Transcript Le Revolution Francais

Chapter 7 Section 1
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Considered the Most advanced country of
Europe
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Large population, prosperous foreign trade, was the
center of the Enlightenment, highly praised and
imitated culture
Truth
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Great unrest caused by bad harvests, high prices,
high taxes, and questions raised by the philosophes
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The Old Regime
People were divided into three Estates – Social classes
 First Estate- Clergy
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 Held 10% of the land in France
 Education and relief for poor
 2% of income goes to the government
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Second Estate- Nobles
 2% of the population, 20% of the land
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Third Estate- Everyone else
Privileged Estates
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1st and 2nd
Had access to high offices and had exemptions from paying
taxes
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Third Estate
 97% of the people
 3 groups of the 3rd estate
 Bourgeoisie ( middle Class)
 Educated and believed in Enlightenment Ideals
 Some were as rich as nobles, but the paid high taxes and
lacked privileges
 guild privileges- exclusive rights to a trade in an area- given
by King
 Felt like their wealth entitled them to a greater degree of
social status and political power
 Urban Workers
 Poorest, got low wages and many times went hungry
 Peasants
 More than 80% of France's population
 Half their income went to dues for the nobles, tithes to the
church, and taxes to the king’s agents
* Third estate very discontent with the heavy burden and
privileges given to others
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3 big problems
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1. New ideas about government
 The Enlightenment
 Inspired by the success of American Revolution
 Speeches at the Tuleries
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2. Economic Problems
 Appeared sound because expansion of production and trade
 Taxes made it almost impossible to make business profitable
 Price of living up
 Crop failures make the price of bread go up- many starving
 Heavy debt b/c of aid the American Revolution
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3. Indecisive leadership
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Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
 Alliance between Austro-Hungarian Empire and France
(Hapsburgs and Bourbons) Old Enemies
 Married when she was 15 and he was 16
 Queen and king when 18 and 19
 Marital problems = no children= rumors
 Libelles- “let them eat cake”
 Spending Habits
 Silliness of Versailles
 Hamlet
 Petit Trianon
 Privacy and Formality
 Dress
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Louis the Weak Leader
 More interest in his hobbies like lock making
 Took poor advice from ill informed people
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Louis only option is to impose a tax on the 2nd
Estate
Don’t allow him to so he has to call the EstatesGeneral – an assembly made of representatives
from all 3 estates.
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1st time it had met in 175 years, met in Versailles in May
of 1789
Old Rules- Each estate meets in separate halls and each
estate had 1 vote= 3rd estate loses
Louis make it 2 votes for the 3rd estate
What they want-each delegate gets a vote- Louis doesn’t
allow it.
3rd Estate stonewalls
Emmanuel Joseph- Sieyes suggest they make a new
legislative body
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What is the Third Estate? Everything.
What has it been until now in the political order?
Nothing.
What does it ask? To become something.
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June 17, 1789 3rd estate after long night of debate
decides to establish the National Assembly
Proclaims an end to absolute monarchy
 1st act of Revolution
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Tennis Court Oath
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Louis locks them out of their meeting room
3 days later meet on an indoor tennis court
Take oath saying they won’t leave until they have written
a new constitution
1st and 2nd estaters who want reform join them.
Louis stations Swiss mercenaries around Versailles
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Rumor has it
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Attack the mercenaries- July 12, 1789
Demolish tax wall
Storm a monastery looking for grain
Create a new gov. and National guard
Decide to go to the Bastille Prison for weapons
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Louis going to use mercenaries to dismiss the National
Assembly or to kill citizens
Also seen as a symbol of Royal Power
Only 7 people in the prison- most of them loony
Hack of the guard’s head with a pocket knife than parade
around with it on a pike
July 14 Bastille day- like 4th of July
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Rebellion spreads to the countryside.
Rumors make people panic
Peasants arm themselves w/ pitchforks and break
into noble’s houses, burn them down, etc.
October 1789 Women riot over bread and march to
Versailles.
Are followed by national guard- have cannons guns, etc.
 First want answers from National Assembly
 Then turn to the king and queen- break into the palace
and demand that they move to Paris.
 King of France to King of the French
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