French Revolution

French Revolution Ch 19

I. Causes • Enlightenment • Changed views of individual rights and the government • Monarchy • Lavish lifestyles • Ineffective rule of Louis XV & XVI • Increased taxes as a result of 7 Years’ War

II. Revolution of 1789 • 1787 • France was in debt • Tried to have the Parlement of Paris pass a land tax • Fought by Nobles and Clergy • Parlement said they did not have power to tax land • Louis was forced to call up the Estates General • Last met 1614 • Louis agreed to call up the Estates General in 1789

II. Revolution of 1789 • 1788 • Necker replaces Brienne as minister of finance • 1789 • Louis summons Estates General • Decline of absolutism • Divided into 3 parts • 1st- Clergy • 2nd- Nobility • 3rd- Commoners (initially) • Anyone not of noble birth • Bourgeoisie (middle class) • Brought to light weakness of Louis and created a power vacuum

II. Revolution of 1789 • Calling of the Estates General • Met in Versailles in May 1789 • Initially Aristocracy and Clergy sided together against 3rd • Argument about representatives and voting • Brought the Cahiers De Doleances- list of grievances • Equality • 3rd Estate refused to sit separate by each estate • June 1st 3rd Estate and members of the other estates met to form a new legislative body • June 17 named this body the National Assembly

II. Revolution of 1789 • National Assembly • June 20 • Accidentally locked out of meeting place • Took this as a method to suppress them • Met at a Tennis Court and promised to continue meeting until they formed a new Constitution • Tennis Court Oath • Louis orders them to stop but National Assembly gained power from nobility • June 27- Louis caves and ask the 1st and 2nd estate to join the National Assembly • Renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly

II. Revolution of 1789 • Storming of the Bastille • Louis tried to regain control of the government • Dismissed Neckerwith out approval from National Constituent Assembly • Brought royal troops to Versailles and Paris • During bread riots • NCA started forming a militia • July 14- 800 middle class citizens stormed the Bastille to get weapons (Also political prison) • 98 attackers were killed • The guards were killed • Released prisoners • No weapons • July 15- Marquis de Lafayette became commander of National Guard- Gave France its new flag

II. Revolution of 1789 • Great Fear • Rumor of royal troops being sent to the countryside • Peasants started rioting • August 4- A number of nobles and clergy renounced their feudal rights • Resulted in equality under the law • Declaration of the rights of Man and Citizens- August 27 • “liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression” • Equality of citizens • Due process and innocence until proven guilty • Equal tax (if you can pay it)

II. Revolution of 1789 • October 5 • 7000 armed women marched on Versailles to protest bread shortages • Became violent and sought to kill Marie • Louis calmed them but was forced to move to Paris • October 6- Royal family moves to the Palace of the Tuileries

II. Revolution of 1789 • Constitution of 1791 • Set up a Constitutional Monarchy • Unicameral Legislature- Monarch can only influence legislation • Only Legislature could declare war • Active and Passive Citizens • Active- men paying 3 days worth of taxes- could vote • Only 50,000 • Passive- everyone else- couldn’t vote • Power- not hereditary- property and wealth • Olympe de Gouges (1791)- Declaration of the Rights of Women-

II. Revolution of 1789 • Economy • Chapelier Law- outlawed worker associations • Confiscated church lands- sold • Assignats – Bonds backed by revenue from the sale of church lands • Overprinted resulting in inflation • Acted as currency • Civil Constitution of the Clergy- July 1790 • Secularized the Catholic Church in France • Created strife between the National Constituent Assembly and Catholic Church

II. Revolution of 1789 • Counterrevolution • Emigres- aristocrats that left France • June 20,1791- Louis and immediate family tried to escape to Metz • Recognized at Varennes • June 24- escorted back to Paris • NCA claimed he was abducted • Declaration of Pillnitz(August 27, 1791) • Leopold II of Austria (Marie’s brother) and Frederick William II of Prussia promised to protect French Monarch • Needed the rest of Europe to agree • Britain would not have

II. Revolution of 1789 • September 1791 • National Constituent Assembly dismissed itself • No members were allowed to be re-elected. • October I- New Legislature met • Pushed for full equality of citizens. • Becomes Legislative Assembly

2nd Revolution (1791) • July 14, 1790 • Louis XVI accepts the Constitution, making France a Constitutional monarchy • People were not happy with changes • Women- no civil rights • Laborers- labor unions were banned • New Legislative Assembly members- wanted to remove monarchy

