Bellringer

1. Bellringer • Turn in your homework to the bin, and take out a highlighter—only a highlighter. Everything else should be away. • BJOTD: Why couldn’t the shoes go out and play?

2. The Causes of the French Revolution

3. Background • Louis the XIV ruled absolutely, but by the end of his reign, the country was failing • Rich getting richer, and the poor getting poorer • High taxes and high prices for food because of debt due to 7 Years/French and Indian War • Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, inherited the throne from his grandfather • Marie Antoinette was from Austria, a longtime enemy of France • Louis XVI was a weak ruler—he did not pay much attention to the government

4. Cause 1 of the War: The Old Regime (France in the 1780s) • France’s society was divided into three classes or estates • 1stand 2nd: privileged and did not have to pay taxes • 3rd: 98% of the population, responsible for all taxes, and had no government privileges • The 3rd Estate resented the other two, and wanted to change the government • What changes do you think they’d want?

5. Cause 2: The Enlightenment • France was the center of the Enlightenment in the 1700s • The ideas of Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu encouraged the people to think about taking power from the government

6. Cause 3: The American Revolution • Americans listened to the ideas of the Enlightenment and with the help of France, overthrew Britain and formed their own government. • Stories of the revolution spread throughout France and encouraged people (especially lower-class people) to wonder if they could overthrow the French government Hobbes vs. Locke?

7. Processing • Which cause do you think had the biggest effect on the French Revolution? Why? • If you were a member of the 3rd Estate, which cause would have affected you the most?

8. Experiencing the Meeting of the Estates General • Step 1: The King assembles the Estate General for advice. • Step 2: The Three Estates prepare to meet. • Step 3: Each Estate proposes a plan to save France • Step 4: The king proposes a plan to save France • Step 5: The Estates General votes on the king’s plan • Step 6: Severe famine occurs • Step 7: The Third Estate responds to the situation.

10. Effect: The Meeting of the Estates General • Louis and Marie spent France into bankruptcy. To get out of it, he wanted to tax the nobles (the 2nd Estate) • The nobles forced Louis to call the Estates together to approve the taxes • The 3rd Estate, being the largest, felt that they should have a major say in the decision • The King refused to grant the people of the 3rd Estate their own votes and so the 1st and 2nd Estates dominated the decision. • Result: Taxes remained the burden of the 3rd Estate

11. Effect: The National Assembly • Upset at the King, the 3rd Assembly left the Estates General and called themselves the National Assembly • Wanted to pass laws to reform the government for the people • June 17, 1789: the Assembly voted to end the monarchy and start a representative government • 3 days later: the Assembly was kicked out of its meeting room. Instead, they met on an indoor tennis court and pledged to stay there until they had a new constitution • Known as the Tennis Court Oath

13. Effect: Storming the Bastille • Louis tried to make peace with the 3rd Estate by giving into their demands • BUT—he was nervous, and called in Swiss guards to Paris to keep order • In Paris, people thought the guards were coming to massacre them, and took to the streets in protest • July 14, 1789: the people stormed the Bastille, a French prison in Paris. This became a symbol of revolution to the French. • Like our 4th of July

15. Effect: The Great Fear • The violence and fear in Paris soon spread throughout the country • The Great Fear: wave of senseless panic that took over France • Peasants became outlaws • October 1789: 6,000 Parisian women (and some men) rioted over high bread prices • Marched on Versailles, took over, and forced Louis, Marie Antoinette, and their children to go to Paris

16. Processing • Do you think the French Revolution was inevitable? Why or why not? • Think about: Louis’ leadership skills, the national debt, Enlightenment ideas • What do you think will happen to Louis and Marie Antoinette?

17. French Revolution Storybook • You will be creating an illustrated children’s storybook that chronicles major events of the French Revolution and describes how the revolution contributed to the rise of democracy. It should be written in simple, clear, language so that a 10 year old could read and enjoy it. • Your storybook will contain ideas generated on Student Handout 1.4 B and will include these features: • Visually appealing cover with an appropriate title • Brief introduction that describes the conditions in France in the late 1780s • Sections on each of these six events: meeting of the Estates General, Tennis Court Oath, Storming of the Bastille, March on Versailles, the Reign of Terror, the Rise of Napoleon

18. Each section must contain: • An illustration of the event • Thought or voice bubbles coming from the characters in the illustration • Summary describing how the even related to the French revolution • Brief explanation of whether the event represented a step towards democracy • Use of the vocabulary in the word banks on Student Handout 1.4 B

19. A brief conclusion that explains how the events of the French revolution contributed to the growth of democracy • Additional touches to make the storybook artistic and visually appealing—use of color, page numbers, additional visuals or graphics, and the like. • Your storybooks may be designed with stapled or bound paper or on a larger piece of tagboard or butcher paper. They should be written in ink or typed.