The French Revolution

1
The French Revolution
2
The Old Regime orAncien Regime

• The Three Estates
• 1st Estate Clergy Paid no direct taxes, enjoyed
  great influence, privilege, and wealth. Did
  provide some social services such as schools,
  hospitals and orphanages.
• 2nd Estate Nobility Given top jobs in
  government, the army, the courts and the church
  and had freedom from paying taxes.
• 3rd Estate Everyone Else A diverse class of
  people who paid the most taxes, as well as
  levies, fees and services, called courvee, that
  dated back to the middle ages. The Bourgeoisie
  or middle class was at the top of this class,
  included doctors, bankers, merchants, lawyers,
  and professors. Most of this estate was made up
  of rural peasants. The poorest group were the
  urban workers.

3
Financial Crisis

• Deficit Spending when the government spends more
  than it takes in.
• Causes of Frances Nations Debt
• Lavish Court spending starting with Louis XIV
• The Seven year war The Am. Revolution
• Government borrowed more and more money
• Other Causes of Strife
• Bread prices rose causing many urban workers
  Peasants to face hunger.
• Also by 1789, half of the governments income
  went to pay the interest on the national debt.

4
Attempts at Economic Reform

• To Solve the Financial Crisis
• The government needed to raise taxes, reduce
  expenses or both
• King Louis XVI hired Jacques Necker as his
  financial advisor, he urged
• the king to reduce extravagant court spending
• Reform government
• Abolish burdensome tariffs on internal trade
• Proposed taxing the 1st and 2nd Estates
• The Clergy Nobility forced the King to dismiss
  Necker when he proposed taxing them.

5
The Estates General1789

• The Legislative Body made up of representatives
  of the Three Estates
• Each estate prepared a cahiers (notebook) listing
  their grievances
• King insisted Estates vote by block, 1 vote per
  Estate, 3rd Estate wanted to vote by head.
• Estates could not agree on Voting system

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Tennis Court Oath

• After weeks of stalemate about voting, 3rd Estate
  declared themselves to be the National Assembly
• Found meeting place locked and guarded
• Delegates moved to Indoor Tennis Court and
  declared that they would
• never separate and meet wherever circumstances
  might require until we have established a sound
  and just constitution

Reform minded Clergy Nobility joined cause and
King Louis XVI accepted it.
7
Storming the BastilleJuly 14, 1789

• Paris-the street blazed with Rumors that troops
  were going to occupy the capital
• 800 Parisians assembled outside the BASTILLE, a
  prison for political prisoners demanding weapons
  and other arms.
• Commander opened fire on the crowed, and in the
  ensuing battle the commander and 5 guards were
  killed but no weapons were found.

8
The National Assembly and the Constitutional
Monarchy

• Large Famine swept France and led to wild Rumors
  of attacks on villages and of the government
  seizing peasant crops
• National Assembly Acts
• Ends taxes on nobles and other special
  privileges.
• Church placed under state control
• Constitution of 1791 establishes a new government
• Disbanded after completing Constitution
• Legislative Assembly Takes its place

9
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
10
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

• Fashioned after American Declaration of
  Independence
• Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
• All men are born and remain free and equal in
  rights
• Proclaimed that all male citizens able to vote
  and hold public office
• Established freedom of religion, and taxes
  according to ability to pay

11
Death of the King and Queen

• Women march on Versailles demanding the King
  return to Paris.
• Royal Family virtual prisoners in Paris.
• June 1791-Royal Family attempts to escape Pairs
  and are caught and returned to Paris.

• January 1793 Louis XVI Guillotined for Treason
• October 1793 Marie Antoinette Guillotined for
  Treason

12
Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre
13
Reign of Terror September 1793-July 1794

• France declares war on Austria, Prussia and Great
  Britain.
• Radicals took control of Legislative Assembly
  renamed National Convention
• Established a Republic
• Creates Committee on Public Safety with unlimited
  power to save the Revolution under the leadership
  of Robespierre
• 1700 people executed
• The Guillotine defines the Reign of Terror

14
The Directory

• The Revolution moved into the third stage in
  reaction to the Reign of Terror.
• Established a new Constitution of 1795 with a
  five man directory and a two house legislature
  elected by male citizens of property.

• The Bourgeoisie were the dominate force in this
  stage of the Revolution
• The Directory turned to Napoleon Bonaparte.

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Napoleonic Wars

• In 1796 at age 27 ,the Directory appointed
  Napoleon to lead the French army against Austria.
  He crushed the Austrian threat, forcing the
  Austrians to make peace.
• 1789 Led troops on an Egyptian Campaign to
  disrupt British trade but was thwarted by Lord
  Horatio Nelson, defeat not reported in France.

• Napoleon and His wife Josephine organized a Coup
  d'état when he returned from Egypt and Napoleon
  used his troops to dissolved the Directory and
  set up a three man consulate.
• By 1802-Napolean had signed peace treaties with
  Britain, Austria and Russia. That year he had
  himself named consul for life.
• In 1804, he held a plebiscite or popular vote by
  ballot and assumed the title of Emperor of the
  French.

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Napoleon Reforms France

• To Restore the Economy
• Instituted Price controls
• Encouraged new industry
• Rebuilt roads and canals
• Opened jobs to all based on talent
• Set up public schools
• NAPOLEONIC CODE
• Equality of all citizens before the law
• Religious toleration
• Abolition of feudalism
• Women lost the right to vote
• Male heads of households regained complete
  authority over their wives and children.

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Napoleonic Empire
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Napoleonic Empire

• 1804 to 1812-Napoleon went to war against
  Britain, Russia, Austria and Swedens Coalition
  forces.
• Europe was redesigned as Napoleon annexed
  portions of the Netherlands Italy abolished
  the Holy Roman Empire created the Grand Duchy of
  Warsaw and placed friends and relatives on the
  thrones of Europe
• 1805-Battle of Trafalgar Napoleon defeated on
  the high seas by British Admiral Lord Nelson.
• Continental System a blockade designed to
  economically damage Britain, that closed European
  ports to British goods, ultimately unsuccessful
• Watch Video Napoleons' Lost Army

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Congress of Vienna
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Congress of Vienna

• After the final Battle at Waterloo, the heads of
  Europe faced the task of restoring order to
  Europe.
• Prince Clemens von Metternich
• Tsar Alexander I
• Lord Robert Castlereagh
• Prince Charles Maurice Talleyrand
• The decisions made at the Congress of Vienna
  influenced European politics for the next 100
  years.