THE FRENCH REVOLUTION BEGINS Chapter 22.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBn7iWzrKoI “The breath of an aristocrat is the death rattle of freedom.”
-- Georg Buchner
“The Revolution is like Saturn, it devours its own children.”
-- Georg Buchner CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION Three Estates: system where French people are divided into three different social classes First Estate Clergy; church officials .04% of pop. owned 10% of land Second Estate Nobles; government, military, court officials 1% of pop. owned 30% of land Neither the First nor the Second Estate had to pay the taille (main French tax) despite massive wealth Third Estate Peasants and bourgeoisie Paid the taille and various other taxes CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Third Estate inspired by Enlightenment and American Revolution Extravant spending by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tanks French economoy Louis XVI is incompetent and Marie Antoinette is “Madame Deficit”
“The Third Estate is the People and the People is the foundation of the State; it is in fact the State itself; the People is everything. Everything should be subordinated to it. It is in the People that all national power resides and for the People that all state exist.” - Comte D’Antraigues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfyL8qAxvPU&t=23s
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
France on verge of financial collapse, meeting of the Estates- General (French parliament) is called Third Estate demanded: A constitutional government First and Second Estates to pay taxes New voting system ESTATES-GENERAL
Voting System proposed by Third Old Voting System Estate First Estate: 300 representatives; 1 vote First Estate: 300 representatives; 300 votes Second Estate: 300 representatives; 1 vote Second Estate: 300 representatives; 300 votes Third Estate: 600 representatives; 1 vote Third Estate: 600 representatives; 600 votes
Majority: First and Second Estates Majority: Third Estate THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
France on verge of financial collapse, meeting of the Estates- General (French parliament) is called Third Estate demanded: A constitutional government First and Second Estates to pay taxes New voting system Tennis Court Oath: Third Estate declared itself the “National Assembly” and vowed to draft a constitution Locked out of offices; held meetings at nearby tennis court
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
French king prepared to violently deal with Third Estate Parisians storm the Bastille (prison and armory fortress) and capture it Paris fell to rebels; revolts broke out all over France
END OF THE OLD REGIME
National Assembly adopted the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen” Inspired by American Declaration of Independence, American Constitution, and English Bill of Rights Declaration stated that all men have rights to “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” All men are equal before law; freedom of speech and press Excluded women END OF THE OLD REGIME
King Louis XVI finally recognized National Assembly after pressure from violent peasants National Assembly seized Church lands and sold it Anything associated with previous gov’t became an enemy New constitution sets up a Legislative Assembly that made laws King technically still in power; wealthy still benefit Louis XVI tried to flee but was caught Put on trial for treason; beheaded
Warning: Graphic
https://youtu.be/4B7RApdrIfs?t=7610 REVOLUTION RADICALIZES
European nations feared revolution in France, threatened to step in Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia France suffered continued losses in battle Food became scarce for French citizens Angry Parisians attacked the Legislative Assembly Forced Legislative Assembly to fully suspend monarchy and set up a new gov’t Angry Parisians called themselves sans-culottes Radical Parisians who considered themselves ordinary patriots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBn7iWzrKoI