Transcript THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
HOPE FEAR TERROR
RECOVERY
“ Viva La Revolution “
The most significant Revolution in history over
the last 300 years was the French Revolution of
1789-1800.
 The events resulted in widespread social and
political change
 The peoples fight for Liberty, Equality and
Fraternity came at a great cost
 In the period known as The ‘Terror’, some 2,600
people and over 14,000 in all of France were
executed

HOPE
1788-1789
Liberty Equality Fraternity
The Age of Enlightenment refers to the 18th century in European philosophy, and is
often thought of as part of a larger period which includes the Age of Reason. The term
also more specifically refers to a historical intellectual movement, "The Enlightenment."
This movement advocated rationality as a means to establish an authoritative system of
ethics, aesthetics, and knowledge
The Enlightenment
Period of time when world’s greatest thinkers/“philosophers” were
sharing ideas and changing the way ordinary people viewed world.
Examples:
CHURCH
• Should church be rich?
•Must do everything priest says?
NOBILITY
-Share power/privilege!
-Abuse of position
GOVERNMENT
•Should kings have complete control?
•Are kings directly associated with God?
Example of a quote by one of these famous enlightened philosophers, Voltaire:
“The art of government consists of
taking as much money as possible
from one class of citizens to give to another.”
As these new thoughts and teachings spread, the poor
peasant class realize that perhaps it’s time for a change...
Historians View

“18th century philosophy taught the Frenchman
to find his condition wretched, unjust and
illogical and made him disinclined to the patient
resignation to his troubles that had long
characterized his ancestors . . . . The
propaganda of the philosophes perhaps more
than any other factor accounted for the
fulfillment of the preliminary condition of the
French Revolution, namely discontent with the
existing state of things. “
PROBLEMS- Fiscal and female





France
Considered to be the most advanced country in Europe
at the time (early 1700’s)
Problems emerging…
High taxes, high inflation, low interest shown by king...
Aided by the legacy of Louis X1V & Louis xv the french
monarchy had been successful in running deficit budgets
constantly. Louis XV1 did not want to ruffles the frills of
the nobility. He therefore borrowed the difference in
expenditure. These saw the cycle of loans develop.When
Turgot tried to stop this he was overthrown by Marie
Antoinette’s hatred of him. The more complacent Necker
was appointed as Minister of Finances.
AN UNPOPULAR MONARCHY-
LOUIS XVI AND MARIE ANTOINETTE
Queen Marie-Antoinette
•Austrian by birth, married to King Louis XVI @ 14
•Became very unpopular very quickly
•Spoke French with strong accent, always considered a “foreigner”
•Enjoyed high class jewelry, parties, clothes, etc.
•Accused of purchasing $1,600,000 diamond necklace
•Nickname “Madame “Deficit” “Austrian Dog”
•Many French citizens blamed her for country’s problems
•
•
•
http://www.myrrhine.net/antoinette/
http://www.ralphmag.org/CG/french-revolution.html
King Louis XVI (16th)
• Weak Ruler
• Poor Decision Maker
• Had no true idea of how “normal”
people lived.
• At age of 15 was married to 14
year old girl
from Austria to improve relations
between the 2 countries. Had no
idea how poor his
government/country was becoming
(past wars & USA indpce help =
$4Billion debt!)
• Most people liked him, but not
his government.
Louis should have been
able to force tax reform
on the nobility but he
lacked the ability to take
strong decisive action
THE THREE ESTATES
King Louis XVI (16th)
Estates
Determine rights,
obligations,
status.
Difficult to move up
(Absolute Monarch - Right to rule by God
The 3 Estates
CLERGY
NOBILITY
PEASANTS
(0.004%)
(0.02 %)
(98%)
•Very wealthy.
•Owned land
•Paid no taxes.
•Very wealthy
•Owned land
•Charged “tithes”
•Paid no taxes
•Few owned land
•Paid a LOT of taxes. (1/2 $)
•Most extremely poor.
•Not allowed to hunt
•FRUSTRATED!
Add the numbers.
1 Extremely wealthy king with great power
1 Group of rich clergy members
+
1 Group of rich nobles, doing as they wish
1 Huge group of poor, frustrated, starving peasants/workers
1 REVOLUTION WAITING TO HAPPEN :-(
FEAR
1789-1791
What is the Third Estate?
“The Third Estate is everything”Abby Sieyes
MEETING OF THE ESTATES GENERAL
CLERGY
NOBILITY
PEASANTS
King -
Hopes they meet & agree on a few small tax changes
Clergy -
Divided - Upper agree with nobility
Lower believe peasants need help
Nobility - Divided - Upper want more power from king
Lower want changes to allow for mobility.
Peasants - United - Major changes necessary!!
Traditionally 3 estates divided 2 vs 1 = Peasants always lose:-(
This time 3 estates divided 3 vs 2 = Peasants win:-)...1st time ever!
THE TENNIS COURT OATH
STORMING OF THE BASTILLE
Aftermath
Peasants rise in arms around country, refuse to pay taxes until Nat’l Assembly makes changes
and prepare to fight in case nobility tries to resist.
Nobles in fear for their lives. Surely this will just pass?
Meanwhile, France’s economy continues to slide as world watches to see what’ll happen.
National Assembly make decisions…
• Abolish church tithes
• Abolish noble priviliges
• DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND CITIZENS
(= Everyone free and equal!!)
• CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY agreed upon (not easy)
(Possibilities were numerous…)
$
King veto power?
No king? (Republic)
Nobility power?
No Nobles?
King
National Assembly
Size of assembly?
Taxation/Debt?
THE RIGHTS OF MAN
Declaration of the Rights of Man

