French Revolution

Louis XIV

The Sun King

“L’Etat c’est moi”

Louis fought many war that put France into debt

Louis XV

Unwilling or unable to fix problems

Madam Pompadour

“After us the deluge”

Louis XVI

Honest but stubborn and

stupid

Marie Antoinette

“Let them eat cake”

3 Estates

1st Estate – Clergy ½% own 10%

2nd Estate – Nobles <2% own 30%

3rd Estate – 98% own 30%

Problem:

Not enough revenue

Why?

Only tax 3rd Estate

To tax all 3 must call:

Estates General

3rd Estate breaks away meets on tennis court - National Assembly

Tennis Court Oath

People worried Louis will attack Assembly

Goes to Bastille to get arms

Declaration of the Rights of Man

*natural rights: liberty, property,security

*freedom of thought & religion*due process of law*equality under the law

Some nobles begin to flee

Émigrés

Revolution splitting into two groups:

Moderates

Radicals or Jacobins

Jacobins gain control of Assembly

Form new legislative bodyThe National Convention

They arrest the King and Queen

Louis XVI guillotined January 21, 1793

Convention sets up

COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY

Maximilien Robspierre

Reign of TerrorSept 1793 –

July 1794

300,000 arrested

17,000 executed

Robespierre begins arresting other members of the Revolution

July 27, 1794

Members of the Convention arrest Robespierre and execute him

Moderates get control

Constitution of 1795

*Directory – 5 man committee

People upset that Directory can’t solve problems of France

People rise up in the streets

Directory sends young general to stop them

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon overthrows Directory

Makes himself:1st Consul1st Consul for life

Emperor

Napoleon wins support of people

*controls prices*agreement with Church*gets some émigrés to return*jobs on ability

CODE NAPOLEON

*equality before the law

*religious toleration

*abolishes feudalism (payments by peasants to nobles)

WAR

In Spain, people fighting occupation

“Little war” = guerrilla

England helps Spain

Duke of Wellington

Napoleon invades Russia

Defeated at Leipzig

Abdicates

Goes into exile on Elba

Louis XVIII

Brother of Louis XVI

Napoleon escapes

Defeated at Waterloo by Wellington

Exiled on St. Helena

Congress of Vienna

Restores ‘legitimacy’

Restores monarchs in France, Spain, Portugal and Italian States