The trial of the king was hastened by the
  discovery in a secret cupboard in the Tuilieres
  of a cache of documents.
• They proved conclusively Louis knowledge and
  encouragement of foreign intervention.
• The National Convention voted387 to 334 to
  execute the monarchs.

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The Death of Citizen Louis Capet
Matter for reflectionfor the crowned jugglers.
So impure blooddoesnt soil our land!
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Marie Antoinette on the Way to the Guillotine
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Maximilien Robespierre

• Orders 1,000 of executions
• Uses spies put people to death if they disagreed
  with the Revolution
• Killed famous revolutionary leaders that he saw
  as a threat (Danton, DesMoulins)
• 40 50,000 killed in all including peasants for
  ridiculous reasons bartender was killed for
  serving sour wine

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Committee for Public Safety

• Revolutionary Tribunals.
• 300,000 arrested.
• 16,000 50,000 executed.

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Maximillian Robespierre(1758 1794)
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Different Social Classes Executed
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8
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25
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The National Razor
The last guillotine execution in France was in
1939!
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The Radicals Arms No God!No Religion!No
King!No Constitution!
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Reaction Stage (1794 1798)

• Moderates react former members of National
  Assembly turn on Robespierre hes executed
  (1794)
• Girondins readmitted
• People are sick of the killing and the chaos
  terror did not help advance the revolution

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The Arrest of Robespierre
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The Revolution ConsumesIts Own Children!
Danton Awaits Execution, 1793
Robespierre Lies WoundedBefore the Revolutionary
Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined,
1794.
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(1795) National Assembly meets and writes new
constitution

• Power given to intellectuals
• Five man directory formed (executive branch)
• Controlled by wealthy merchants that wanted to
  expand their wealth overturned planned economy
  upset the sanscoullote

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Resources

• http//www.pptpalooza.net/. Susan Pojer, Howrace
  Greeley High School.
• Censer, J.R., Hunt, L. (2001). Liberty,
  Equality, Fraternity Exploring the French
  Revolution. University Park, PA (The Pennsylvania
  State University Press).