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Weak Government
A good country is run by a strong government, not a weak one. The French government was slowly falling apart due to financial problems left over from the 7 Years War and the American Revolution. This caused a social unrest, again leaving the people unhappy. Just giving them another reason to rebel. -
Social Stratification
The French people sought rebellion due to the way its society was divided. The 1st estate was known as the wealthy + clergy estate. These people had high end jobs and paid little to no taxes at all. The third estate was poor urban workers known as the peasants. They paid a high amount of taxed and had jobs on the lower end. This caused them to question the inequality. They wanted their fair share. -
Enlightenment + American Revolution
The enlightenment was a symbol of freedom to the French people. It was very influential and had a great impact on them. This make them realize that they should have basic rights such as freedom of religion, speech, and press. Louis XVI then called representatives from each estate for a meeting, causing them to fight for equal rights. -
Economic Failure
Economic problems created high tension. The government was spending more money then it could take in. THis caused the peasants to starve. To solve this the government had to increase taxes but the nobles and clergy refused, putting it all on the 3rd estate. Obviously this made the people living in the 3rd estate not very happy, leaving them to dislike the government even more. -
Louis XVI
As France was on the verge of bankruptcy Louis knew he had to do something about it. So he called the Estates General for a meeting. He had them prepare notebooks listing the problems from each estate. Each estate had some not so nice things to say, in May of 1789 is when they met. They covered issues about voting, taxes, freedom of press, and the clergy. -
Tennis Court Oath
The 3rd estate elected mainly lawyers, middle class officials and writers to represent them. When all 4 estates met and discussed things, the 3rd estate was usually outvoted. They found this not fair to them and decided to rebel. They declared themselves the National Assembly, but when it came time to meet the meeting hall was locked and guarded. So they moved to an indoor tennis court close by and got their business done there. Louis XVI was not very fond of this but learned to accept it. -
Storming of the Bastille
In Paris rumors started that royal troops were going to invade the capital. This caused a riot, over 800 Parisians assembled outside the Bastille. Members of the Bastille opened fire on the crowd, but was no defense to the raging mob. They broke down the gates and released the prisoners that were there. They were looking for weapons and gunpowder but found none. This symbolizes the abuse from the Monarchy, this was a wake up call for the king. -
(Continued)
against this they were either imprisoned or executed. -
The Decleration of Rights of Man
As a first step toward writing a constitution the Decleration of the Rights of Man and the citizens was established. It was influenced by the Decleration of Independence. It said, all men "Were born and remain free and equal in rights". It also said, all male citizens were equal before the law, they have freedom of religion, and taxes would be determined by the amount of money you earned. "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Women didn't like this because they were not included, when women rebelled -
The Monarchy is Abolished
Battle disasters inflamed revolutionaries who thought the king was secretly a traitor. This caused the "September Massacre" the killing of 1,200 prisoners. Radicals took control of the king, voted him to be executed. They created the National Convention and planned to establish a new French Republic. They also created a new constitution for France and beheaded the kings wife as well. -
Nationalism Spreads
The Revolution and war gave people a strong sense of Nationalism. Now the government picked people too defend the nation. They attended festivals to celebrate the revolution. Many songs and themes were created in sight of the revolution. Troops marched strong and proud to the song "La Marseillaise" which later became the French national anthem. -
Robespierre + Reign of Terror
Robespierre, a laweyer and politician was the leader of the Comittee of Public Safety. He earned the nickname "The Incorruptible", others called him a tyrant. He promoted religious tolerance and abolished slavery. He believed France could achieve a "Republic of Virtue" through the use of terror. He felt they could not achieve liberty without criminals being killed. He was the chief of the Reign of Terror. Those who resisted revolution were beheaded. 300,000 were arrested 70,000 were executed. -
Robespierre + Reign of Terror (CONTINUED)
Many were either mistakenly identified or falsely accused. The engine of it all was the guillotine. It was a symbol of horror. Later on Robespierre was arrested and executed, after his death the killings slowly came to a stop. -
3rd Stage of the Revolution and Napoleon's Rise to Power
In reaction to the terror, there became a new stage and a new constitution. A 5 man directory and 2 house legislature elected by male citizens of property was created. The middle class was the dominant force of this stage. Peace was made with Prussia and spain, but war w/ Austria and Great Britain continued. Rising bread prices caused riots, but these riots were quickly suppressed. A constitutional monarchy won the majority of the seats in the legislature. As chaos grew politicians turned to -
CONTINUED: Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte, a powerful military hero. They hoped to use him to acheive their own goals. To their dismay however, Napoleon took power over France.
