Understanding Revolutions

1
Understanding Revolutions

• A Political Revolution
• The French Revolution

7-7-2000
2
Colour of the Bourbons
Fraternity
Equality
Liberty
Colour of Paris
The Tricolour
3
Discontents
Ideas
The French Revolution 1789
Other inspirations
4
The Right to elect representatives to govt
bodies
Born equal
Freedom of worship
Free trade
The Right to live
LIBERTY
EQUALITY
Ideas of Enlightenment 18th Century
5
The Enlightenment
Montesquieu
Locke
Rousseau
Voltaire
6
Locke
Government by consent of people
A contract between govt people
If govt breaks contract
The right to rebel
7
Legislative
Check
Separation of Power
Executive
Montesquieu
Balance
Judicial
8
Influence of the Enlightenment

• It prepared the ground for change - a revolution
  in the minds of the people

Government by consent of the people
Government by Divine Right
17th century
18th century
9
Assignments 1. Summarize the ideas of
Locke and Montesquieu in a paragraph of
about 50 words each. 2. Recommend one useful
website where you can find
information about the enlightened ideas of
Voltaire and Rousseau and others.
10
Discontents
Ideas of Enlightenment
The French Revolution 1789
Other inspirations
11
Social and Economic Discontents
Political Discontents
Discontents
12
Political Discontents of the French people

• Absolute Monarchy - Rule by Divine Right
• A weak king(Louis XVI) - indecisive, influenced
  by others(Queen Marie Antoinette)
• little understanding of the condition of the
  people
• empty treasury
• failure in wars and heavy cost of wars
• luxury of the court
• system of unequal taxation

13
Social and Economic Discontents of the French
Revolution

• Social inequality

Privileges Restrictions
The Second Estate The Nobility
The First Estate The Clergy
97 The Third Estate Common People (the middle
class4, the workers8, the peasants85)
3
14
From the diary of the English writer Arthur
Young, on his travel through France, July 1789.

• Walking up a long hill. I was joined by a poor
  woman who complained of the times and that it was
  a sad country she said her husband had only a
  small amount of land, one cow and a poor little
  horse, yet they hadvery heavy tailles, other
  taxes and dues. She had seven children, and This
  woman, at no great distance might have been taken
  for 60 or 70, her figure was so bent and her face
  so hardened by labour -

but she said she was only 28.
1. To which social group did this old woman
belong? 2. What kind of suffering was she
complaining about?
15
Class Discussion

• Refer to the cartoon on p2 of Book 2B.
• The old man represents the Third Estate. To
  which social group of that estate does he belong?
  What clues does the cartoonist use to make the
  suggestion?
• What do the other two people represent? What
  helps you think so?
• Do you think that the cartoon has reflected fully
  the problem of social inequality in France before
  the French revolution?

16
Discontents
Ideas of Enlightenment
The French Revolution 1789
Other inspirations
17
Influence of the American Revolution
1780
1790
1770
The American Revolution
The Enlightenment
The French Revolution
French soldiers supported the American
colonists against the the British. They were
impressed and inspired by the spirit of the
colonists
18
Discontents
Ideas of Enlightenment
The French Revolution 1789
The influence of the American Revolution
19
Stages of The French Revolution
1789
1792
1799
1815
Absolute Monarchy
Constitutional Monarchy
Republic
Napoleonic Era
20
Useful Website on the French Revolution http//w
ww.woodberry.org/acad/hist/FRWEB/index.htm