[THE FRENCH REVOLLUTION NOTES] Jaimy To AP European History

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1718-1815

England had a 60 year lead before everyone else until WW1 The French Revolution doesnt take place until 1789 The US and Western Europe doesnt In France, the king has to call a meeting of the estates general

French Social Structure

First Estate = Clergy Second Estate = Aristocracy Third Estate = Bourgeoisie, Urban Workers, Peasants (97%)

Bourgeoisie = Middle class with money who want political power (brains) i.e. Doctors, Lawyers, Larger Scale Merchants, etc.

Social Preconditions to Revolution

1. 1st and 2nd Estates had privileges, especially exemption from the land tax (taille) 2. Bottom heavy tax structure = peasants still required to pay feudal dues, perform feudal services, and pay church tithe Examples: A. Corvee = road work obligation of peasants B. Gabelle = salt tax controlled by nobles as monopoly C. Taille = Tax on land and income paid only by 3rd

Political Preconditions to Revolution

1. Weak Kings Refused to stand up to the aristocracy and clergy to force them to pay the land tax. Failed to use the Estates General. Masses of people have NO political voice! Bourgeoisie has wealth, but wanted political power as well. a. Rene Maupeou (Chancellor for King Louis 15, 1770-1774) dissolved the Parlement of Paris in 1771 and greatly weakened the power of the aristocracy. Also dissolved other Parlements and exiled magistrates. 1774 when Louis 16 became king (19yrs. Old) he restored the Parlements to get popular support for the monarchy! Was major mistake! b. At least 5 other finance ministers advised King Louis 16 to change the tax structure! 2. The ENL ideas and the American Revolution provided models for Democracy in France

Economic Preconditions to War

France was bankrupt by 1789. Her debts were due to: 1. Wars a. Louis 14s wars of expansion b. Seven Years War (fighting Brits and Iroquois) c. American Revolutionary War i. Sent naval aid to assist the colonists 2. Cost of building the Palace of Versailles (Louis 14) a. Took 26 years to build and took away from the yearly budget 3. 1787-89 droughts = bad harvests, food shortages, high prices 4. 40% of land owned by peasants who could not afford to buy new equipment and technology
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The French Revolution 1789-1795

King Louis 16 of France (1774-1793) o Was clearly a weak leader o Instead to continuing to reducing the power of the nobles, he gave power back to them to gain his popularity in France, this created much of the problem that started the French Revolution Queen Maries Antoinette (Austrian Dynasty) and Children o Was an Austrian and sister of Kings Joseph II and Leopold II of Austria o Was from a mountain region of Austria and she hated France (Flat land) o She was homesick for her motherland o She was a big spender o She influenced her husband on political decisions o She was despised by the lower classes By 1786, no other nation in the work would loan more money to France because it became obvious that they wouldnt pay it back By 1788, King Louis had no other choice but to implement the land tax on ALL social classes

