THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

• First Estate: The church,

own 65% land & tax
exempt (.5% of pop)

Second Estate: Nobles who

hold govt & military
postions. Own 25% of land.
Tax exempt.
(1.5% of pop)
 Third Estate: 98% of pop,
pay all taxes, own no
land
Includes peasants &
Bourgeoisie –who were
middle class (drs
Merchants, lawyers,
writers
upset w/ nobles)
•Many problems:
Bad harvests, rising
food prices, lack of
food & clothes, little
manufacturing, govt
spending money on
wars, luxuries.
•Louis XVI
meets w/
Estates General
(a gathering of
representatives
from all three
estates) to
raise taxes.
• Each estate
gets ONE vote
so 3rd asks for a
vote from each
person.
• 3rd wants to get
rid of tax
exempt.
• King says no &
locks palaces so
3rd cant meet.
• 3rd Estate
meets
6/17/1789 &
calls itself
National
Assembly
• Swear TENNIS
COURT OATH
to write new Fr
constitution
• July 14th, 1789 mob storms
Bastille, (prison in Paris)
after Louis XVI uses troops
against National Assembly.
National Assembly met
on Aug. 4th, 1789 &
abolish rights of
landlords, Church
tithes & tax
exemptions (after rebellions
broke out)
•Aug 26, 1789, adopt
Declaration of the Rights
of Man which gave basic
liberties for MEN such as:
equal rights, freedom of
press, speech & no tax
exempt. (enlightenment
ideas)
• Louis XVI says
no.
• Armed women
march & force
family to Paris
to accept
Declaration of
Man & National
Assembly
• New constitution
written 1791
• Creates
Legislative
Assembly &
limited king
• Men who paid
certain amt in
taxes could vote
(2/3 of pop).
•Lower classes say no b/c
they can’t vote
•King flees & is caught.
•Aus & Prussia want Louis
back in power, so Leg
Assembly declare
war (big losses).
• 1792 radical groups
called COMMUNES
organize to protest new
Constitution
• Paris Commune gets
king & forces Legislative
Assembly to call for
National Convention (a
meeting) where all can
vote (universal suffrage)
• Communes
called
themselves the
SANS-
COULOTTES
(had no fine
clothes, wore
pants & were
mostly poor
working class)
• At National
Convention,
New Minister of
Justice,
Georges
Danton is
created to go
after royal
supporters.
• 1000s
murdered.
• DO NOT WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Sept 1792: National
Convention is ruling body.
• Mostly lawyers & property
owners who distrust king.
• Spilt into 2 groups over what
to do w/ king.
• Both part of JACOBINS- a
network of political groups.
GIRONDINS- keep king alive.
MOUNTAIN- Kill king
• King guillotined 1793
• Other nations go to war
against France (Aus, Pru, SP,
Br, Port, Rus).
• DON’T
WRITE!
•Also killed
Louis’ wife,
Marie
Antoinette.
• Famous for her excess
& for saying “let them
eat cake”
• Nat Convention gives the
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC
SAFETY broad powers to
do anything & protect
France from enemies of the
Revolution

• Prosecuted enemies of rev

& 40,000 die, 16,000 by
guillotine alone)
• MAXIMILLAIN
ROBESPIERRE
ran the CPS w/
Danton (1793-
94)
•Time
period
was
called the
Reign of
Terror
when
many
were
killed.
• France built a huge army,
pushing back its enemies.
• National Convention
guillotined Robespierre in
1794.
• Middle class took over &
reduce power of CPS. They
set up new Constitution w/
a new leg assembly of 2
houses.
• 5 directors act as executive
committee called
DIRECTORY. Very Corrupt
NAPOLEON Dynamite
NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE
•Napoleon led
COUP DE TAT
(or sudden
overthrow)
in 1799 of
Directory
• Set up new govt called
CONSULATE & Napoleon is
consul & controls army,
foreign affairs &
legislature.
• Crowns self Emperor in
1804, but
called France
a republic
• Made agreement
w/ Catholic
church where he
recognized it as
church of France
& in return pope
did not ask for
stolen lands
back.
• The Napoleonic Code
created 7 codes of law.
• CIVIL CODE most
important. – equality of
citizens, religious
toleration, abolish serfdom,
choose profession.
(ideas of liberty)
•Despotism:
1. hurt women’s rights &
divorce.
2. Censored newspapers,
govt opened mail
3. Secret police
4. New nobles mostly
military & middle class.
•DO NOT WRITE!!!!
•When Nap became
Consul, he signed peace,
•War begins again in 1803
•Btw 1805-1807, Nap
beats Aus, Prus, & Rus
armies.
• Built GRAND
EMPIRE btw
1807-1812
which included
Fr & Italy,
Holland, Swiss
Republic, SP,
Rhine
Confederation &
Warsaw
• DON”T WRITE!!!!
• Nap tries to invade GB,
but navy defeats Nap at
Battle of Trafalgar in
1805.
• Tries to block trade of
Brit to Euro through
CONTINENTAL SYSTEM
(can’t buy/sell Br goods)
• other states still did.
• Invades Russia in 1812 (won’t
follow Cont Sys.)
•Grand Army of 600,000
march in.
• Rus army retreats 100s
of miles, burning own
villages as, so French
can’t
get supplies.
• Find Moscow in flames in
Winter. Nap retreats & only
40,000 men live.
NAPOLEON RETREATS
 Stop
throwing
snowballs
at my men!
•DO NOT WRITE!!!
• Nations rise against a
weakened France.
• Paris taken in Mar 1814
• Napoleon exiled to Elba &
monarchy restored
• Louis XVIII weak.
• Nap escapes & troops join his
side despite being sent to
capture him
•With troops on his side
claims self emperor &
goes to Paris Mar 20,
1815.
•Nations rise
again to get rid
of Nap.
At Battle of Waterloo, June
18, 1815 Nap defeated by
Duke Wellington & exiled
to St Helena (dies there)