French Revolution Review

1
French Revolution Review

• 1789-1799

2
Trouble in Paris.

• France is in economic trouble
• Accumulating Debts
• Foreign wars
• American Revolution
• Court at Versailles
• Strictly divided feudal society
• 1st Estateclergy
• 2nd Estatenobility
• 3rd Estaterural poor, urban workers, bourgeoisie

3
The beginning of the end of the old regime

• Estates General Meets
• 3rd Estate leaves
• Delegates go to a nearby tennis court
• Tennis Court Oath
• Agree to form a new constitution for France
• King makes 1st and 2nd Estates join in

4
Ideals of the Revolution

• National Assembly (new government)
• Declaration of the Rights of Man
• Equality under the law
• Property Rights
• No more special Church privileges
• Constitution of 1791
• Limited Monarchy, separation of power
• Limited suffrage/participation

5
Revolution Among The COmmoners

• The Great Fear (Summer 1789)
• Storming the Bastille (July 14, 1789)
• Womens March on Versailles (Oct. 1789)

6
The King Loses His Head (Literally)

• Louis family caught trying to escape to Austria
  (July, 1791)
• Suspected of plotting against the Assembly with
  foreign monarchs
• They want to crush revolution, keep it from
  spreading to their countries
• French Army gets involved, goes to war with
  Austria Prussia (Spring 1792)
• Louis XVI Executed early 1793

7
The Rise of the Radicals

• Radicals become more powerful than moderates in
  the assembly
• Jacobins
• Maximilien Robespierre is their leader
• Radicals take advantage of military victories,
  patriotism, poverty and paranoiatake over Paris
• Call for a new National Convention

8
The Reign of Terror

• Radicals set aside 1793 Constitution
• Create the Committee of Public Safety
• The Republic of Virtue
• Dedicated to Ideals of Enlightenment, but
  defended them to the extreme with violence
• Law of Suspects
• Very little evidence needed to convict people of
  being against the Revolution

9
The Reign of Terror

• Up to 40,000 men, women children are killed by
  guillotine
• Many nobles, clergy killed
• Mostly ordinary people
• Very effective in controlling population
• Committee of Public Safety also good at keeping
  French army strong
• Set limits on food prices, wage

10
The End of The Terror

• People begin to question the need for so many
  executions
• Robespierre arrested, tried, and killed
• Reaction to Reign of Terror
• A more conservative, moderate government
• The Constitution of 1795
• The Directory
• Legislature with 5 man executive

11
The Directory

• Directory was inefficient, corrupt
• Removes price controls
• Food prices go up
• Leads to more rioting in the streets
• Directory needs help to control people
• Call in Napoleon
• Overthrows government in 1799

12
Phases 1-3 A Success?

• Start with monarchy, no representation
• Middle class gets power
• Go through 4 constitutions in 10 years
• More rights for many people
• Thousands die needlessly
• End with a dictator
• Everyone thinks that they are the truly
  enlightened group
• So which Enlightenment thinker is proven right
  during the French Revolution?