Transcript File - Mr. Tchakerian`s Memorial HS Courses

FRENCH REVOLUTION
Government and Citizenship
How important is it for citizens to follow the rules of government? Write
down your answer in your notes.
How do you think their location and
weather played a role in the French revolution?
Causes of the Revolution
Long-standing resentments against the monarchy
• Inequalities in society
• Existing social and political structure
• Called the Old Order, or ancient régime
• King at the top and estates under him
• King Louis XVI, shy and indecisive
•
At age 15 (in May 1770), Louis married the 14 year-old Habsburg
Archduchess Maria Antonia (Marie Antoinette), his second cousin once
removed, in an arranged marriage.
• Unpopular, self-indulgent queen, Marie-Antoinette
• He became king at age 20 after his grandfather died
• Rest of French society divided into three classes, called estates
Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France,
has been both vilified as the personification
of the evils of monarchy and exalted as a
pinnacle of fashion and beauty. Marie
Antoinette the villain is perhaps best
captured by the famous, although almost
certainly apocryphal, story that, upon
hearing that the people had no bread to eat,
she remarked, "Let them eat cake.“
The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal château
in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. It is also known as the château de Versailles
The Three Estates
Varied widely in what they contributed in terms of work and taxes
First Estate
Second Estate
• Roman Catholic clergy.
• Nobility
• One percent of the
population.
• Less than 2 percent of
the population.
• Exempt from taxes
• Paid little to no taxes.
• Owned 10 percent of
the land.
– Collected rents and
fees
– Bishops and other
clergy grew wealthy
– Had own laws.
• Controlled most of the
wealth.
• Held key positions
– Government
– Military
• Lived on country
estates
Third Estate
• Largest group—97% of
the population.
• Bourgeoisie—citydwelling merchants,
factory owners, and
professionals.
• Sans culottes—artisans
and workers.
• Peasants—poor with
little hope, paid rents
and fees
• Could not own land.
Further Causes that led to Revolution
Enlightenment Ideas
A Financial Crisis
• Inspiring new ideas from
Enlightenment philosophers.
• Severe economic problems
affected much of the country
• Great Britain’s government
limiting the king’s power.
• France in debt, spending
lavishly, borrowing money, and
facing bankruptcy.
• American colonists rebelled
successfully against British
king.
• New ideas changed
government and society in other
countries.
• Hailstorm and drought ruined
harvest; harsh winter limited
flour production.
• People hungry and angry;
clergy and nobility no help.
Summarize
What were the causes of the French
Revolution?
Answer(s): inequalities in society, Enlightenment
ideas, poor leadership, financial crisis, hunger and
cold
Economic Troubles
• High taxes and rising costs damage economy by 1780s fighting wars and helping the Americans.
• King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette known for extravagance: building the Palace of Versailles.
• Louis doubles nation’s debt; banks refuse to lend more money.
A Weak King
• Louis’s poor decisions and lack of patience add to
France’s problems.
• He calls Estates-General—meeting of
representatives from all three estates to try and
convince the classes to raise taxes and support him.
First Events of the Revolution
By 1789, no group happy
Estates General meets
• Clergy and nobility lost power to
• Third Estate has the most members
monarchy.
but only one vote.
• Bourgeoisie resented regulations. • Church and Nobles out vote 3rd
Estate.
• Poor worse off. King calls for the
• 3rd Estate creates National
First Estates general in 200
Assembly at the Tennis Court Oath.
years.
• Write Great
a new Constitution
and elect
Storming of the Bastille
Fear spread
a democratic government.
• King sent troops to Paris and
• People take over the Bastille.
Versailles. In case he had to use
• Rumors of massacres by the king
force to stay in power.
move around the country.
• People of Paris armed themselves. • People believed King sent foreign
• Searching for weapons, a mob
soldiers.
stormed the Bastille.
• Peasants destroyed records and
• Bastille was a prison that held
burned nobles’ houses as a result.
those who opposed the King.
Identify Cause and Effect
What was the connection between
the fall of the Bastille and the Great
Fear?
Answer(s): possible answer—After the fall of the
Bastille, people were terrified that the king would
punish them.
Creating a New Nation
Legislating New Rights
Restrictions on Power
• Declaration laid out “liberty,
equality, fraternity”.
• Louis tried to protect his throne.
• Inspired by the English Bill of
Rights, American Declaration of
Independence, and the writings
of Enlightenment philosophers.
• Prices still high; mob broke into
the palace demanding bread .
• Men are born equal and remain
equal under the law.
• The rights did not extend to
women.
• Angered the common people.
• Royal family seized; National
Assembly took bolder steps.
• Passed laws against the
church, clergy, and public
employees.
• Some outraged by actions.
Formation of a New Government
In 1791, the Legislative Assembly completes Constitution. Citizens
gained broad voting rights, but rights were not universal. Constitution
restricted power of king and ended distinctions of birth. King and queen
feared they would be harmed.
Only tax paying men of the age of 25 are allowed to vote.
Foreign Powers
End of Monarchy
• Austria and Prussia warned against
harming monarchs.
• August 10, 1792 royal family
imprisoned by mob
• Austrian army defeats French
• Radical faction took charge with
National Convention
• Financial strain of war, food
shortages, and high prices
• King blamed; action demanded
• Monarchy abolished; France
declared a republic
French army wins great victory against Prussians and Austrians
• In 1793 Britain, Spain, Holland join forces against France
•National Convention orders draft of 300,000 to reinforce army
Sequence
What steps did National and
Legislative Assemblies take to
create a new nation?
