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The French Revolution. Revolution Begins. Internal revolt against entrenched feudal, clerical and monarchical privilege of France Three Estates (classes)- Clergy- 100,000 pop./ controlled 10% of land Nobility- 300,000 pop./ controlled 25% of land
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Revolution Begins • Internal revolt against entrenched feudal, clerical and monarchical privilege of France • Three Estates (classes)- • Clergy- 100,000 pop./ controlled 10% of land • Nobility- 300,000 pop./ controlled 25% of land • Everyone else- 8% of pop. urban merchants, professionals, artisans/ 80% of pop. Farmers • Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were extravagant rulers, required lots of money • Built the Palace at Versailles, breaking the financial back of France
Revolution Begins • Each group had their own group of reps. who met together. • Parlement ruled to meet separately, estate three boycotted the meetings, until they were locked out of their meeting house • They met in an indoor tennis court, took the “Oath of the Tennis Court” • Claimed legal power • Would not disband until new constitution was written • Established the National Assembly • Louis XVI called 18,000 troops to protect him at Versailles, fearing an attack
Revolt of the Poor • 1789- • Poor harvest, price of bread skyrocketed • Mobs of beggars and poor farmers stormed into Paris • Stormed the Bastille- French jail and armory • Killed the mayor, several soldiers and governor of the Bastille • Trying to subdue the mob, the king recognizes the National Assembly and its allies • Created a new constitution: abolished feudalism, serfdom, the tithe for church, special privilege for the nobility, created the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen” • Men are born and remain free • The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural and unalienable rights • Law is the expression of the will of the people
Revolution Builds • Still angry mobs marched on Versailles • “The March of the Women”- Housewives, market women, and revolutionary militants broke into the palace and forced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to return to Paris where they were kept under surveillance • In the country- farmers feared their landlords were going to block reform stormed nobility estates
Revolution Builds • The National Assembly: • Called for a constitutional monarchy • Did away with titles and prerequisites for nobility • Uniform government countrywide • Disestablished Roman Catholic clergy • Confiscated the property of the church