The People Rise up! Absolutism and Revolution. What is Revolution? Try and define…

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ABSOLUTISM AND REVOLUTION

The People Rise up!

Absolutism and Revolution

What is Revolution?

Try and define…

What is Revolution?

A sudden and often violent change in the government.

Usually happens when the people rise up and throw out their rulers.

Usually when the government has abused its power…

Examples…

In small groups take 2 minutes and brainstorm as many examples as you can of nations that have undergone revolution at some point in their histories…

Egypt 2011

Russia 1917

United States 1776

England 1668

Four Main Steps 1) Injustice: people treated unfairly

2) Revolution: uprising against the government. Sometimes spontaneous, often organized.

3) Consolidation: people organize and create new institutions of government

4) Aftermath: often, the new institutions/rulers are as bad or worse than the old ones!

Why Revolutions? Following the Age of Exploration, European

nations became powerful and highly centralized.

This led, generally to harsh and repressive political systems in which individual and property rights were abused.

Hence, there was a wave of uprisings across Europe and its colonial territories from the 1650’s through the 1800’s…

Strong Centralized States Britain, France and Russia all had very

powerful, absolutist rulers.

“Absolutism”: unlimited, centralized authority and absolute sovereignty, as vested especially in a monarch or dictator.

Revolution Case Study: FRANCE

Why France?

Revolution Case Study: FRANCE

Why France?

France is an excellent example of what happens to a country when rulers take for themselves too much power.

The rulers of France drove the people to revolution which then ushered in an era of chaos that engulfed millions…

Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch

King of France 1643- 1715

Built highly centralized government

Had influential and powerful advisors

Louis as a boy!

Louis XIV: Absolute Monarch As a child Louis ruled with

an adviser called Cardinal Marazin who took effective control of France. He pursued a policy of “breaking” the aristocracy.

Louis went along and was a pawn in Marazin’s ambitions.

When Marazin died in 1661, Louis gained full control but essentially continued his mentor’s policies…

Marazin

“The Fronde” As a response to

Marazin’s/Louis policies, France underwent two civil wars known as the Fronde.

It was an armed uprising by disaffected nobles who were fed up with tax increases (sound familiar?)

Louis Takes Control Marazin died in

1661…

Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions…

QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control?

Louis Takes Control Marazin died in

1661…

Louis tried to bankrupt the remaining nobles by throwing expensive parties and starting outrageous and expensive fashions…

QUESTION: Why would bankrupting the nobles ensure they would be easy to control?

ANSWER: Louis loaned them money, thus making them indebted to him… Now he could control them because they were in his “pocket”

Discuss these clothes!

Why wear them?

And the wig…?

Louis and his “court”….

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