Aristocratic Revolt
Louis 16 tried to pass the land tax through the Parlement of Paris Parlement of Paris claimed that ONLY the Estates General could create new taxes (last mtg of Est. Gen was in 1614) In 1788 King Louis 16 ordered delegate selection for the Estates General which would meet 5 May 1789. He also ordered the creation of cahiers de doleance (lists of grievances) The Aristocracy planned to vote the land tax down because: o Traditionally, the estates general met in separate buildings (for each of the three estates) and had one vote per estate. Although each state had 300 delegates, it was a majority wins vote to decide the 1 estate vote. o Example: 1st estate votes 50 votes FOR the land tax and 250 votes AGAINST, so the majority rules and the 1 vote for the 1st estate is AGAINST the land tax on all estates o Since neither the 1st or 2nd estate currently paid the land tax, the aristocracy assumed that the vote to place the land tax on all estates would go like this - 1st Estate = NO 1 vote 2nd Estate = NO 1 vote 3rd Estate = Yews 1 Vote Result = 2 to 1 vote o The 3rd Estate hoped for a chance to pass the land tax: In 1788, the 3rd estate convinced Louis 16 to give them 600 delegates (instead of the usual 300) since they represented 98% of the population. This was referred to as doubling the third. However, this would NOT make a difference if the estates still had 1 vote each At this time, a very influential pamphlet called What is the Third Estate was written by Abbe Sieyes. It argued for the estates to vote by head. Each head would get 1 vote instead of EACH estate getting 1 vote 5 May 1789, the Estates General met at Versailles and the 3rd estate immediately called for ALL estates to meet in 1 building as the National Assembly and they demand that they vote by head instead by estate (the 3rd estate would have a very easy time controlling the vote)
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[THE FRENCH REVOLLUTION NOTES] Jaimy To AP European History o They knew that the clergy delegation would give some sympathy to them At Versailles, King Louis 16 ordered each estate to meet in a separate building, just as they always had. This caused the estates to ASSUME that they would also vote by ESTATE, as they always had! Yet, King Louis 16 DID NOT specify how the Estates would vote!! 17 June 1789, the 3rd Estate declared itself the NATIONAL ASSEMBLY and claimed it would begin to write a new Constitution!! It then sent an invitation to the other Estates to join it in the national assembly! (first radical act of the revolution) 19 June 1789 most of the clergy joined the National Assembly The next morning, Louis 16 ordered the doors to the 3rd Estates meeting hall locked so they COULD NOT MEET!! 20 June 1789 the 3rd Estate, some clergy supporters, and a few nobles went to a nearby indoor tennis court where they proclaimed what became known as the TENNIS COURT OATH! This oath said they would not disband until a new constitution was written! **At the same time as the Tennis Court Oath, the Parisians sent a message to Louis 16 in Versailles saying that if he didnt allow them (the 3 estates) to meet together, they would send a group of people to attack the palace of Versailles 27 June 1789, the king gave in and ordered all three estates to meet together to meet as the national constituent Assembly (French govt #1)- - This govt will create the lasting changes in the French Revolution He also ordered them to vote by head rather than estate and to create a new constitution Unfortunately, Louis then ordered troops (mostly Swiss mercenaries) to surround both Versailles and Paris Riots in Paris scared Louis 16 (mostly food riots) and he wanted to be able to break up the National Assembly before it breaks down his power o The price on bed was still sky rocketing - - people thought that the aristocrats were purposely depriving people of food as a way of controlling them The Bastille (Bas-tee) was used as a prison (medieval fortress) Causes of Revolt: 1. The people thought that the king and the aristocracy was withholding grain from them 2. They feared the king was going to use the military to stop governmental reform (stop the writing of the constitution) 3. Bread shortages and high food prices 4. In July of 1789 Louis 16 dismissed a very popular financial minister by the name of Jacques Necor; he ended serfdom on royal lands and he told the king to put tax on the 1 st and 2nd estate *July 14 of 1789, the Parisians stormed and took control of the Bastille in Paris, their goal was to get the ammunition in the prison so that they could defend themselves from French military and hopefully free the prisoners There were riots all over the city of Paris between the 12th and 17th and the popular rant from the people was Livert, Egalit, Fraternit The Eiffel tower was built in 1889 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Bastille Day (also a landmark that represents the industrial revolution in France)

Middle Class/Bourgeoisie Revolt

The Popular Revolt

Chapter X | THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1718-1815

The Peasants revolt aka The Great Fear

On July 20th of 1789 the peasants heard about the attack on the Bastille and rumors spread that soldiers were marching into the country to seize grains from all of the villages; the peasants responded by going to their Lords Manors and broke into their homes to destroy the feudal contracts (in many cases, this would get out of control and burn the lords homes) The peasants also seized grain because they were afraid that ALL of the grain would be taken from them The big concern now was that the revolution was spinning out of control The national assembly feared that the peasants were causing the revolution to go out of control and that the king might respond by dissolving the national assembly and stopping the writing of the constitution Ended feudal dues and serfdom **Declaration of the Rights of Man (French Bill of Rights) Constitutional Monarchy form of govt legislature had more power than the king **Voting rights given only to men that paid a set amount of taxes or above (meant only 2/3 of male population could vote had own land) Revised local government (create 83 departments, roughly equal in size) and govt officials ELECTED by voters of each department not appointed by king as before Seized the1791 lands of the church and of the Emigrs and sold them to pay state debts. Much of this land was bought by the bourgeoisie, who then owned enough land to get VOTING RIGHTS **Civil Constitution of the Clergy (**considered the biggest mistake of the revolution since it turned the church and most of the peasants against the revolution)gg a. This created 83 diocese which were the same exact areas as the 83 departments (directly equivalent) b. ALL clergy were now elected by the people of each diocese NOT appointed by the church; this caused enormous problems because there were many different religious beliefs and they all got the opportunity to vote) c. Parish churches and ALL catholic land became the property of the govt of France and resulted in large financial loss for the catholic church d. NO papal letters, decrees, or bulls were published in France without govt approval first and all Clergy were paid by the govt e. The National Assembly required all clergy to take the new loyalty oath, only 50% took the oath, they became known as the constitutional Clergy and the other 50% who refused were known as the REFRACTROY f. The ultimate result was the pope condemned the whole French Revolution and the clergy who had initially supported the French Revolution no is against it