Answer(s): National Assembly completed
constitution and created Legislative Assembly;
Legislative Assembly—created a new legislature,
the National Convention, which abolished the
monarchy and declared France a republic
The Republic Section 2
Main Idea
An extreme government changed French society and tried
through harsh means to eliminate its critics within France.
Reading Focus
• What changes did the radical government make in French
society and politics?
• What was the Reign of Terror, and how did it end?
A Radical Government
In 1792, the radical representatives were in charge of the National
Convention. The constitutional monarchy came to a violent end, and
France became a republic.
3 Factions
• Radical Mountain
• Moderate Girondins
• The Plain- Sans
culottes,
• No group had
program or plan of
action
• Personal rivalries
Leaders
• Jean Paul Marat
– Sans culottes,
advocate of
violence.
• Georges Jacques
Danton
– Compromiser
• Robespierre
– Dedicated radical
Executions
• King put to death
by guillotine
• Europeans reacted
with horror
– Revolution
savagery
condemned
Robespierre Assumes Control
• Maximilien Robespierre—Jacobin leader rules
France for a year.
• Becomes leader of the Committee for Public Safety,
a dictator.
• Reign of Terror—Robespierre’s rule, which
includes killing many opponents.
• Thousands die during the Terror, including former
allies and Marie Antoinette.
• 85 percent of those who die during the Terror are
middle or lower class.
Tightening Control
• Committee of Public Safety set up to manage military defense.
• Drafted all able-bodied men between 18 and 45 for service.
• Established the Revolutionary Tribunal to protect the Revolution.
Transforming Society
• Leaders wanted to erase connections to old ways of life; especially
religion.
• Clergy members lost positions; churches closed in Paris.
• Robespierre created the cult of the Supreme Being. Enthusiasm for the
Revolution and REASON were the point of worship.
• Metric system was introduced.
Explain
Why did the National Convention want
to change French government and
society?
Answer(s): It saw the old government and systems as
oppressive and it wanted to create a better society.
The Reign of Terror
Course of Revolution
• Revolutionary leaders feared counter-revolution and took drastic actions
with accusations, trials, and executions. This period was known as the Reign
of Terror.
An Outbreak of Civil War
• Peasants, essentially conservative, only wanted an end to feudal dues.
• Remaining devoutly Catholic, the Vendée region opposed the Revolution in a
civil war. The government put down the counterrevolution to regain control.
Accusations and Trials
• Robespierre used the Revolutionary Tribunal to rid the country of dissent.
• It started with the Girondists, but soon anyone who had ever criticized the
Revolution, or who had connections to the Old Order, was in danger.
No Escape from the Terror
Death by Guillotine
• Most common sentence - death by guillotine
• Condemned paraded through Paris in open carts
• Mobs watched at scaffold; executions took less than one minute
The Terror’s Victims
• No one was spared
• Peasants and laborers affected
• Danton and Robespierre
• 40,000 executed in 10 months
• “Oh Liberty, what crimes are
committed in your name!”
After the Terror
• France started over with new
constitution in 1795
• Voting limited to property owners
• The Directory established
• High prices, bankruptcy, and
citizens’ unrest continued
• Power vacuum developed
Summarize
Why was the period of mass
executions called the Reign of
Terror?
Answer(s): It was a period of accusations, trials, and
executions that led to a wave of fear.
Napoleon’s Rise to Power
Napoleon Bonaparte, ruthlessly ambitious, rose from army captain to ruler of France
in a very short time. He took advantage of the turmoil of the French Revolution.
Opportunities for Glory
• Napoleon, brilliant military leader
• In charge of French interior at 26
• Invaded Italy and Egypt
• Defeat by Admiral Horatio Nelson
kept from newspapers
• Became national hero
Napoleon Seizes Power
• Directory weak and ineffective
• Fear of royalists and of European
opposition
• November 1799 coup d’état
• France to be led by Consulate
• Napoleon voted first consul, in
effect a dictator
Napoleon promised order and stability, pledging to uphold key reforms. The French
gave up some freedoms for peace and prosperity.
Summarize
What events led to Napoleon’s rise
to power?
Answer(s): stopped royalists from regaining power,
defended French interior, won battles in Italy, kept
borders secure, won territory for France, covered up
Battle of Nile, coup d'état
Emperor Napoleon
Once France under control, Napoleon turned to Europe
• Napoleon crowns himself
• Submitted a plebiscite before voters
• Emperor Napoleon I
• Desire for empire
• Wanted to rule Europe and the Americas
• French expedition to Saint Dominque (Haiti today) failed.
Haiti's independence ended Napoleon’s desire to have an
Empire in the Americas.
• Napoleon sold Louisiana Territory and turned his focus to
Europe
The Revolution’s Legacy
Was the French Revolution a failure?
• After Congress of Vienna, monarchs ruled again
• Citizens’ rights restricted
• Nobles returned to their previous lifestyles
• French Revolution changed Europe
• Monarchies no longer secure
• Common people learned they could change the world
• Ideals of human dignity, personal liberty, and equality
• Enlightenment crossed the Atlantic to Latin America, eventually
inspired political movements in Asia and Africa