The French Revolution

1. The French Revolution

2. Unrest in France • Poor harvests • High prices • High taxes • Enlightenment ideas • American Revolution

3. Old Regime Social and political system in France Divided France into three social classes, or estates

4. The First Estate Roman Catholic clergy Less than 1% of the population Owned 10% of the land 2% of income went to tax

5. The Second Estate Rich nobility 2% of the population Owned 20% of the land Paid almost no taxes

6. The Third Estate 97% of the population Owned 40% of the land 50% of income went to tax Divided into three subgroups: bourgeoisie, urban lower class, peasant farmers

7. The Three Estates

8. Review: Causes Problems in France Other inspiration • Poor harvests • High prices • High taxes • Old Regime • Enlightenment ideas • American Revolution

9. Louis XVI • Poor leadership • Not prepared • Easily bored with affairs of state • Indecisive • “His reign was a succession of feeble attempts at doing good, shows of weakness, and clear evidence of his inadequacy as a leader”

10. Marie Antoinette • Unpopular • Austrian • Scandalous • Overspending • “Madame Deficit” • Gambling • Interfered with government

11. Economic Problems • Monarchy is overspending on everything • Cost of living rises • Louis commits to helping the American revolutionaries • This nearly doubles France’s debt • Grain shortages cause the price of bread to double in 1789

12. Bread Riots • Bread was the staple of the French diet • Price increase causes starvation in the third estate

13. Jacques Necker • Finance minister • Embraced Enlightenment ideas • Popular among the third estate • Fired by Louis in July, 1789

14. Estates General • Assembly of representatives from all 3 estates • Had not met for 175 years • Each estate has 1 vote • First and second estates always outvote the third estate

15. National Assembly The third estate is fed up with the medieval rules of the Estates General Delegates vote to establish a new assembly that would pass laws and reforms in the name of the French people First deliberate act of revolution

16. Tennis Court Oath • Third estate is locked out of Estates General • Delegates gather at an indoor tennis court • Vow to stay until a new constitution is written

17. Bastille • Rumors spread that Louis is going to take military action against the National Assembly • July 14, 1789 a mob seizes the Bastille for arms and gunpowder

18. Review: The French Revolution Begins Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are ineffective and weak leaders Economic problems cripple France Estates General is called The National Assembly is created Rumors of military action spread and the Bastille is captured by French revolutionaries

19. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen • Statement of revolutionary ideals • “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” • Guarantees equal justice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion

20. J.P. Marat • Published L'Ami du Peuple (The Friend of the People) • Radical revolutionary • Supported the rights of working people and popular sovereignty

21. Women’s March on Versailles • Began as a bread riot • Marched 12 miles to Versailles to confront National Assembly • Storm the palace demanding the royal family return to Paris

22. Jacobins • Radical political organization • Responsible for the majority of governmental changes

23. Maximilien Robespierre • Jacobin leader • Set out to build a “republic of virtue” • Slowly gained power • Ushers in the Reign of Terror

24. Louis and Marie Flee Paris • Fearing for their safety the royal family attempts to escape France • Apprehended near the French-Austrian border • Seals the fate of the monarchy

25. The Guillotine • Introduced as an efficient, humane, and democratic means of execution • Becomes known as the “National Razor”

26. Review: The French Revolution gets Underway The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is created The women of Paris march on Versailles, bringing the royal family back to Paris Robespierre and the Jacobins come to power Louis and Marie try to escape France

27. Sans-culotte • “those without knee breeches” • Parisian workers and small shop keepers • Wanted radical change in France

28. Georges Danton • Leading revolutionary figure • Member of the Jacobin party • A primary force in the overthrow of the monarchy

29. September Massacre • September 1792 • Violent massacre of thousands of political prisoners • Denounced as excessively violent

30. Trial of Louis XVI • Tried for treason • Found guilty and sentenced to death • Executed on January 21, 1793

31. Charlotte Corday • Murders JP Marat in hopes of restoring peace to France • Executed for her crime • Marat becomes a hero and martyr

32. Trial of Marie Antoinette • Tried for treason and depleting the French treasury • Found guilty and sentenced to death • Executed on October 16, 1793

33. Review: The Fall of the Monarchy Jacobin leaders, like Georges Danton, want to execute Louis XVI The September Massacre erupts in Paris Louis is tried for treason and executed in January 1793 Ten months later Marie Antoinette suffers the same fate Charlotte Corday murders JP Marat in hopes of restoring peace to France

34. Reign of Terror • 1793-1794 • Robespierre virtually rules France as a dictator • Declaration of Rights is suspended • Thousands are executed

35. Committee of Public Safety • Formed to protect the revolution from its enemies • Rapid trials and executions • Paranoia sweeps over France

36. Jacques-René Hébert • Published the radical newspaper Le Père Duchesne (Old Man Duchesne) • Dechristianize France

37. Execution of Danton • Considered less radical and a threat to the revolution • Executed on April 5, 1794

38. The Great Terror June-July 1794 Repression of the Reign of Terror worsens Only foreseen solution is to execute Robespierre

39. Execution of Robespierre • Weary from the terror, the people of France demand the trial and execution of Robespierre • Put to death on July 28, 1794