Transcript Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Old Regime “Ancien Regime” Political, social, and economic system of 18th century continental Europe.

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
Old Regime
“Ancien Regime”
Political, social, and economic system of 18th
century continental Europe
Political Causes
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Absolute monarchy- “Divine Right”
Favoritism
Corruption
Censorship
Imprisonment without due process
People had no voice in government
Social Causes
• Class system- “Estates”
– First Estate-Clergy
– Second Estate-Nobles
– Third Estate-bourgeoisie, city workers, peasants
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Population growing
Food prices rising
Wages not rising
Resentment of nobility who held high office in
church and in the parlements [law courts]
• Bourgeoisie wanted political power
Economic Causes
• To the Government
– taille-land tax
– corvee-forced labor on roads and bridges
– gabelles-tax on compulsory salt purchases
• To the Church
– tithe
• To the Lords
– feudal dues
Economic Causes
continued
•Louis XIV’s wars left France in debt
•Louis XVI’s constitutional reforms failed under financial
ministers
•Turgot
•Necker
•Nobility in opposition to the king forced him to call the
Estates General in May 1789
Other Causes
• Bourgeoisie desire for
laissez-faire
• Enlightenment ideas
• English and American
Revolutions
• Incompetent and
unpopular government
Immediate Causes
• Climatic disasters
• Poor Harvests
• Louis XVI
– Near bankruptcy
– Calls Estates General
• Abbe’ Sieyes
• Count Mirabeau
– Cahiers de doleances
Tennis Court Oath
June 1789
National Assembly
1789
This allegorical image represents
the sentiments of social unity that
the National Assembly sought to
promote through the Festival of
the Federation of 14 July 1790.
This festival, though technically
but a military parade of units from
around the country, also implied
to most observers the unity of all
orders and classes.
This amazingly rich sketch by Jacques–Louis David is one of the most famous
works from the French revolutionary era. The thrust of the bodies together and
toward the center stand for unity. The spectators, including children at the top
right, all join the spectators. Even the clergy, so vilified later, join in the scene.
Only one person, possibly Marat, in the upper left–hand corner, turns his back
on the celebration. And, in fact, David is commemorating a great moment of
the Revolution on 20 June 1789, in which the deputies, mainly those of the
Third Estate, now proclaiming that they represent the nation, stand together
against a threatened dispersal.
The Third Estate Awakens 1789
Bastille Stormed
July 14, 1789
Symbol of Old Regime
•Arouses peasant attacks
against nobles
•Sans culottes arm themselves
•Governor of Bastille and 98
others killed
•National Assembly saved from
king ending it
National Assembly
1789-1791
Conservative, Radicals, Moderates
• Great Fear July-August 1789
– Abolition of Special Privileges
• Declaration of Rights of Man-August 1789
• Olympe de Gouge’s Declaration on Rights of Women1791
• “Civil Constitution of Clergy”-July 1790
– Talleyrand
– assignats
• Reforms
Women’s march on
Versailles
Protest rising prices of
bread
Delacroix’s “Liberty
leading the people”—
not French Revolution
but Revolution of 1830
• July 1791 Royal family attempts to flee
• Constitution 1791
– Legislative Assembly-unicameral
– Constitutional Monarchy established with king having veto
power
• April 1792-Jacobins declare war on Austria and
Prussia
• Commune
– Sans-culottes
• 1792 Louis imprisoned
– émigrés
National Convention
1792-1795
•Republic declared
•Girondists and Jacobins
•January 1793 Louis executed
For
Republic
and
Against
• Girondists
– Moderate
– Wanted middle class
Republic
• Jacobins
– Radical
– Represented city workers
who had no voice in
government
– Wanted Republic dominated
by poor
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Louis XVI
Devout Catholics
French nobles
Foreign monarchs
Accomplishments of National
Convention
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Abolished imprisonment for debt
Abolished slavery in French colonies
Adopted metric system
Adopted national education system
Prohibited primogeniture
Turmoil
• February 1793-War vs. Britain,
Holland, Spain
• First Coalition vs. France
• Committee of Public Safety-April
1793
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Danton
Robespierre
Army—compulsory military service
Tribunal
Conscription
Reign of Terror
September 1793-1794
• Suspension of Rights
• Watch committees
• “Witch Hunts”
“Death of Marat”
-Jacques Louis David
1793
“It is necessary to annihilate both the
internal and external enemies of the
republic or perish with its fall.”
-Robespierre
Thermidorian Reaction
1794-1796
• Robespierre falls
• Abolished economic
controls
• Runaway inflation
• Former victims now react
• Restriction of political
organizations
• Bread riots and uprisings
put down
• Urban poor had little
influence until 1830
Directory
1796-1799
• Middle Class constitutional republic
– five man executive branch
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Only male property owners could vote
Wealthy controlled government
Unpopular
Bankruptcy
Still at war
Significance of Revolution
• Democratic Ideals“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”
• Nationalism
• Worldwide influence