2nd Revolution (1791) • Key Groups • Jacobins • Named after Dominican Friars (met in monastery) • Pushed for Republic • Sought to end constitutional monarchy • Un-regulated economy • Girondists • Jacobins that took over LA • Passed measure to force émigrés to return or lose their property (King vetoed) • Passed measure forcing Church officials to support Civil Constitution or lose salary (King Vetoed)

2nd Revolution (1791) • Girondistscont… • Declared war on Austria (and Prussia) April 20,1792 • Girondist hoped it would strengthen their power • Louis and court hoped it would strengthen the monarch and weaken the revolutionary armies • Pauline Leon • Petitioned for women to be able to bear arms and to join the National Guard • Women did • Duke of Brunswick threatens to destroy Paris if royal family is harmed (July) • Caused more distrust of Louis • Resulted in August 10 attack on Tuileries • Hundreds of royal troops and Parisians were killed • Royal family was imprisoned

2nd Revolution (1791) • Paris Commune • Ruling body of Paris • Refused to take orders from French Gov. • Executed 1200 prisoners as counterrevolutionaries • September 21 • Pushed for a Convention to write a new constitution • Universal male suffrage • Made France a republic

2nd Revolution (1791) • Sans-Culottes(without breeches) • Radical Jacobins • Shopkeepers, artisans, laborers • Pushed for price controls • Hated inequality • Antimonarchical

2nd Revolution (1791) • Execution of Louis XVI • December 1792 • Louis was tried for against liberty and the security of France (High Treason) • Pushed for by the Mountain and Sans-Culottes • Girondists tried to keep him from being executed • Tried as “Citizen Capet” • Executed on January 12, 1793

2nd Revolution (1791) • Europe reacts • France declares war on Great Britain, Holland and Spain • Prussia renews its war against France • Later joined by Austria, Spain, Sardinia and Holland • First Coalition • August 23, 1793- levee en masse • Full male draft • Economy directed around military • War last until Napoleon comes to power • Great Britain suppressed reforms • Suspended habeas corpus • Allowed literary works to be considered treason • End of Enlightened Absolutism • Censorship of literature • Violent suppression of uprisings • Further division of Poland

III. Reign of Terror • Committee of Public Safety • April 1793 • Acted as a dictatorship at its height • Job was to protect Republic from both foreign and domestic threats • In charge of the military • Led by: • Jacques Danton • Major leader of the Convention • Later executed for leniency to enemies • Maximilien Robespierre • Most powerful man in committee • Lazare Carnot • Leader of the military

III. Reign of Terror • De-Christianization • November 1793 • Created a new calendar that started with the first day of the republic • Cathedral of Notre Dame becomes a Temple of Reason • Closed churches • Persecuted church members • Forced priest to marry

III. Reign of Terror • Robespierre (1758-1794) • Jacobin • Supported by the Sans-Culotte • Strongly favored Republic • Opposed the war of 1792 and de-Christianization • Had enemies of the state executed • Had extreme members of the Sans-Culotteexecuted • Enrages • Had Danton executed • Had Marie Antoinette and Girondists politicians executed

III. Reign of Terror • Robespierre cont. • Changed worship of reason to the Worship of the Supreme Being • Civic religion that encouraged morality and the good of the state • Executed people who challenged his authority • July 27 (9th of Thermidor) • Robespierre was arrested • July 28 • Robespierre was executed

IV. Thermidorian Reaction • Began in July 1794 • Consisted of wealthy middle- class • Reaction to reign of terror • Too radical (25,000 dead) • Gave amnesty to prisoners from the terror • Restructured the Committee of Public Safety • Limited its power • Closed Jacobin club • White Terror- murder of those involved in the Reign of Terror

IV. Thermidorian Reaction • Established the Directory • Result of the Constitution of Year III • A two house legislature • Council of Elders • Men over 40 (married or widowers) • Council of 500 • Men at least 30 years of age

IV. Thermidorian Reaction • Removed Sans-Culottes • Unregulated economy • October 5, 1795 • Royalist rebelled • General Napoleon Bonaparte comes to national recognition • “Whiff of grapeshot” • Treaty of Basel (March 1795) • Made peace with Prussia and Spain

V. Conclusion • France was stabilizing but still had numerous uprisings • Napoleon comes to prominence as a result of France’s political structure and condition.

French Revolution