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National Assembly Actions 17891791 (The Lasting Reforms of the French Revolution)

Events During the Meeting of the National Assembly

1. Womens March on Versailles - - This occurred in the middle of the meetings of the NA because of the rising food cost and rumors that the king was plotting behind peoples back to stop the revolution; a large number of women marched from Paris to Versailles (18 miles) and forced the royal family to move to Paris where they could be watched carefully, this was unique in that it was carried out by women. The king and queen were put under house arrest in Hotel de Ville in Paris. The Counter Revolution 2. 1792 Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria-Prussia 3. July 1792 The Brunswick Manifesto
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[THE FRENCH REVOLLUTION NOTES] Jaimy To AP European History 4. August 1797 pans city council replaced by the Paris Commune (sans culottes) - - The masses of the lower class Parisians known as the sans culottes (lower class) forced the dissolution of the Paris city council; they insisted that a new govt be elected with one representative from each of the 43 wards of Paris. This new govt became known as the Paris commune. This new radical govt began to lead the French Revolution 5. August 1792 Parisian San Culottes Attack the Palace of Tuileries - - Their intent was to arrest the royal family who were known to work with the Austrio-Prussian Armies against the revolution; they were moved from Hotel de Ville to Palace of the Tuileries where the Swiss royal guard was protecting them. On September, the king and his royal family were now put under house arrest; now, no royal monarchy exists. The royal family was imprisoned in the chambers of the legislative assembly for their own protection. The Paris commune now called for a new govt to write a new constitution. 6. September 1792 The September Massacres - - The San Colettes broke into all the prisons thinking that there were royalist aristocrats that were going to escape during the battle. 1200 prisoners were killed in a series of brutal massacres. The SC were thinking that they were killing potential enemies of the revolution but half of them were just criminals ENTER MISSING NOTES HERE FOR 4/5/2012

The Radical Phase of the Revolution 1793-94

1. 20 September 1792. Government #3, THE NATIONAL CONVENTION, was elected by **universal manhood suffrage. **22 September 1792 the National Convention officially created a REPUBLIC. This was radical because the war was creating food shortages. o Jacque Louis David became the official artist of the FR (French Revolution). He was one of the Conventionels. o National Convention Consisted of 780 members = 20 nobles, 40 clergy, and 720 bourgeoisie! o Parisian militants (sans culottes & Paris Commune) drove the Convention in in its first year o Sans culottes read inflammatory journals such as: Jean Paul Marats - - L Ami du Peuple {The Friend of the People) The Death of Jean Paul Marat (stabbed by a peasant woman, Charlotte Corday) Jacques Ren Hberts (A-bear) - - Le Pere Duchesne (Father Duchesne) La Pere Duchesne (meaning Father Duchesne, imaginary character representing the man of the people) - - If you didnt believe in the FR, you were known as an aristocrat o Problems for the national convention: National Convention became divided between 2 factions of the Jacobin Club (1 st political party in France) - - the Girondist were the conservatives who thought the revolution was now going too far. They were happy the reforms of 1791. Their leader was Georg Jacques Danton AND the Montagnards who were the radicals or leftists. They saw the creation the Republic as the beginning of the revolution. The Montagnards wanted further economic reforms by the govt such as rationing and the establishment of maximum prices and minimum wages. Saw govt as protector of the poor. Wanted universal manhood suffrage and direct democracy. The Montagnard leader was Maximilien Robespierre o What should be done with King Louis 16 & the royal family?

