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The French Revolution

Explore the complexities of the French Revolution, from the oppressive feudal system to the rise of the National Assembly and the storming of the Bastille. Witness the economic struggles, societal changes, and the power of the people's voice.

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The French Revolution

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  1. The French Revolution 23.1 “It was the Best of Times; It was the Worst of Time.”

  2. The Old Regime • Feudal system from the Middle Ages • People were divided into three social classes - estates

  3. First Estate • Roman Catholic clergy • 1% of the population • Owned 10% of land • Paid no taxes • Collected the tithe • Controlled education, hospitals

  4. Second Estate • Nobility and King • 1% of the population • Owned majority of land • Paid few taxes • Could tax, collect rent • Could wear a sword • Practiced primogeniture Louis XV

  5. Third Estate • 98% of the population • Paid the majority of taxes • Paid rent on lands • Could not own land • Three sub-groups • Bourgeoisie • Educated • Believed in Enlightenment ideals • Artisans • Earned low wages • Peasants • Peasants – 80% • Paid half their income to nobles, tithes, and taxes

  6. Three Estates

  7. Forces of Change • People began questioning the structure of government and society • Inspired by the American Revolution • Inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment

  8. Economic Problems • Heavy tax burden • Cost of living increased • Bad weather lead to crop failure • Price of bread doubled in 1789 • People faced starvation

  9. Louis XVI • Louis inherited the debt from his grandfathers • Borrowed money to help the American Revolution • 1789 Bankers refused to loan Louis XVI more money

  10. The Royal Family • Married to Marie Antoinette • Hated by the people of France because she was Austrian • Spent lots of money on clothes, jewels and gifts

  11. Estates General (1789) • The Estates-General: an assembly of representatives from the three estates • Louis tried to tax the aristocrats to pay the debt • Called a meeting of the Estates General, May 1789 to approve a plan to tax the wealthy • Traditionally, each estate met in separate rooms and cast one vote

  12. National Assembly (1789-1791) • Third Estate, mostly bourgeoisie, insisted all three estates meet together and each delegate cast a vote • King Louis XVI favored the nobles and ordered separate meetings • Abbé Sieyès, a member of the clergy, supported the Third Estate • The Third Estate renamed itself the National Assembly with the goal of passing laws and reforming France, June 17, 1789

  13. Tennis Court Oath • 20 June 1789 – Louis locked the delegates out of their meeting, so they moved next door to an indoor tennis court • Wrote the Tennis Court Oath promising to stay together until they wrote a new constitution • Louis XVI called his Swiss mercenaries to Paris

  14. Storming of the Bastille • Rumors spread through Paris that the troops were sent to attack the citizens, arrest the National Assembly • 14 July 1789 – people of Paris stormed the Bastille in search of weapons, freed prisoners The Bastille was here. The bricks mark its original location prior to July 14, 1789. The building that currently sits here is an opera house.

  15. Great Fear • July-August – National Guard is formed and the blue, red and white flag replaces the fleur-de-lis • Great Fear swept the peasants: • Feared the nobles would try to crush the rebellion • Feared the nobles were hoarding grain • Eager to seek revenge • Destroyed nobles’ property • October – Women of Paris riot over the price of bread, march to Versailles, force King and Queen to return to Paris with them

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