Men are born and remain free and Equal in
Rights
 These rights are liberty, property, security and
resistance to oppression.
 Law is the expression of the general will
 The free communication of ideas and opinions
is a basic right
TERROR
1791-1794
A PERSPECTIVE ON TERROR
REACTIONS
•Nobles leave the country (Emigres)
Hoping to restore power from abroad
•Church forced to give up property, $, land AND
swear oath of loyalty to Assembly
priests & pope are furious!
•Peasants divided…Keep king? Kill king?
Share power? Now what?
•King tries to sneak out of France with family.
Caught at border
Peasants furious, but keep him as “symbol”
•Foreign Rulers sympathetic & concerned.
(who’s next?)
and…...
See the difference?
LOSING HEADS
The Guillotine
So many killings that one doctor invents a new
device to minimize pain & suffering. His name was
Dr Joseph ……...Guillotine.
Facts and Figures
Total weight of a Guillotine was about 580 kilos (1278lb)
The blade weighed over 40 kilos (88.2lb)
Height of side posts was just over 4m (14ft)
The blade drop was 2.3m (88 inches)
It fell at 7m a second (21ft) and took 1/70 of a second
It took 2/100 of a second for the head to be cut off
Power at impact was 400 kilos (888lb) per square inch.
TRIAL/ DEATH OF LOUIS XVI
EXECUTION OF MARIE
ANTOINETTE
France is weak.
France is vulnerable.
France is “easy pickings”
Austria (Mar.Antoin brother)Declares war on France
Prussia declares war on France
Warn… “Don’t hurt king!”
King & Nobles are happy war is coming.
(France loss = return of king & old system)
Assembly responds:
•“Butt out!”
•“Our Rules!”
•“Our Country!”
•“Can’t tell US what to do!”
•= NATIONALISM
External
Wars
England,
Prussia
Austria
Failure of
Constitutional
Monarchy
Influence
Of
Individuals
& groups
Factors
Influencing
the Reign
Of
Terror
Economy
New note
Assignats
lost value
Emigres
Internal
Factions
Jacobins
Girondins
Sans Cullottes
Counter
Revolution
Depreciation of the Assignat
f
They were backed by the sale of
Church lands.
The National Convention

The National Convention superseded the Legislative Assembly as France's primary
constitutional and legislative body, and was also the first assembly to elect its members using
universal suffrage (votes for all men without distinctions of income or class ... though not for
all women). Best known as the body which through its powerful sub-committees (the
Committee for Public Safety and the Committee for General Security) implemented the
arbitrary violence of the Terror, it should also be remembered that the Convention also
protected France against invasion, civil war, economic collapse and anarchy. Some of its more
notable achievements included the abolition of monarchy and the establishment of a republic
(on its second day of sitting) and the creation of a system of public education.

