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French Revolution

French Revolution. Social Hierarchy. America: 2012. France: 1789. Background to the Revolution. Before the revolution, French society was divided into three groups, called Estates.

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French Revolution

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  1. French Revolution

  2. Social Hierarchy America: 2012 France: 1789

  3. Background to the Revolution • Before the revolution, French society was divided into three groups, called Estates. • The Estate System was based on inequality, with nearly all of the power in the hands of only 2% of the total population. • The country was a monarchy – ruled by a King who was separate from the Estate System. • The Enlightenment and the American Revolution encouraged the French people to begin challenging this ancient system.

  4. Journal • This is an image of the Three Estates. Describe what this image is trying to tell you. • Who drew it, and why?

  5. First Estate • The First Estate was made up of the clergy – members of the church. • 130,000 people • Did not pay taxes

  6. Second Estate • The Second Estate was made up of Nobles, the traditional land-owning families. • 350,000 people • Held many of the top government jobs and had special privileges, but wanted more power from the King.

  7. Third Estate • The common people of France. • 98% of the population. • Because of its size and diversity, it was divided into groups based on occupation, education, and wealth. • Peasants were at the bottom, despite making up 80% of the population. For centuries, they had suffered at the hands of the Nobles.

  8. Third Estate, cont. • Workers, artisans, teachers, merchants, and small land owners were also part of the Third Estate. • They were unhappy with the poor economy of France, rising taxes, and the privileges given to Nobles. • They were educated people who wanted an equal voice in the government.

  9. Causes of the Revolution Economic: • Government was running out of money and relied more heavily on taxes. • Fifty years of wars, bad harvests, and disasters • 1/3 of population lived in poverty, while monarchy raised taxes to support lavish lifestyle and unnecessary wars. • Poor lived in squalor, had no food or support, and were getting very angry.

  10. Causes, cont. Social: • The poor seemed to be getting poorer • The middle class, known as the Bourgeoisie, were sick of financing the lifestyles of the Nobles through heavy taxes. • The monarchy seemed oblivious. Stories about their new jewels and big parties fueled the Revolutionary fire.

  11. Marie Antoinette • The queen of France. • She was viewed by the people as an inspiration for the Revolution because of her extravagant lifestyle, paid for by the taxpayers. • According to legend, when told that many of the French people had no bread to eat, she responded “Why don’t they eat cake?”

  12. Marie Antoinette

  13. The National Assembly • Although it made up nearly all of the population, the Third Estate had only 1/3 of the votes in the government and was usually outvoted. • In 1789, the Third Estate decided to break away and form its own government, called the National Assembly.

  14. The Tennis Court Oath • The members of the National Assembly were not allowed to meet in any public building, so they met on a tennis court, where they decided to write a new French constitution. • The king’s forces tried to keep the National Assembly from meeting, but the commoners rose up and defeated them.

  15. The Bastille • The Bastille was a prison in Paris where the King locked up “enemies of the state.” It was a feared symbol of his power. It was also where he kept most of his weapons. • In response to the Tennis Court Oath, the commoners of Paris attacked the Bastille. Prisoners were freed and the building was destroyed. • The King’s authority in Paris collapsed, and revolutions broke out all over France.

  16. Bastille Day • The anniversary of the storming of the Bastille by the people of Paris is celebrated as a national holiday in France on July 14. • It is their “Fourth of July,” with similar celebrations.

  17. Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen • Freedom and equal rights for all men • Access to public offices based on talent • Everyone pays taxes • Freedom of speech and press

  18. Constitution of 1791 • Limited Monarchy: King stays, but does not make laws. • Elected Assembly makes the laws. • Tax-paying men over 25 can vote.

  19. King Louis XVI • The King refused to accept the National Assembly and its new laws. • A mob of thousands of armed women stormed the royal palace and forced the King to travel to Paris to meet with the Assembly. • The royal family brought flour with them to feed the starving masses. This was seen as an empty gesture, which enraged the crowds.

  20. The Paris Commune • The National Assembly struggled to improve the conditions in France. People grew impatient. • Radicals formed a group called the Paris Commune. They took over the government, took the royal family prisoner, and called for an end to the monarchy. • From here, things got very nasty….

  21. Payback • People who had aided the King or were thought to be against the Paris Commune were arrested. Thousands were executed. • A new national government was formed, and it decided to end the monarchy. • King Louis XVI was beheaded, using a machine called a Guillotine.

  22. Guillotine • The Guillotine was used to execute as many as 40,000 people in France between 1792-1794.

  23. The Reign of Terror • During 1793 and 1794, France was run by groups known as the National Convention and the Committee of Public Safety. • Maximilien Robespierre, the leader of the Committee, felt that any person who would not submit to the will of the government should be executed. • Any city that rebelled against the government was destroyed and its people were executed, sometimes by mass drowning or by guillotine. • Nobles and Clergy were only 15% of the victims. The rest were commoners.

  24. Remaking France • The Committee of Public Safety tried to change many parts of French life. • The Christian Church was outlawed, and the calendar was changed to have years begin at the start of the French Republic (1792 became Year 1). • Children were sent to patriotic schools. • A “People’s Army” made up of over a million people was created to defend France.

  25. The Directory • The Committee of Public Safety and its willingness to murder at will to create “The Republic of Virtue” became unpopular. • Maximilien Robespierre, the most feared man in France, was beheaded. • A new government and new constitution were created in 1795. • The new government, known as “The Directory,” struggled to solve the country’s problems. It was overthrown by the military in 1799, which led to the rise of Napoleonic France.

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