Chapter X | THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1718-1815

The Montagnards wanted to kill the royal family. The Girondist said NOT to kill him because that would cause more problems by spreading the revolution and drawing other countries in to battle with France The Key thing is they cant prove it legally (that the king was trying to escape) o What should be done with foreign countries occupied by French Troops? Belgium? The French army almost conquered Belgium or what would be called the Spanish Netherlands The French Policy became known as Guerre aux Chateau, Paix aux Chaumiere (War on the palaces & manor houses, peace for huts of the poor) Said that they would have the authority to sell homes and collect the money to pay back for the war January 1793 National Convention put Louis 16 on trial. In November 0f 1792, the Parisians found letters proving that king was trying to overthrow the revolution a. They used these in the trial; the king was found guilty of treason b. In the 21st of January, Louis 16 was guillotined ( 2 times to remove his head/decapitate) i. This is considered to be the point of no return First Coalition of 1793 consisted of Britain, Netherlands, Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Naples, and Spain a. In the response to the execution, Europeans created the First Coalition to protect themselves from France In Early 1793, inflation spirals out of control but also the national convention released a new currency called assignats to pay for the war and the issue of these assignats flooded the market causing inflation to go out of control Civil War developed between rival factions - a. Nobles & Peasants (Girondist) vs. Bourgeoisie & urban workers (Montagnards) b. ***Something had to be done to STOP THE CIVIL WAR so France could unify to fight the oncoming foreign armies!! (all revolutionary gains at stake!) 1793 the Committee of Public Safety was created (1793-1794) - - was an emergency govt consisting of 12 members from the National Convention. Key leader was Maximilien Robespiere. Key goal of Com. Of Publ Safety was to end the civil war to save the revolution

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How did the Committee of Public Safety Work?

The National Com. Of Publ. Safety set up LOCAL committees of public safety in town across France. The basic idea is that all people became spies on one another. REVOLUTIONARY TRIBUNALS were created to try and execute counterrevolutionaries (those who DID NOT SUPPORT the Fr. Revol.). Anyone who said something against the revolution or did something to show he was against the revolution was DENOUNCED as a traitor before the revolutionary tribunal. The judges of the tribunal almost always found the denounced person guilty and sentenced him to execution by the guillotine!! The Reign of Terror (June 1793 June 1794) 1. May 1793 first MAXIMUM ON BREAD established a. Radicals still not satisfied. Girondist leaders expelled from National Convention & executed! 2. August 1793 ***LEVEE EN MASSE issued by Lazare Carnot. a. This drafted all men into a CITIZENS ARMY and organized the economy to support the war. Created army of 800,000 by 1794! Largest army ever raised by European power! b. They usually fought against opposing armies which consisted of peasants who had no political roles in their govt (no power) 3. October 1793, Queen Marie Antoinette executed! (January 1793)
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[THE FRENCH REVOLLUTION NOTES] Jaimy To AP European History 4. October 1793, New Calendar made a. Created by Hbert and the **Enrages to De-Christianize France. Goes back to 22 Sept. 1792 The day France was made a REPUBLIC. Goal was eliminate Christian presence in the calendar by eliminating: Sundays, Saints Days, & religious holidays. 300 day calendar made up of 10 day **decades instead of weeks. Each tenth day was a day of Decade to be taken off work. They were each named after important events in the revolution. National convention sent deputies into France to enforce De-Christianization by closing churches, persecuting clergy, & sometimes forcing clergy to marry November 1793 expanded De-Christianization to CULT OF REASON / REPUBLIC OF VIRTUE - - Cathedral of Notre Dame became Temple of Reason Ceremonies celebrating reason were held. People tried to be humble (Jean Jacques Rousseau) and dressed in Sans Culotte or Roman style Just 1794, Robespiere changed CULT OF REASON to CULT OF THE SUPREME BEING since he was afraid the cult of reason would turn the French masses and foreigners against the Revolution. Cult of Supreme Being recognized existence of god and immortality of soul. Change was TOO LATE! 5. Reign of Terror executions estimated at 20,000-40,000!!!! Most common people 6. Committee of Public Safety was successful by spring of 1794. French was winning the Counterrevolution War & people asked why there was need for more executions. a. Robespiere refused to stop the executions because they have driven the first coalition out of France and facilitated the French Revolution 7. Thermidorian (Name of the Month of July) Reaction (July 1794-1795) a. Natl convention ordered Robespierre executed in July & this ended the Reign of Terror! Also removed economic controls and economy became worse than ever!!

Post-Revolutionary Period, 1785-1799

October 1795 Natl Convention was dissolved and new govt called THE DIRECTORY (Govt #4) was created. It was required that at least 2/3 of the new members of the legislative Assembly by former members of the National Convention (to preserved the gains of the Revolution) The Directory 1795-1799 (Govt #4) In 1795, a new Moderate constitution created Directory which included: A. Elected legislature - - vote given to those who could read & who owned a quota of property B. Executive - - consisted of 5 directors The directory became ineffective due to corrupt legislators & inefficient directors. Almost all French HATED IT!!

Chapter X | THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1718-1815

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1718-1815 | Chapter X