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The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment began in 1650, but the ideas of the philosophes Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu truely affected the French and American Revolutions. "Enlightenment" meant that above all, science and human intelligents were of the gihest inportance. If believe couldn't stand up to reason, it was disgarded. -
The "Triple-Threat" Philosophes
The three most famous philosophes were Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu. Voltaire belived absolute monarchy was good, but he hated injustice and the Church, and was all for freedom of thought.Rousseau believed that society needed a social contact, in which everyone agrred to abide by curtain rules. Montesquieu believed that the ruler had to work with elected parliaments. Each were alive during the revolutions, but the "Enlightenment" began in 1650. -
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CITE
CROSSROADS: A Meeting of Nations Textbook
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates-General_of_1789
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette#Marriage_to_Louis:_1770.E2.80.931793
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_(France)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_to_Varennes
https://www.google.ca/search?q=when+was+louis+xvi+executed&rlz=1C5CHFA_enCA524CA524&oq=when+was+Louis+SVI+e&aqs=chrome.1.57j0l3.7407j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 -
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette, a royal Austrian princess, had been married in 1770 at a young age. She was very intrested in the glittering life at court, but she offended many aristocrats with her attitudes towards traditional French manners and courtesies. She had an idealized view of peasant life. But she did little to win over her subjects. She loved fine things, spending money on them, rather than helping the French people who lived in poverty, unable to feed themselves and/or their families. -
The Reign of Louis XVI
When Louis XVI came to throne in 1774, he wasn't prepared to become king and didn't have the qualities of a French ruler that would be needed to handle the troubles ahead. He did little to help France (who was in crisis) during his reign. Although he had good intentions, he seemed to have no understanding of the problems before him. He didn't have the support of the Middle class. -
A Crisis
During the reign of Louis XIV, France was almost bankrupt and revolution was close at hand. Led by philosophes, many french people openly expressed their displeasure with the government. The royal court split into two groups, one that supported the King and changes to the economy and one that supported Marie Antoinette and more power for the nobles. The middle class demanded some kind of democracy. France's people were starving, unhappy, and had nothing to lose. They demanded change. -
The Estates General
France's parliament was known as the "Estates General" which only met as a result of royal command. It consisted of the First Estate (Clergy), the Second class (Aristocrats) and the Middle Class (made up the lower class).France was bankrupt, and hoped that the meeting would help raise money and put an end to the rioting. Louis didn't want to give some of his power to the Estates, but instead giving small tokens of responsibilities (such as the taxing system), but to no avail. -
The Tennis Court Oath
When the Third Estate broke off of the Estates General, led by Count Mirabeau, declared a new government known as the National Assembly. Their goal was to reach a new constitution for France. Delegates retreated to the nearby royal tennis court, and when the King tried to lock them out, the Tennis Court Oath was taken. A pledge that they would continue to meet there until France had a new form of government. -
The Fall of the Bastille
When the mob began attacking the city's prisons to free political prisoners, Louis sent foreign mercenary troops to Paris and Versailles. The mob attacked the royal prison and fortress, the Bastille. Troops sent to disperse the mob joined it instead. And the Bastille was soon captured and torn down brick by brick. In order to keep order in Paris, a new army called that National Guard was formed, which was lead by Marquis de Lafayette. -
Paris and the King
When the National Assembly met in Versailles, it abolished all feudal rights and privileges and ended surfdom. It also declared all people equal before the law. They felt that the government need to come to Paris, rather than just in Versailles. In October, crowds of women marched to Versailles, along with the National Guard adn attacked and stromed the palace. And the King and Queen were forced to go back to Paris. -
Declaration Of The Rights Of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was passed by the National Assembly, which now met in Paris. Similar to the Declaration of Independance, it set out basic human rights that governments may not overlook. It guaranteed freedom of thought speech, religion, security, and property, and it put limits on the power of government. The National Assembly quickly established a new constitution sson after. Most of the old system was swept away and all people were given the title citizen. -
Flight to Varennes
In 1791, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempted to flee for Austria along with all their children. But the royal family was recognized at Varennes and brought back to Paris, where Louis was forced to accept France's new constitution. -
The End of The Monarchy
The war and other events had made the French people even more suspicious of the royal family. A newly elected body - the National Convention - decided that the king should be tried for his crimes against the country and executed.The King, now called "Citizen Louis Capet" was tried for his crimes and was found guilty, and guillotined. Marie Antoinette was guillotined in October. -
The Reign of Terror
The years 1793 to 1794 are known as the "Reign of Terror." During this period, the revolutionary government, led by Robespierre (after Danton's death in 1794), had passed a number of harsh laws designed to intimidate or elminate anyone who didn't agree with the radical Jacobins. Few people dared to stand up to the new power. -
The Fall of Robespierre
As France grew stronger, people began to fear a dictatorship by Robespierre, but to everyones's surprise, he tried to condemn more people, as well as himself. After he attemptedto shoot himself in the jaw, he was guillotined along with his closest friends. The Reign of Terror had ended. -
The End of The French Revolution
As the end of the Reign of Terror came about, so too did the end of the French Revolution. As the French Revolution occured, the people of France learned that in order for one to get what they want and need, they must choose for themselves and work together against the oppsing force. Together, they succeeded in their quest for democracy, as it is today. -
The Directory
After Robespierre's reign, it was replaced with the Directory, which was controled by the middle class. It gave most of the power to the people of property, whihc signalled a return to special priviledges for people with money.The days of equality were over and so too was the term "citizen." The Directory would eventually be swept away by Napoleon Bonaparte.
