The French Revolution

1. The French Revolution

2. The Enlightened Despots • Frederick the Great • “first servant of the state.” • Catherine the Great • Did little actual reform • Joseph II of Austria • Most extensive reformer. • Religious toleration and state control. • Agrarian reform (abolished serfdom)

3. Political Tension in Western Europe • Three social estates • First Estate - clergy • Second Estate - nobility • Third Estate - bourgeoisie, workers, peasants, poor. • Absolutism reduced power of assemblies (Estates General in France had not met since 1614). • Conflict between monarchies and aristocracies developed (particularly in Austrian and Dutch Netherlands) and spread to the commoners.

4. Political Turmoil in Britain • King George III attempted to “buy” Parliamentary influence. • Gov’t persecution of John Wilkes and other cause backlash. • Calls for reform came from all classes of society.

5. Rebellion in America • British moved to have costs of American defense paid by colonists. • Colonists wanted to defend their rights as British subjects - “no taxation without rep.” • Theories of popular sovereignty and natural rights along with fluid social system allowed for broad revolution to succeed. • First successful colonial rebellion.

6. France – The Ancien Régime • Louis XV (r. 1715-74) • Cardinal Fleury chief minister (1726-43) • French state faced major financial problems. • Bureaucracy inefficient. • Nobility began to demand more rights

7. France – The Ancien Régime • Louis XVI (r. 1774-92) • Attempted to make financial reforms. • Appointed Jacques Turgot financial minister. • Cut spending – hurt some. • Jacques Necker takes his place as financial minister. • Increases spending – problems continue.

8. 1789 - Causes of the Revolution • Financial crisis gripped France. • Inept leadership of Louis XVI. • Inequity in French economic, political and social system (taxation of third estate). • Growing size and power of the bourgeoisie. • Influence of Enlightenment ideas. • Bad weather (little ice age) and resulting crop shortages and famine.

9. The Estates General • Called by Louis XVI to meet (at the urging of Necker) in July 1788. • Elections gave 300 seats each to First and Second Estates, 600 to Third Estate. • Bad harvest brought greater criticism. • Aristocracy demands to constitutional monarchy, bourgeoisie wanted to end mercantilism and noble privileges , peasants want end to manorialism. • May 5, 1789 they meet and vote by order.

10. The National Assembly • June 17, 1789 – Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly and invited other estates to join. • June 20th, Third Estate locked out; they meet on handball court and declare the Tennis Court Oath. • Louis XVI opposes, but relents and asks other two estates to meet with Assembly. • Assembly controlled by middle class and liberal nobility.

11. Storming of the Bastille • Rumors spread that the King is organizing troops. • On July 11th, he dismissed Necker (later rehired). • July 14th, mob storms the Bastille, symbol of despotic Bourbon rule. • Necker is restored to power and the Marquis de Lafayette becomes commander of the National Guard.

12. The Great Fear • Nobility begin to flee France in great numbers in the summer of 1789. • Revolutionary fervor spreads among the peasants. • Famine and riots spread across the countryside. • On August 4, National Assembly ended manorialism and privileges of the nobility.

13. Declaration of the Rights of Man • August 27th 1789 – Assembly approvedDeclaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen • Provided freedom of speech and press. • Freedom of assembly and petition. • Freedom of religion. • Freedom from arbitrary arrest. • Embraced the doctrine of popular sovereignty.

14. The Women's March to Versailles • Autumn of 1789, rumors persisted of a plan by the king to use military force. • On the night of Oct. 5-6, mob of mostly women marched to Versailles to protest the lack of bread. • Royal family moved to Tuileries Palace in Paris

15. Political Clubs • Jacobins • Moderate faction that became more radical; supporting the end of the monarchy and establishment of a republic. Maximilien Robespierre was the most famous member • Cordeliers • Radical faction (support end of monarchy). Leading figures included Georges-Jacques Danton and Jean-Paul Marat • Feuillants • More conservative, supported constitutional monarchy.

16. Civil Constitution of the Clergy • Nov. 1789 – to deal with financial crisis, Assembly confiscated all Church lands. • Assembly then issued paper money (assignats) using land as security, but it quickly lost value. • Assembly passed Civil Constitution of the Clergy on July 12, 1790. • Bishops and priests were elected by people. • Needed to swear allegiance to Assembly. • Over half refused to do so, became opponents of the revolution.

17. The Constitution of 1791 • Necker loses favor with the Assembly and resigns in Dec. 1790. • On June 20, 1791 Royal family attempts to flee that country, but is caught at Varennes and retuned to the capital. • On Sept. 14, 1791 the king accepted the constitution creating a constitutional monarchy. • Legislative Assembly was created as the legislative branch.

