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The French

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Causes of the French

RevolutionWhat were the key causes of the French

Revolution?

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Background Information

France was going bankrupt after participating in

SEVERAL wars over the past century (including the

American Revolution)

Louis XVI (the King of

France) was an absolute

monarch who was not a

strong leader and didn’t

understand finances.

He was more concerned with

his own interests than those

of the people.

Social Structure In France Prior

to the Revolution

CAUSE #1

French society was divided

into “estates” (social classes)

Estates were based on social classes.

The First Estate was clergy.

The Second Estate was the nobles.

The Third Estate was the bourgeoisie and

peasants (98% of the population!!!)

The First Estate estate had all of the political

power and they were wealthy.

The Second Estate was wealthy but did not

have that much political power (they did not

like this)

The Third Estate was terribly poor and had no

political power at all.

Unfair Tax Structure In France

Prior to the Revolution

CAUSE #2

Tax Structure in 18th Century France

The Third Estate was being treated unfairly by

the other Estates and the king was charging

them HIGH taxes while basically not taxing

anyone else.

There was a series of bad harvests and many

members of the Third Estate were starving

while the king continued to raise their taxes.

Overall, the French economy was in trouble

due to unemployment, inequality in the tax

structure, and bad harvests which caused a

food shortage. The people were starving.

Progressive ideas from the

enlightenment inspired the

French people to make change

CAUSE #3

The philosophies of the

Enlightenment thinkers helped

convince French citizens that

they should have the right to

decide what kind of

government France should

have.

The success of the United States in the

American Revolution showed the French

people that they could make changes if they

came together and revolted.

The independence movements against Spain in

Latin America also inspired the French people.

The American

Revolution

French Revolution

INSPIRED THE…

Mind Map of the

Causes of the French Revolution

Events leading up to the start of

the revolution

In 1789, King Louis XVI called a meeting of the

Estates-General to discuss the financial

situation in France.

Members of all 3 Estates were present, but

the Third Estate wasn’t treated fairly

May 5th, 1789

500+ members of the Third Estate were locked out of the Estates-General meeting and decided to have their own meeting at a nearby tennis court in town.

They called themselves the

“National Assembly.”

They signed a document called the

“Tennis Court Oath.”

The Tennis Court Oath was a promise that the National Assembly would continue meeting until they had written and passed a constitution for France.

June 20th, 1789

Quick-Write

1. Against what are people protesting here?

2. How much do you think your

parents/guardians make per year?

3. With the amount of money that your

parents/guardians make, do you think you are

in the bottom 80% or the top 20%?

4. Look at your answer to question 3…what

conclusions can you draw about your future

life opportunities/struggles from this?

Revolutionary violence begins

Jacobin = the name given to the political

group that was in favor of the revolution

July 14th, 1789

Louis XVI threatened to arrest the leaders of the National Assembly.

Crowds of people stormed a fortress and prison called Bastille. This is considered to be the official start of the French Revolution.

August 1789The National Assembly writes

“the Declarations of the rights

of Man and the Citizen” in

1789.

Proclaimed natural rights,

freedom of speech, all men are

equal before the law, no group

should be exempt from taxation

and social status should be

based on merit, not

birth/wealth

The King was forced to accept

it.

October 1789 – The royal palace in Versailles

(small town outside of Paris) is stormed

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (the Queen)

flee and are not captured

For the next few years, there is continued

unrests and people rioting in the streets

The National Convention (the new name for the

National Assembly) arrests and kills noblemen

1791 – King Louis XVI accepts the constitution

proposed by the National Convention and his

power is somewhat limited

1792 – National Convention declares war on

Austria and Prussia because Austria/Prussia are

against the revolution

1792 – the guillotine is officially declared as the

method of execution in France

The Guillotine

1792 – Louis XVI and his family are arrested

January 1793 – Louis XVI is executed by guillotine

1793 – Committee of Public Safety is formed and

becomes the new executive government of

France

1793 – Maximilien Robespierre is elected as the

leader of the Committee of Public Safety

1793-1794 – Robespierre suppresses any and all

resistance to the revolution by executing (by

guillotine) about 40,000 people

This period (1793-1794) is known as the

“REIGN OF TERROR”

1794 – Robespierre is overthrown and executed with the guillotine

He is executed face up

Key Points

1789 May 5th – Estates-General meets

June 20 – Tennis Court Oath takes place

July 14 – National Assembly storms the Bastille

August 26 – Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is

passed by the National Assembly

Key Points1791

Louis XVI accepts constitution

Riots and the fights between the peoples continue

1792 Louis XVI and Marie

Antoinette are captured

Louis XVI is executed by guillotine

1793 Committee on Public

Safety is formed

Robespierre becomes leader of France

Reign of Terror begins

1794 Robespierre is

overthrown and executed by guillotine