Chapter 23The French Revolution and Napoleon

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION BEGINS

Section 1

Section 1--Objectives

• List the three estates of the Old Regime.• Summarize the factors that led to the French

Revolution.• Describe the creation of the National Assembly

and the storming of the Bastille.• Explain the importance of the Great Fear and

the women’s march on Versailles.

Quick Discussion

What determines a person’s class in the United states today?

Background

• In the 1700s France was the center for the Enlightenment thinkers. France had a large population and a thriving foreign trade business.

• France on the outside appeared to be successful, but it was all a façade. In France there had been multiple bad harvests, high taxes, high prices, and the Enlightenment thinkers raising questions and ideas from Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

The Old Order

• Old Regime: In the 1770s the people of France were divided into three large social classes or also known as Estates.

• The Privileged Estates:

– First Estate: Roman Catholic Church in which the clergy owned 10 percent of the land in France. The church provided education and relief services to the poor. The church contributed 2 percent of income to the government.

– Second Estate: Rich nobles made up

two percent of the population. The nobles owned 20 percent of the land in France and paid no taxes.

Notes: These two estates did not like the Enlightenment ideas they threatened their status.

The Old Order

• The Third Estate: made up 97 percent of the population. This estate was made up of three diverse groups.

• First Group-Bourgeoisie or middle class: this group was bankers, factory owners, merchants, and professionals. Well educated and believed in the Enlightenment ideals. This group paid high taxes and lacked privileges. Some thought they deserved more status and political power.

• Second Group-Workers and poorest: urban workers which included tradespeople, apprentices, laborers and domestic servants. This group received low wages and frequently out of work and unfortunately hungry.

The Old Order

• Third Group—Peasants: largest group within the Third Estate. This group was 80 percent of France’s population. This group paid half of their income to the nobles, tithes to the Church, and taxes to the king’s agents.

• The Third Estate resented the clergy and nobles. They were a group that was ready for change.

The Forces of Change

• Enlightenment Ideas: The Third Estate was discussing the Enlightenment ideas and the American Revolution. Many were quoting the philosophers.

• Economic Troubles: Merchants, bankers, factory owners were concerned about the economy. The surface the economy was growing rapidly through production and trade. The taxes were growing within France and it made hard to conduct business.

• Monarchy: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were spending extravagantly. Louis XVI inheriteddebt from previous monarchies and borrowed to support the American Revolution.

The Forces of Change

• In 1786, the bankers refused to lend the government any money. This put Louis XVI into serious problems.

• A Weak Leader: He was indecisive and would not face problems or issues. Would not listen to his advisors. The queen was a problem and interfered in government matters. She spent a large amount of money on material goods.

• Estates-General: an assembly of representatives from all three estates. This is the first meeting in

175 years, held at Versailles on May 5, 1789. The Second Estate forced a

meeting with nobles, because he wanted to taxthe nobles as a way of finding a solution to hisDebt.

Dawn of the Revolution

• Clergy and nobles controlled the Estates-General. The medieval rules, had each estate meeting in a separate hall to vote. The two privileged estates would always outvote the Third Estate.

• The National Assembly: Named themselves. The Third Estate rebelled and came together to over rule the nobles and clergy.

• Emmanuel –Joseph Sieyes: a clergy man would supported the cause and wanted the group to

• name themselves National Assembly and would pass laws and reforms.

• Tennis Court Oath: The Third Estate foundThemselves locked out of the meeting room, sothey broke down a door to an indoor tennis courtthey pledged to write a new constitution.

• Louis XVI placed military army of Swiss guards around Versailles.

• Storming the Bastille: So in Paris rumors were flying on what was going to happen. Some thought that Louis XVI was going to use the military to put down the National Assembly. Many proposed that foreign militaries were coming to kill French citizens. People started to stock pile weapons to defend Paris. People started to search for gunpowder and weapons so they raided the Bastille prison. The group

Seized control of the prison. The angry group killed and stabbed the prison commander and guards to death and then paraded their headsAround the streets of Paris.

Great Fear

• July 14, 1789: Is known as Bastille Day –symbolic day for the French, very similar to our Fourth of July.

• A Great Fear Sweeps France: • Great Fear: Senseless panic. Peasants

thought the nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize. Soon peasants became outlaws themselves. Peasants armed themselves with pitchforks and other farm

tools, breaking into noble’s manor homes and destroying old legal papers, binding them to oldfeudal ways. Many peasants simply burnt downthe manor homes.

Great Fear

• October 1789: The women of Paris started rioting Paris over the high cost of bread. The women marched to Versailles and demanded that the National Assembly provide bread. The women stormed the palace and demanded that the king and queen return to Paris. The king agreed to their demands and a few hours later the king and his family left the palace never to return. This was a sign that change of power and radical reforms were coming.

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