The French The French RevolutionRevolution
17891789
Four phases of the French Revolution1. “Liberal” Phase (1789-1791)
2. “Radical” Phase (1792-1794)
3. Directory Rule (1795-1799)
4. Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)
Pre-Revolutionary Pre-Revolutionary France France
(up to 1789)(up to 1789)
Why did revolution break out in 1789?
What were the causes of the French Revolution?
#1: The French Monarchy (1774-1793)
Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI
Marie Antoinette and the Royal Children
Marie Antoinette’s “Peasant Cottage”
Marie Antoinette’s “Peasant Cottage”
The Necklace Scandal
Cardinal Louis René de Rohan & Jean de La Motte
1,600,000 livres($100 million
today)
Let them eat cake!
“Madame Deficit”
“The Austrian Whore”
#2: An Outdated Social StructureLegal division into 3 orders, or estates:
First Estate: Clergy
Second Estate: Nobility
Third Estate: Commoners (bourgeoisie & peasants)
Inequitable Distribution of Land
“The People under the Old Regime”
#3: Enlightenment IdeasClassical Liberalism:
Liberty Equality
Liberty
A call for:
individual human rights
a new kind of government
John Locke (1632-1704)
“no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”
Montesquieu (1689-1755)“When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.”
Equality
All citizens should have equal rights and liberties, except:
women excluded
economic equality excluded
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
#4: Model of the American Revolution
The Boston Tea Party, 1773
The Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776
#5: Financial ProblemsFrench Budget, 1774
Where is the tax money?
Phase 1:Phase 1:
The “Liberal” The “Liberal” Phase Phase
(1789-1791)(1789-1791)
Convening of the Estates GeneralMay 1789
Last time it was called into session was 1614!!
The Suggested Voting Pattern: Voting by Estates
2nd Estate – Aristocracy
1st Estate – Clergy
3rd Estate – Commoners
1
1
1
The Number of Representatives in the Estates General: Vote by Head!
1st Estate – Clergy
2nd Estate – Aristocracy
300
300
648
3rd Estate – Commoners
“The Third Estate Awakens”
June 17, 1789 – Formation of the National Assembly
“The Tennis Courth Oath”by Jacques Louis David
June 20, 1789
Storming the BastilleJuly 14, 1789
Revolutionary Paris, 1789
The French Urban Poor
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
% of Income Spent on Bread
1787
1788
The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt
July 20, 1789
March of the WomenOctober 5-6, 1789
We want the baker, the baker’s wife and the baker’s boy!
National Assembly1789-1791
August Decrees(August 4-11, 1789)
LibertéLiberté!!
LibertéLiberté!! Egalité!Egalité!Egalité!Egalité!
FraterniFraternité!té!
FraterniFraternité!té!
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
August 26, 1789
“Men are born free and remain free and equal
in rights.”
(…but NOT of Woman)
The Tricolor, 1789
The WHITE of the Bourbons + the RED and BLUE of Paris
83 Revolutionary DepartmentsFebruary 26, 1790
Civil Constitution of the ClergyJuly 12, 1790
national church clergy elected oath of allegiance
Assignats
They were backed by the sale of Church lands.
Louis XVI “accepts” the constitution and National Assembly, September 1791
absolute monarchy
↓constitutional monarchy
(CONSTITUTION #1)
French Constitution of 1791:A Constitutional Monarchy
the king got the “suspensive” veto (prevented passage of laws for 4 years) he could not pass laws his ministers were responsible for their own
actions a permanent, elected, single chamber
Legislative Assembly had the power to grant taxation
an independent judiciary
While the revolutionaries seemingly got off to a good start…
A foreshadowing of events to come….
Phase 2:Phase 2:
The “Radical” The “Radical” Phase Phase
(1792-1794)(1792-1794)
The Causes of Instability in France
1792 - 1795
The Causes of Instability in France
1792 - 1795
Attitudes & Attitudes & actions of actions of monarchymonarchy
& court& court
Attitudes & Attitudes & actions of actions of monarchymonarchy
& court& court
Fear ofFear ofCounter-Counter-RevolutioRevolutio
nn
Fear ofFear ofCounter-Counter-RevolutioRevolutio
nn
ReligiouReligiouss
divisiondivisionss
ReligiouReligiouss
divisiondivisionss
PoliticalPoliticaldivisiondivision
ss
PoliticalPoliticaldivisiondivision
ssWarWarWarWar
EconomiEconomicc
CrisesCrises
EconomiEconomicc
CrisesCrises
Royal family attempted to flee France June 1791
Marie Antoinette risks her body to save her son, the crown prince.
War (1792-1815) European monarchs feared spread of
revolution (émigrés spread rumors)↓
offered help to French monarchy↓
French revolutionaries declared war 1792 – Austria & Prussia (“First Coalition”) 1793 – Britain, Holland, Spain
The Storming of the TuilieresAugust 10, 1792
Royal family imprisoned.
