The French Revolution Part 1: Destroying the Ancien Régime...

The French Revolution occurred between the years1789-1799. The 10 year battle for political, economic, and

religious reform not only transformed France, but themajority of the Western World, as well.

Absolute Monarch-In 1789 the king of France was Louis XVI(1754-1793). - Married to Marie Antoinette, who waswidely unpopular and often timesthought of as an Austrian spy. - Indecisive and timid ruler- Last King of France

The French Revolution, greatly influenced bythe Enlightenment, began as a result of public unrest due toyears of political injustice and economic inequality through

the ancien régime, or old order.

France was still ruled by the nobility and clergy. Althoughofficially banned by King Lous XVI, the majority of the peasants

lived under the feudalist system.

Along with living under feudalism, the French citizens had to pay atithe tax to the Catholic Church, which was the largest landowner

in the country. The tithe tax required that people give the Church a10th of all their earnings and food. This was supposed to be

redistributed to the poor, but was done so unequally.

Before the revolution, France was involvedin both the "Seven Years' War" (also known as

the "French and Indian War") and the"American Revolution".

The involvement in the two wars increased France's alreadyenormous debt. This made the government push for

economic and tax reform.

Setting the stage:

The Financial Crisis led the government to hold Estates-General, to propose reform ideas. The Estates-General was a

meeting of the three estates (classes) of the Frenchpopulation (nobility, clergy, and commoners). This had not

happened since 1614.

Voting debate: Should they vote by head or by estate power?

On July 9th, to end the debate, the Third Estate declared itself theNational Assembly and stated that it would proceed with the

meeting with or without the other two estates. However, in the end,the King urged the two estates to meet with the National Assembly.

In response to the political tension, KingLouis XVI sent military troops to the

cities of Paris and Versailles as aimpending threat to the public.

The Storming of the Bastille:

However, the strategy backfired. Citizens, both angry and fearful,attacked the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison. The Bastille was asymbol of tyranny as it only housed 7 criminals, yet required taxes tokeep open. In the end, 98 of the almost 1,000 attackers and 1 of the 114defenders had died. Governor Bernard-Rene de Launay was captured

and decapitated. His head was paraded around the city on a spike. Thisevent is traditionally marked as the beginning of the French Revolution.

To prevent further unrest, the NationalAssembly decreed the abolishment of

feudalism and the tithe on August 4th, 1789bringing the old order to an end.

The Great Fear: In addition to reoccurring violence, the harvestof 1789 was a poor one. This, combined with afear of an aristocratic plot to starve commoners,augmented the already intense political unrest.The "Great Fear" erupted, and peasants andcommoners attack their lords and landowners.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen:

Another major result of the Great Fearwas the establishment of the

"Declaration of the Rights of Man andof the Citizen". This document called forthe abolishment of feudalism, the right to

public office based on talent, freedomand equal rights to all men, restriction ofthe monarch and the nobility's exceptionform taxes, freedom of speech and press,

and the introduction of popularsovereignty.

The New Regime:

With the abolishment of feudalism, the belief that all men areequal, and allowing more than half of the nation's men eligible to

vote, the ancien régime was almost destroyed completely.

One of the final blows to the ancien régime occurred when thepeople nationalized the lands owned by the Catholic Churchto payoff public debt. The redistribution of land and powerfinally broke down the old systems of government and gave

the power to the people.

The National Assembly attempted to create a constitutional monarchin which the King shared legislative and executive power with the

assembly. Instead of accepting the agreement, the kind tried to flee thecountry on June 20-21, 1791 but was captured at Varennes and taken

back to Paris. This was the unofficial, official end to theancien régime.

Vocabulary:Go through the buncee and define the following terms:

-Enlightenment-ancien régime

-feudalism-tithe

- Estates-General- Third Estate

- National Assembly- The Bastille

- The Great Fear- Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

- popular sovereignty

Hom ewor k:Hom ewor k:

Write a 2 page essay comparing theevents leading up to the French

Revolution to the events leading up tothe American Revolution. Explain atleast three similarities and difference,

each. Be sure to include at least 3vocabulary words from today's

lesson.