The French Revolution

1. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity The French Revolution Detail From Triumph of Marat, Boilly, 1794 (Musee des Beaux-Arts)

2. Setting the Scene The Third Estate

3. Setting the Scene The Third Estate

4. Setting the Scene The Third Estate

5. Setting the Scene The Third Estate

6. Setting the Scene Louis XVI The Third Estate

7. Setting the Scene Marie Antoinette The Third Estate

8. Setting the Scene The Third Estate

9. Guiding Question: How did the structure of social classes in France lead to discontent?

10. Causes of the French Revolution The long range causes of the French Revolution are to be found in the condition of French Society. Since Medieval times, France’s population was divided into three orders, or estates. The Third Estate

11. The Three Estates

12. The Three Estates Before the revolution the French people were divided into three groups • The first estate: the clergy • The second estate: the nobility • The third estate: the common people (bourgeoisie, urban workers, and peasants) Legally the first two estates enjoyed many privileges, particularly exemption from most taxation.

13. Ancien Regime/The Old Regime. 1789 France’s Social Structure This cartoon from the era of the French Revolution depicts the third estate as a person in chains, who supports the clergy and nobility on his back. The Third Estate

14. The First Estate The first estate, the clergy, consisted mostly of rich and some poor. 

15. The First Estate The clergy numbered about 130,000 (out of 27 million people) and owned 10% of the land.

16. The Second Estate The second estate, the nobility, inherited their titles and got their wealth from the land. The second estate numbered about 350,000 and owned about 25-30% of the land.

17. The Second Estate

18. Taille Despite controlling most of the wealth, neither the clergy or the nobility had to pay the taille (France’s chief tax).

19. The Third Estate The third estate, the common people, was by far the largest group in France. Everyone who was not a member of the first or second estates was a member of the third. It included: Wealthy merchants Doctors and Lawyers Shopkeepers The urban poor Peasants (80%)

20. The Third Estate

23. Wealthy merchants, whose wealth rivaled that of the nobility • Doctors and lawyers • ShopkeepersThe urban poor • The peasants who worked the land.

25. Bellringer What inequalities existed between the three estates in pre-revolutionary France?

26. The Financial Crisis The government of France, however, was bankrupt and was facing a serious financial crisis.The crisis resulted from: 1. An inefficient and unfair tax structure which placed the burden of taxation on those least able to pay, the third estate. 2. A drainedtreasury which was the result of long wars with England and aid to the Americans during their revolution 3. Lavish overspending.

27. Where is the Money? In this cartoon from the time, Louis XVI is looking at the chests and asks “Where is the tax money?“ The Financial minister Jacques Necker, looks on and says “The money was there the last time I looked.” The nobles and clergy are sneaking out the door carrying sacks of money, saying “we have it”.

28. Estates-General With France on the verge of financial crisis, Louis XVI was forced to call a meeting of the Estates-General. This was the French parliament, and it had not met since 1614.

29. The meeting of the Estates General May 5, 1789

30. Bellringer Question 1: What were the causes of the economic problems that put France in debt by 1789? Question 2: Why were the voting procedures of the Estates General considered unfair to the third estate?

31. Estates-General Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General on May 5th 1789. In the Estates General, the First and Second Estates had about 300 representatives. The Third Estate had almost 600 representatives. Most of the Third Estate wanted to set up a constitutional government that would make the nobility and clergy pay taxes too.

32. Voting From the start, there were arguments about voting. Traditionally, each estate had one vote – the First and Second Estates could outvote the Third Estate two to one. The Third Estate demanded that votes be counted by head, instead of by estate. The King insisted that he favored the current system.

33. Voting So, the third estate was denied voting by head, and the issue of fair taxation was ignored by the King. June 17th 1789: the Third estate boldly declares that it was the National Assembly, and would draft a constitution.

34. What Is the Third Estate? "What is the Third Estate?" asked Abbe Sieyes, a delegate of the Third Estate in the Estates General. "Everything!“

35. Primary Source The plan of this book is fairly simple. We must ask ourselves three questions.1. What is the Third State? Everything.2. What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing.3. What does it want to be? Something....The Third Estate embraces then all that which belongs to the nation; and all that which is not the Third Estate, cannot be regarded as being of the nation.What is the Third Estate?It is everything. - Abbe Sieyes

36. National Assembly Sieyes rallied the commoners of France to assert their power and take charge of the Estates General. At his suggestion, they declared themselves the National Assembly and invited the other estates to join them.

37. Tennis Court Oath The next day they found their meeting hall locked. They moved to a nearby indoor tennis court.

38. Tennis Court Oath “Let us swear to God and our country that we will not disperse until we have established a sound and just constitution, as instructed by those who nominated us.” -Jean Joseph Mounier

39. Tennis Court Oath The delegates agreed and all but one of the 578 delegates signed it. Their oath is known as the Tennis Court Oath. It said: “The National Assembly, considering that it has been summoned to establish the constitution of the kingdom, decrees that all members of this assembly shall immediately take a solemn oath not to separate until the constitution of the kingdom is established on firm foundations” June 20th 1789.

40. The Tennis Court Oath by Jacques Louis David

41. Tennis Court Oath The delegates agreed and all but one of the 578 delegates signed it. Their oath is known as the Tennis Court Oath.

42. King Asks Third Estate to Disperse Hearing of the oath, the King called a meeting of all three orders. He ordered the third estate to disperse. They refused. One of the delegates declared that  "We are here at the will of the people, . . . and . . . shall not stir from our seats unless forced to do so by bayonets."

43. Third Estate Triumphs The King was unwilling to use force and eventually ordered the first and second estates to join the new National Assembly. The Third Estate had won.

44. Third Estate Triumphs The new National Assembly created the historic and influential document The Declaration of the Rights of Man, which stated the principle that all men had equal rights under the law.

45. Declaration of the Rights of Man • "Men are born free and equal in their rights....These rights are liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression. • The fundamental source of all sovereignty resides in the nation. • The law is the expression of the general will. • All citizens have the right to take part personally, or through representatives, in the making of the law."

46. Civil Constitution of the Clergy The National Assembly resolved the immediate financial crisis by: 1. Seizing church lands 2. Putting the church under the control of the State with the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.

48. Cartoon representation of the confiscation of church lands

49. The Oath of Allegiance Clergymen were required to swear an oath to the new constitution.   Many refused to swear the oath and were placed under arrest. The measure was very controversial to a nation of Catholics and drew support away from the new government.

50. Conditions in Paris Conditions in Paris • Conditions were poor in Paris for the common people. • The price of bread was high and supplies were short due to harvest failures. • Rumors spread that the King and Queen were responsible for the shortages