National Convention (1792-1795)replaced Legislative Assemblyelected by universal male suffrage legislative branch of the new
republic
Over 1,000 Parisians killed!Over 1,000 Parisians killed!
The September Massacres, 1792
The First French Republic (1792-1795)
“second revolution”:
constitutionalmonarchy
↓republic
(CONSTITUTION #2)
New pop culture:New pop culture:The Tricolor is the Fashion!The Tricolor is the Fashion!
New pop culture:New pop culture:Revolutionary Playing CardsRevolutionary Playing Cards
New pop culture: A New Republican Calendar
I 1792 – 1793
II 1793 – 1794
III 1794 – 1795
IV 1795 – 1796
V 1796 – 1797
VI 1797 – 1798
VII 1798 – 1799
VIII 1799 – 1800
IX 1800 – 1801
X 1801 – 1802
XI 1802 – 1803
XII 1803 – 1804
XIII 1804 – 1805
XIV 1805
The Gregorian System returned in 1806.
New Name Meaning Time Period
Vendemaire Vintage September 22 – October 21
Brumaire Fog October 22 – November 20
Frimaire Frost November 21 – December 20
Nivose Snow December 21 – January 19
Pluviose Rain January 20 – February 18
Ventose Wind February 19 – March 20
Germinal Budding March 21 – April 19
Floreal Flowers April 20 – May 19
Prairial Meadow May 20 – June 18
Messidor Harvest June 19 – July 18
Thermidor Heat July 19 – August 17
Fructidor Fruit August 18 – September 21
New pop culture:A New Republican Calendar
Jacobin Meeting HouseJacobin Meeting House
The Jacobins
Parisian political club younger, more radical than
Nat’l. Assembly members dominated Legislative Assembly
& National Convention
A Jacobin Club Meeting
The Politics of the The Politics of the National ConventionNational ConventionThe Politics of the The Politics of the
National ConventionNational Convention
MontagnardsMontagnards““The Mountain”The Mountain”
GirondistGirondistss
More radical.
Power base in Paris.
Main support from the sans-culottes.
Leaders: Robespierre & Danton
More moderate.
Power base in the provinces.
Feared the influence of the sans-culottes.
The Political Spectrum The Political Spectrum TodayToday
The Political Spectrum The Political Spectrum TodayToday
JacobinsJacobins
MontagnarMontagnardsds
(“The (“The Mountain”)Mountain”)
GirondistsGirondistsMonarchíeMonarchíe
nn(Royalists)(Royalists)
1790s:1790s:1790s:1790s:
The PlainThe Plain(uncommitt(uncommitt
ed)ed)
The Sans-culottes: The Parisian Poor
Depicted as savages by a British cartoonist.
Sans-culottes
Attempts to Control the Growing Crisis
1. Revolutionary Tribunal in Paris try suspected counter-revolutionaries
A. Representatives-on-mission B. Watch Committees C. Trial & execution of rebels & émigrés
2. Printing of more assignats to pay for war3. Committee of Public Safety
* oversee and speed up gov’t. work4. Committee of General Security
* responsible for pursuit of counter-revolutionaries, treatment of subjects, & other internal security matters
Committee of Public Safety Est. April 1793
12-member executive gov’t. during Reign of Terror
revolutionary tribunals
300,000 arrested 16,000-50,000
executed
Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)
Georges Jacques Danton (1759-1794)
The Economy – Committee of Public Safety’s “Total War” Legislation planned economy – “embryonic
emergency socialism” fixed prices rationing gov’t.-mandated production levels nationalization of businesses
Aug. 1973 – conscription
EFFECT: France achieved victory in wars.
Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible. - Robespierre
Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
Those convicted await their fate.
Reign of Terror (1793-1794)
The Guillotine
The Paris Mob
The last guillotine execution in France was in 1939.
The “Monster” Guillotine
Execution of Louis XVI January 21, 1793
Execution of Marie Antoinette October 1973
Thermidorian Reaction (1794-1795) July 26 Robespierre gave a speech
illustrating new plots & conspiracies alienated members of the CPS – many felt
threatened by his implications
July 27 (9 Thermidor) Convention arrested Robespierre
July 28 Robespierre was tried & guillotined!
Arrest of Robespierre
Danton awaits execution, 1793.
Robespierre lies woundedbefore the revolutionary
tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, 1794.
The revolution consumes its own children…
Phase 3:Phase 3:
Directory Rule Directory Rule (1795-1799)(1795-1799)
Directory Rule (1795-1799) Constitution of 1795:
republic↓
Directory(CONSTITUTION #3)
5-man Directory 2-house legislature But problems continued…
Phase 4:Phase 4:
Napoleonic Era Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)(1799-1815)
Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)
coup d’etat – overthrew Directory and established dictatorship
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)
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