18. Reforms of the National Assembly • Abolished the titles of nobility and the parlements which they dominated. • Created elected courts and juries. • Ended torture. • Reorganized local government into the 83 Departments. • Followed laissez-faire economic policies by abolishing guilds and mercantilism. • Created fairer tax system.

19. Legislative Assembly, 1791-1792 • Dominated by middle class, but more radical than National Assembly. • King vetoed many measures. • New Factions Emerge: • Jacobins: political club that dominated Legislative Assembly • Girondins: radical Jacobins who were advanced party of the revolution and brought the country to war. • The Mountain: political group, whose members, called Montagnards, sat on the highest benches in the Assembly.

20. International Opposition • Declaration of Pillnitz, August, 1791: issued by Prussia and Austria – Attempt to protect royals. • Èmigrès: French nobles who fled France sought support of foreign countries. • Emperor Leopold II declared he would restore gov’t of France if other powers joined him; really a bluff • French revolutionaries took Leopold at his word and prepared for war.

21. War of the First Coalition Legislative Assembly declared war in April, 1792 • Austrian armies defeated French armies but divisions over eastern Europe saved France • Brunswick Manifesto: Prussia & Austria would destroy Paris if royal family harmed • Battle of Valmy, Sept. 20, 1792: Prussian invasion stopped; moral victory for Convention • Battle of Jemappes: first major victory for France; took Austrian Netherlands • But war turned against France by Spring 1793

22. The Second Revolution Begins • Revolutionary sentiment in the Assembly led by Robespierre, Danton, and Marat • King’s palace stormed at Tuileries on Aug. 1o 1792, Swiss Guards killed; king taken prisoner. • Monarchy outlawed. Revolutionaries attempt to make the king wear the red hat at the Tuileries Palace.

23. Paris Commune • Revolutionary municipal gov’t set up in Paris, which usurped powers of the Legislative Assembly • Led by Georges-Jacques Danton • Legislative Assembly suspended 1791 constitution • September Massacres (led by Paris Commune) • Rumors of aristocratic and clerical conspiracy with foreign invaders led to • massacre of over 1,000 priests, bourgeoisie, and aristocrats

24. National Convention, 1792-1795 • France proclaimed a republic, September 21, 1792 • Equality, Liberty, Fraternity! • Two factions emerged: • The Mountain: radical republicans (Jacobins); urban class (Danton, Robespierre, Marat) • Girondins: more moderate faction; represented countryside • sans-culottes (“without breeches”): (not part of National Convention) • working-class; extreme radical • kept revolution moving forward: stormed Bastille, march to Versailles, driving king from Tuleries, September Massacres

25. National Convention - Leaders • Maximilien Robespierre • Rose through strength of character and speech. • Became increasingly radical. • Georges-Jacques Danton • Rose to power through Paris Commune • Became Mister of Justice • Jean-Paul Marat • Voice of the Revolution • Radical, became martyr figure. Danton

26. National Convention, 1792-1795 • Louis XVI beheaded January, 1793 • Jacques Roux: demanded radical political action to guarantee bread • Mountain ousts Girondins, May 1793: urged to do so by sans-culottes • Enragès, radical working-class group (even more than sans-culottes) seized and arrested Mountain members in the Convention • Charlotte Corday, member of Girondins, kills Marat (martyr) The Death of Marat, by Jacques-Louis David

27. National Convention - Reforms • Slavery abolished in the French colonies. • Primogeniture abolished. • Metric system enacted. • Estates of émigré nobility sold to peasants. • Military draft instituted and civilian control confirmed. • New calendar enacted – Sept. 22, 1792 day one, year one of French Republic. Calendar had 12 months named after seasons, 10 day weeks.

28. Committee of Public Safety • Formed in April 6, 1793 as executive emergency gov’t by the National Convention. • Maximilien Robespierre is its primary leader. • Responsible for beginning the Terror. Robespierre

29. The Reign of Terror (1793-94) • Law of Suspects: Created Revolutionary Tribunals at the local level to hear cases of accused enemies brought to “justice” • guillotine: created as an instrument of mercy. • Queen Marie Antoinette beheaded • Many Girondins executed in September, 1793 • Vendèe: region in western France that opposed revolution; many executed • Danton and followers executed in 1794 • Overall 16,000 victims. • Cult of the Supreme Being: deistic naturalist religion imposed by Robespierre; Catholics now opposed.