French Revolution

French Revolution Causes of Revolution  Burden of debt  Burden of taxes, fees, and services on peasants  Urban poverty and unemployment  Resentment of privileges of nobles and clergy  Poor harvests  Enlightenment ideas  Failure of reform efforts

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Cardinal de Fleury was brains behind French economy

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Louis XV was weak and fun loving

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Things fall apart when Fleury dies

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Madame de Pompador was Louis XV’s mistress

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She spent a lot of Treasury money

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She was called “Mistress Power”

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Louis made a prophecy o

“Apres moi, deluge”

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Means- “After me, the flood”

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Louis XVI succeeds the throne

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He was poorly educated, shy, indecisive, and had bad political judgement

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Marries Marie Antionette (Hapsburg Dynasty Austria)

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She is young, immature, and unpopular with the French

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Debt starts building when France supports America in American Revolution

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French society divided into three estates o

Estate determines status and rights under the law 

First estate: Catholic clergy (1% of pop.) higher clergy (bishops and cardinals) lower clergy (local priests)

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Second estate: Nobility (2% of pop.) high positions in government and military

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Third Estate: (97% of pop.) peasant, artisans, bourgeoisie, no political power

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First and second estates did not pay taxes

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Estates were based on birth and third estate could never move up

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Population pressure, inflation, financial crisis was occurring

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Louis XVI needed money

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Robert Turgot tells him to tax the 1st and 2nd estates

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Louis XVI fires Robert

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Jacques Necker is new financial advisor

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He is a swiss banker of the third estate

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He misrepresents credit and gets huge loans

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Eventually he tells king to tax 1st and 2nd estates

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Crops are failing at the time

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For the first time in 175 years French king calls the Estates General together in May 1789

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1st estate: 300 seats, 1 vote in total

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2nd estate: 300 seats, 1 vote in total

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3rd estate: 600 seats, 1 vote in total

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3rd estate wants a head count vote but the king refuses

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They get locked out of Estates General and go to Tennis Court and make Tennis Court Oath o

They will not disband until they write a Constitution

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1st and 2nd estates agree with 3rd estate and all now want a constitution

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King allows them to become National Constituent Assembly

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Want a constitutional monarchy, king does not so he brings in troops

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People of paris are afraid and begin to riot

July 14, 1789 riot breaks out, “storm” the Bastille o

Bastille was a prison and armory which represented Old Regime 

They kill Governor (leader of prison) and find no weapons

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Spark of the French Revolution

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“The Great Fear” was the spread of the Revolution from the City of Paris out into French countryside

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Peasants revolt against nobles at manors o

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Wanted to burn up debt records

Peasants refuse to pay taxes and fees known as feudal dues

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Royalists want absolute monarchy

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Moderates wanted limited constitutional monarchy

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Radicals wanted republic and to end monarchy

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Leader of moderates was Marquise de Lafayette, fighter in Am. Rev. who fought with colonists

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Radicals controlled Paris

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Nobles vote to remove their privileges

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Feudalism in Franc is over in 1789

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Nobles can now be taxed

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National Constituent Assmebly creates Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

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Olympe de Gauges was journalist who called for equality for women

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Women were allowed to inherit property

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Louis XVI doesn’t sign the Declaration

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King and family held at Palace of Tuillenies

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Held by anti-royalists against the king’s will

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King agrees to sign Declaration

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New government will be: o

Constitutional monarchy

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Problems with the church 

Confiscate church lands, angers pope, makes church a branch of government

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Lands were used to pay off debt o

Assignats were government bonds 

Didn’t work because government made too many

Civil Constitution of the Clergy •

Cements church as branch of government

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Forced king to approve

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Clergy must take oath to support Civil Constituion

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Half sign it, half do not

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Half that don’t sign are called “refactory”

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Punishment is removal from office

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Pope condemns civil constitution

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Splits France in half

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Clergy that don’t take oath called “refactory clergy”

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Develop Constitution of 1791 o

Clarifies constitutional monarchy

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Still have king

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Legislative Assembly acts as Congress

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745 representatives

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Representatives decided/biased towards wealthy

All male citizens get same rights

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Over 25 to vote, and mandatory tax

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Moderates support current system, limited constitutional monarchy

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Radicals want a republic o

Divided into 2 categories 

Girandists want middle class

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Jacobins support of peasantry, city people •

Wanted universal male suffrage

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Wanted king’s head

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Called each other “citizen”

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3 key Jacobins: o

George Jacques Danton “The Mouthpiece of the Revolution” who denounced king as traitor

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Jean Paul Morat “A friend of the people” known as “the pen”

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Maximillion Robespierre “the incorruptible” known as “the leader” who started Committee of Public Safety which triggers reign of terror

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Louis XVI and family try to escape France but escape fails which shows disloyalty to France

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Austria and Prussia threaten France that they will save monarchy and absolutism

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France goes to war, declares on Austria which radicalized the Revolution

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Sept. 1792, Paris Commune kills 1200 people in jails

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Want universal male suffrage, election, and a new assembly

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Write a democratic const. which creates a radical leg. body known as “national convention”

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It existed from 1792 to 1794

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Convention meets in sept 1792 to declare France a republic

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Convention made of Jacobins and sans rulottes

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Sans rulottes made of artisans, workers, blue collars

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Wanted price controls on food

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Resented social inequality

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Hate aristocracy and even some less radical leaders of Revolution

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Anti monarchy and suspicious of government

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Jacobins wanted an unregulated economy

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Special group of extreme Jacobins known as “The Mountain”

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Mountain and sans culottes teamed up and pushed Rev. war effort

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The Plain acted as swing voters/independents

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1792 Louis XVI goes on trial

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He is convicted of conspiracy against state and beheaded in Jan 21 1793

The Reign Of Terror •

Months of execution and murders of internal enemies

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Jacobins are in control of government

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Committee of Public Safety weeded out any suspicious people

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CPS created Law of Suspect which allows CPS to go after anyone

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They went after Girondists, clergy, etc.