. For most historians,, the Terror began with the centralization of power in the Committee of
Public Safety (CPS), a body initially started in April 1793 as an oversight committee for
keeping an eye on the revolution's enemies ... however its influence quickly grew, mainly
because of who came to be in the CPS, rather than the committee itself. The members of the
CPS were initially moderates, members of the Plain, but by July the members included
Robespierre and the radical Saint-Just. Robespierre, never that popular in the Convention
itself, found the CPS an ideal way to shape the revolution according to his own
"incorruptible" virtues.
Of all the legislation activated by the Convention ,the Levee en Masse, proved the most
damaging for the survival and stability of the government

The Civil Constitution
of the Clergy
July 12,
1790
Analyses of counter revolution:
war radicalizes revolution and creates self-sustaining pressures
Centralized
Power
In
Paris
Assistance
from
Emigres
Region;
Catholic
&
agricultural
Civil
Constitution
Of
Clergy
Faith Vs
revolution
Vendee
Revolt
Sympathy
For
Royal
family
Levee en
Masse
300,00
conscripted
Economy
Assignats
Lose value
The Vendee: civil war or genocide?
"Not one is to be left alive."
"Women are reproductive furrows
who must be ploughed under."
"Only wolves must be left to roam
that land." "Fire, blood, death are
needed to preserve liberty." "Their
instruments of fanaticism and
superstition must be smashed."
These were some of the words the
Convention used in speaking of
Vendee
The Legacy
The Vendean rebellion was a climax in the history of the French
Revolution. Because of the obstinate, determined resistance of the
Vendeans the Jacobins escalated their policy of terror, not only
sentencing individuals regarded enemies of the people, but pursuing
a policy of genocide. This escalation of violence brought the
downfall of Robespierre, the Jacobins, the Convention.
Many reforms the Vendeans had revolted against were still in force;
but the fight had been extremely costly in human lives (over
200,000 dead). The CONCORDATE Napoleon signed with the
pope in 1801 restored the Catholic church in France
“Sans Culottes” (Extremist Group)
•Attack royal palace, kill royal gurads
•Drag king & family to jail
•Too many wealthy in the National Assembly, so
•Assembly dissolved and new ruling Executive Council
•Force gov’t to allow ALL men to vote
Violence increases throughout city streets.
Paris “mob” break into jails and murder 1200 + without trials.
Leading military leader, General Lafayette leaves
country and joins Austrians!
France gov’t now divided between
Parties
Leaders
Ideas
Monarchy?
King?
Result?
Jacobins
Robespierre
Girondins
Brissot
Radical
Moderate
No!
No!
Kill
Don’t kill
Jacobins take over…radical rule…
DANTON VS ROBESPIERRE
Jacobins + Robespierre = “Reign of Terror”
Jacobins now in charge.
“Radical Robispierre” creates “Committee of Public Safety”
One of his quotes:
"It is with regret that I pronounce the fatal truth: Louis ought to perish rather than
a hundred thousand virtuous citizens; Louis must die that the country may live"
Thus, he starts his safety committee by killing
any suspected enemies…including King Louis and his wife!
France is no longer a “Constitutional Monarchy”
It is now a REPUBLIC!
Eventually kills 40,000 people to “maintain order”
Quote:
“Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs”
France still being attacked by other countries, so
starts conscription of 1,000,000
EXECUTION OF ROBESPIERRE
NAPOLEON- SAVIOUR OF
FRANCE ?
The Directory & Napolean
Eventually Robespierre removed from power.
He was sentenced to death….by???
Yep. Guillotine:-)
A new committee of 5 take over.
Call themselves “The Directory”
The Directory
•Pass many useful laws in education and justice, but
•cannot control inflation.
•Rely heavily on army to crush resistance from abroad and within.
•Famous young general given control of army….
Napolean Bonaparte.
•Encouraged to attack countries that had threatened France
•Very successful. Seen as hero by French people.
•Directory depend (too much) upon Napolean..
•Finally he takes over as “1st Consul of the Republic”
•New constitution created basically giving him extreme powers
•Plebiscite vote: 3,011,007 for, 1562 against…close call??!!
•Napolean makes changes…
•“Consul for life” and then “Emperor” as he plans a new monarchy.
•Declares himself as responsible only to God and nothing else…
•= Napolean more powerful than King Louis had been!??
•Circle is complete…France again has an absolute monarchy.
5
Quotes to Contemplate..
Alas, much more lies sick than poor Louis: not the French
King only, but the French Kingship; this too, after long
rough tear and wear, is breaking down. The world is all so
changed; so much that seemed vigorous has sunk decrepit,
so much that was not is beginning to be!
Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution (1837)