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Absolutism and Revolution. The People Rise up!. Absolutism and Revolution. What is Revolution ?. Try and define…. What is Revolution ?. A sudden and often violent change in the government. Usually happens when the people rise up and throw out their rulers.
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Absolutism and Revolution The People Rise up! Absolutism and Revolution
What is Revolution? • Try and define…
What is Revolution? • A sudden and often violent change in the government. • Usually happens when the people rise up and throw out their rulers. • Usually when the government has abused its power…
Examples… • In small groups take 2 minutes and brainstorm as many examples as you can of nations that have undergone revolution at some point in their histories…
Four Main Steps • 1) Injustice: people treated unfairly • 2) Revolution: uprising against the government. Sometimes spontaneous, often organized. • 3) Consolidation: people organize and create new institutions of government • 4) Aftermath: often, the new institutions/rulers are as bad or worse than the old ones!
Why Revolutions? • Following the Age of Exploration, European nations became powerful and highly centralized. • This led, generally to harsh and repressive political systems in which individual and property rights were abused. • Hence, there was a wave of uprisings across Europe and its colonial territories from the 1650’s through the 1800’s…
Strong Centralized States • Britain, France and Russia all had very powerful, absolutist rulers. • “Absolutism”: unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator.
Revolution Case Study: FRANCE • Why France?
Revolution Case Study: FRANCE • Why France? • France is an excellent example of what happens to a country when rulers take for themselves too much power. • The rulers of France drove the people to revolution which then ushered in an era of chaos that engulfed millions…
Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch • King of France 1643- 1715 • Built highly centralized government • Had influential and powerful advisors • Louis as a boy!
Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch • As a child Louis ruled with an adviser called Cardinal Marazin who took effective control of France. He pursued a policy of “breaking” the aristocracy. • Louis went along and was a pawn in Marazin’s ambitions. • When Marazin died in 1661, Louis gained full control but essentially continued his mentor’s policies… • Marazin
“The Fronde” • As a response to Marazin’s/Louis policies, France underwent two civil wars known as the Fronde. • It was an armed uprising by disaffected nobles who were fed up with tax increases (sound familiar?)
Louis Takes Control • Marazin died in 1661… • Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions… • QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control?
Louis Takes Control • Marazin died in 1661… • Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions… • QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control? • ANSWER: Louis loaned them money, thus making them indebted to him…Now he could control them because they were in his “pocket”
Discuss these clothes! • Why wear them? • And the wig…?