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Maire Antionette was executed in Oct. 1793 via guillotine

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George Danton stands up against reign of terror and gets executed

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Made people look at Robespierre

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Ends reign of terror with his execution

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Robespierre establishes cult of supreme being

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40 thousand died in reign of terror, mostly peasants and sans coulettes

War with Austria •

Starts off bad, improves at the end

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“feelings of revolution had consumed enough of its own children”

Thermidorean Reaction •

Establishes new government

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Thermidorean Constitution: o

Driven by wealthy middle class

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Replaces sans culottes

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Privded legislative government favoring property owners

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Executive body had 5 people known as The Directory

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Elected by legislator

Thermidorians Favors/Actions •

Repeal price controls made by Sans culotte which caused food riots in the winter

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Napoleon Bonapard disperses the crowd with motto: liberty, equality, fraternity

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Austria, Prussia, Spain, Britain, Netherlands, Sardinia unite against France

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France has a draft: Levee en masse

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Jan 21, 1793 Louis XVI is executed

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France at war with all of Europe

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Olympe de Gouges opposed Reign of Terror and beheaded as result

Pros of Revolution •

Abolished serfdom

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Racial/ethnic discrimination ended

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Slavery abolished

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Disturbance to old order

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All other liberal movements to come

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Patriotism

Cons of Revolution •

Legal gains by woman were reversed by Napoleon

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Economic disatster, many lower-middle class were worse off after F.R.

Napoleonic Age •

Napoleon was born in Corsica, Jacobin, went into army, became general

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In 1797 he crushes Austrians which results in Treaty of Camp Formia-got Austria out of war

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Great Britain was the only true enemy left

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Egypt was part of Ottoman Empire

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Napoleon goes to Egypt to cutoff British communication with India

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Invasion of Egypt was a failure

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But they find Rosetta Stone, trilingual translation

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British admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed French fleet

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Army stranded in Egypt

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Napoleon calls it scientific expedition when he returns

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1799, Coup, overthrows directory

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Issues a new constitution called The Consulate

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Brings stability and peace with Treaty of Amiens

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Issues a Napoleonic Code o

Does not offer ful equality for all

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Extended political and legal equality to all men but not women

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Rights of worker is limited

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Labor unions are illegal

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Religious tolerance is permitted

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1804 Napoleon crowns himself emperor

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Britain declares war on France

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Napoleone fails to invade England

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Major Battle of Trafalgar

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Horation Nelson dies in the battle

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Trafalgar guarantees British Control of seas

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Napoloeon puts relatives into power in conquered lands

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Puts brother Joseph on throne in Spain

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Berlin decree forbids allies and conquered nations to import British goods

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Economic warfare against Britain

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Ports of Europe closed to Brisih goods

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Napoleon saw Britain as “nation of shopkeepers”

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Backfires, starts to hurt European economies

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Russia breaks decree, breaks from continental system

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Napoleon uses this as a reason to attack Russia

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However, France was breaking continental system because Britain made French army coats

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Napoleon takes Grand Army (600,000 soldiers) to invade Russia

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Russia retreats and executes scorched earth policy o

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They burned everything they couldn’t take with them

Napoleon retreats as winter comes

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They face Russia’s two best generals: General Mud and General Winter

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5/6 of French Army dies

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Coalition against Napoloen:Britain, Prussia, Russia, Austria

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Battle of Nations-Leipzig, Napoleon loses

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Coalition Army marches into Paris

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Napoleon is exiled to Elba

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Napoleon escapes Elba

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Treaty of Chaumont restores Bourbon dynasty

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Congress of Vienne, almost all European nations sent delegates

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Led by Prince Metternich of Austria

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Goal: restore Europe to the state it was before French Revolution in order to establish stability

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Guiding Principles of Meeting o

Compnsation- all countries should be repaid for expenses occurred while fighting French

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Legitimacy-restore to power royal families that ruled before Napoleon

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Balance of Power- no country ever again dominate continental Europe

What Congress of Vienne actually did: o

Redrew map of Europe

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Forced to pay indemnity, but did not over punish France

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Ultimately agrees upon treaty called Vienna Settlement

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Napoleon took over France again, ruled for 100 days

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June 1815, Battle of Waterloo

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Napoleon was defeated by army of Europe, Napoleon exiled again to St. Helena, dies there

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Legacy: legal equality for men of all social levels, religious tolerance, advancement by merit, Napoleonic Code

Enlightenment Thnkers John Locke-wrote Essa On the Origins of Human Understanding, believed in tabula rasa-blank slate, experiences of life written on tablet which creates thinking and judging human beings, wanted little government and big people “best government is government that rules the least”, government based on social contract Voltare- wrote Candeed, philosopher, used satire Montesquie wrote Spirit of the Laws, rights of individual Rousseau distrusted science, distrusted reason, he is Romanticist, liked impulse, emotion, intuition, social contract, felt purpose of government was to maintain order, protect property, defend against foreign enemies, protect the natural rights of its people, limited view of government role