Chapter 3 sections 1-3The French Revolution

French Society Divided

• France divided into 3 social classes, or estates (1st – clergy, 2nd – nobles, 3rd – majority of population)

• Clergy had enormous wealth and privilege

• Church owned 10% of land, collected tithes paid no direct taxes

Nobles

• Held titles: Duke, Baron, Lord

• Top jobs in government, army, courts

• Owned land but received little income

• Feared losing traditional privileges, and freedom from paying taxes

Third Estate• Diverse

• Bourgeoisie: middle class

• Bulk of estate were rural peasants

• Poorest were urban workers

• Resented privileges of other Estates

• Paid all taxes

Financial Troubles• Deficit spending

• Debt: Seven Years’ War, American Revolution, lavish court

• Borrowed money

• Bad harvests

• Gov’t would have to raise taxes, reduce spending – nobles and clergy did not like plan (lead to them paying taxes)

Calling the Estates-General• After economic reform failed• Legislative body consisting of representatives of

the 3 estates• Not been called in 175 years• Prepared cahiers, or notebooks filled with

complaints• Tennis Court Oath: Third Estate swore ‘never to

separate and to meet wherever the circumstances might require until we have established a sound and just constitution

Revolution• Bastille: July 14, 1789 medieval fortress in

Paris stormed by 800+ Parisians, demanded weapons

• Phases:

• National Assembly (1789-91)

• radical (1792-94) included Reign of Terror

• Directory (1795-99) against extremism

• Age of Napoleon (1799-1815)

National Assembly• 1789 – political turmoil followed by famine and

fear• August – Declaration of the Rights of Man

- “all men were born free and equal in

rights”• Voted to take over and sell church lands; church

under state control• Constitution of 1791 establishes new government,

limited monarchy: new Legislative Assembly could collect taxes, make laws, decide on war/peace

Radicals• Emigres – caused increased border

patrols. Nobles, clergy fled and reported incidents of attacks on privileges. Turned some foreign rulers against France

• October 1791- Legislative Assembly took office (lasted less than 1 yr)

• Sans-Culottes – demanded a republic

• Jacobins – middle-class lawyers/intellectuals, used newspapers editors to advance republican cause

Revolution and Terror• Convention September 1792 – more radical,

established republic, new constitution, led by Jacobins

• Monarchy is abolished – King executed January 1793

• Committee of Public Safety – taxed all citizens to contribute to the war effort to save the revolution (at war with much of Europe)

• Young recruits and young officers developed new tactics to defend the republic

Robespierre• Rose to leader in Committee

• Promoted religious tolerance, wanted to abolish slavery

• Use of terror = “prompt, severe, inflexible justice”

• Reign of Terror – September 1793-July 1794, revolutionary courts conducted hasty trials of people who resisted the revolution

• Dr. Joseph Guillotin – invented more humane method of beheading

• Turned tables – Robespierre arrested and executed July 27, 1794

The Directory• Constitution of 1795 – 5 man Directory and 2-

house legislature elected by male citizens of property

• Weak but dictatorial; leaders lined their own pockets but failed to solve problems

• Rising royalist feelings• 1797 – supporters of constitutional monarchy

won majority of seats in legislature

• Revolution increased nationalist feelings

• (terms collage)