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A Country Divided- Financial Troubles
-There were three classes of France- The Clergy, the Nobles/King and the largest group, the Peasants
-The peasants were horribly mistreated, they had to pay all the taxes and do all the hard work while the Clergy and Nobles partied, wore luxurious clothes, and were plastered with gold and jewels
-France was in debt- they owed other countries because of war, such as the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution
-To get France out of debt, the impoverished peasants were taxed even more -
Period: to
The Estates General
-Desprate for ecomonic relief, King Louis called a meeting of the Estates General
-this was a meeting where all classes of people gathered to say what was on their minds
-The Peasants wanted no social classes and equal taxation
-The Nobles and the Clergy didn't want to be taxed, wanted to keep living their extravagant livestyles
-In order to get a new law approved, two classes could vote and overrule the wishes of another- in short, the peasants were out voted every time -
The Storming of the Bastille
-Peasants were gathering weapons, but the still needed gunpowder
-They thought there was gunpowder at the Bastille
-Peasants mobed the Bastile,
-Soldiers fired into the crowd rapidly but they were deafted in the end and the commander of the fort was killed and his head placed on a pike -
National Assembly, the Rights of Man, Revolt, Women's March
-The "Great Fear" happnes- people fear attacks that are exagerated by the Third Estate
-The Declaration of Man is published, giving the rich more power and the rest of the population nothing, women are also excluded from this
-Enraged wome march to Versailles, chanting bread and demanding that the king and queen come to Paris.
-Secral improvements were made, the clergy had to be elected by the people and so on, but this is still far from the end of the revolution -
Threats from Abroad
-Nobles and clergy that fled France at the beginning of the Revolution spread the news of the uprising
-This spread fear and soon other countries worried that their people would want to revolt as well
-The King of Austria was worried about his sister Marie, she was in the center of the revolution
-England and Austria were specifically unhappy about the uprising and wage war on France -
Monarchy Abolished
-Thinsg looked grim for the Revolution
-The Prussian Army was advancing
-The people of France were panicking, they saw conspiritors every where
-At the urging of a popular news paper editor, the people of France went to the prisons that were completely full, and slaughtered the prisoners.
-The King had less and less control over his subjects, and was soon executed along with the queen. -
Start of the Civil War
-There were sevral gruops in the revolution.
-The Sans-coulotes- or the "no knee britches" who considred themselves the true people of France, as they were not slaves, but artisans and shop keepers
-There were also Jacobins, who were the new governemnt in France now that the monarchy was abolished
-These two gruops fought often and had very different ideas of what the new France should be -
Robespierre and the Reign of Terror
-Robespierre was a leader of the Revolution
-He blieved that the only way to enusre that the Revolution continued was to execute everyone who was thought to be working against it
-Thousands were sent to the guiolltines because of Robespierre
-It was no better than the Salemn Witch Trials, innocent people lost their heads because their neighbors had pointe the finger at them
-Louis the 15 was also sent to his death on the "national razor" -
Third Stage of the Revolution
-At this time, another constitution was formed, the third since the Revolution was started
-A new government was formed by the people of France, a legislature with men who were elected by the people
-Peace was made with Spain and Prussia, while war with Britain and Austria continued
-Old problems were never rolsved, such as the price of bread kept rising
-There were courpt leaders in goverment
-Napolen Bonaparte came to power, helping France back on track for the Revolution -
Spread of Nationalism
-Nationalism is the extreme pride that one feels for their country or their nationality
-Napolen Bonaparte started the spread od nationalism, saying that everyone should be proud of their country
-Every man, woman, and child in France began to embrace this new identity as the people of France
