AP European HistoryNovember 12 - 19 2018

TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY Examine the political, social, and economic causes of the French Revolution (INT-7,10,11)(PP-10)(IS-

6,9,10)(SP-3,4,5,6,7)

Materials Strategy/FormatPPT and video Lecture-discussion

Introduction

There can be little doubt that the French Revolution was one of the most impactful events, not only in European History but also World History. The long range consequences have reverberated into our modern day world with the commonality of civil rights, liberal democracy, and western values. In many respects the Revolution was another component to the republicanism that we discussed before. In the short range, the revolution will also spawn a series of revolutions and counter-revolutions on into the 19th century.

The resultant spread of liberalism will be praised and vilified in Europe leading to our first war on an ideology similar to what we see in our times with the "war on terrorism." For conservative powers of Europe it will be a "war on liberalism."

The French Revolution had several background causes some of which had little to do with Louis XVI. However, when examining the causes we know full well that the monarchy had to share the brunt of the blame. We saw that the Enlightenment itself had unleashed liberal ideas that would come back to hunt many of the nobles who espoused liberty. Louis XVI himself was far more enlightened than any of his predecessors and this probably played a role in his allowing the Estates-general to meet

This is one of the most important events of European History. The revolution essentially lasted 10 years depending upon what we call the beginning or the end. Most people think of the Revolution as the period when heads were being loped off and the end as when the king and queen were executed. There is however much more. Further, the Revolution spawned political, social, and economic changes. Today we will look at the start of the Revolution and what, if any changes took place.

To get the ball rolling we will watch a bit of video on the road to revolution.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye1dwpBPpgE

IntroductionThe Precedents of Revolution

1. The exigencies of war and overspending by Louis XIV and XV2. The Mississippi Bubble: John Law, a gambling buddy of Louis XV from Scotland became the chief

financial advisor. He exaggerated the wealth of Louisiana with an effective marketing scheme, which led to

wild speculation on the shares of the company in 1719. The scheme was to have the success of the Mississippi Company combine investor fervor and the wealth of its Louisiana prospects into a sustainable joint-trading company. The popularity of company shares were such that they sparked a need for more paper bank notes, and when shares generated profits the investors were paid out in paper bank notes. In 1720, the bank and company were united and Law was appointed Controller General of Finances to attract capital. Law's pioneering note-issuing bank was successful until the French government was forced to admit that the number of paper notes being issued by the Banque Royale were not equal to the amount of metal coinage it held. The "bubble" burst at the end of 1720, when opponents of the financier attempted en masse to convert their notes into specie, forcing the bank to stop payment on its inflated paper money

3. The Seven Years War 1756 – 1763 obviously was a turning point in royal power as the war cost France much of empire and more of its treasury. The war created an economic issue for France but more importantly emboldened the, to try nearly anything to get revenge. Our Ben Franklin played them like a bunch of chumps convincing them to aid us in our little Revolution against Britain.

4. French loans to the Americans amounted of millions of dollars at a time when France was cash poor. Additionally many Frenchmen participated in the American Revolution and literally absorbed the rhetoric of liberty. Marquis de Lafayette will be the most important. He fought with Washington’s armies in America and will lead National Guard in the attack on the Bastille signally French independence day

5. Climate also played a role. In 1787-1788 two very bad winters struck France weakening grain harvests and thus driving up grain prices. Remember what we said about hungry and angry peasants when bread prices rise!

The Spark1. In need for revenue and believing in the need to gain support for revenue measures, Louis XIV calls the

Estates General into session. This really opened a can of worms. Would Louis XIV have done this?2. The Parlements, the regional assemblies had already started to ignore the monarchy, a clear sign that once

again the nobility was prepared to reassert their power.3. The removal of Jacques Necker and Jacques Collone’s came after they both attempted reforms involving

constraining royal spending.

New Coalitions Form1. Church and Nobles join ranks versus the King. Where will the middle class end up?2. The calling of the Estates General (not since 1614 had it met) Why did the nobles do this?3. Why did the king agree?4. So is this the start of the revolution 1788? While it was revolutionary perhaps to have allowed the meeting

to take place, it was not the real revolution…yet!

The Meeting and Results1. The first major issue that developed was the nature of voting. Previously each estate or class had a single

vote. All of the members would vote on an issue within their group and that would decide the single vote cast by the estate. Obviously the 1st estate (the clergy) and the 2nd estate (the nobles/king) usually would vote together always overruling the lower classes. This is one reason why there was even little reason for the Estates General to convene. However from the previous 150 years the lowest class, the 3rd Estate had dramatically changed.

2. Abbe Sieyes was seen as a leader of the 3rd Estates and he helped the other estates to realize the change with an essay called “What is the 3rd Estate.” Now instead of peasants and few artisans, there were wealthy banks and other business men, officers in the military/navy, civic leaders, and peasants. Easily 97% or so percent of the population.

3. The Third Estate demanded an alteration in the voting procedure4. The Cahiers des doleances ( list of demands)was a list of demands made to the king most of which were

economic and political.

The Tennis Court Oath1. When it became clear that there seemed to be no intention of allowing the3rd estate an equal voice and

following being locked out of the assembly hall at Versailles, they pledged to form a separate government.

vowing not to disperse until constitutional reform had been achieved. Within a week, most of the clerical deputies and 47 liberal nobles had joined them, and on June 27 Louis XVI grudgingly absorbed all three orders into the new assembly

2. The National Assembly (sometimes called the National Constitute Assembly) formed when 1st and 2nd Estate realized that they had just been marginalized. If they wanted a voice in the future, then they had no choice but to accede to the demands of the 3rd estate.

3. Was this the Revolution? Probably so and if it could have ended here then the future would have been VERY different.

The Revolution Turns Bloody: The Great Fear and the Attack on the Bastille On June 12, as the National Assembly (known as the National Constituent Assembly during its work on a

constitution) continued to meet at Versailles, fear and violence consumed the capital. Though enthusiastic about the recent breakdown of royal power, Parisians grew panicked as rumors of an impending military coup began to circulate. A popular insurgency culminated on July 14 when rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in an attempt to secure gunpowder and weapons; many consider this event, now commemorated in France as a national holiday, as the start of the French Revolution.

The wave of revolutionary fervor and widespread hysteria quickly swept the countryside. Revolting against years of exploitation, peasants looted and burned the homes of tax collectors, landlords and the seigniorial elite. Known as the Great Fear, the agrarian insurrection hastened the growing exodus of nobles from the country and inspired the National Constituent Assembly to abolish feudalism on August 4, 1789, signing what the historian Georges Lefebvre later called the “death certificate of the old order.”

Establishing a New Government: The Moderate or Bourgeoisie Phase The Term "Bourgeoisie" was used by Marxist historians to describe the middle class nature of the initial

government. Certainly the major reforms were moderate: the king was still in power though limited, citizenship was male and based upon property, and labor unions were banned.

August 4, the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (“Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen”), a statement of democratic principles grounded in the philosophical and political ideas of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau . The document proclaimed the Assembly’s commitment to replace the ancien régime with a system based on equal opportunity, freedom of speech, popular sovereignty and representative government.An important feature of the new government was the monarchy. It still played a role and the king was the head of the military (with checks on that power), and was something like a prime minister or president’s law enforcement power. Few if any at this point were really talking about ending the monarchy completely.

Drafting a formal constitution proved much more of a challenge for the National Constituent Assembly, which had the added burden of functioning as a legislature during harsh economic times. For months, its members wrestled with fundamental questions about the shape and expanse of France’s new political landscape. For instance, who would be responsible for electing delegates? Would the clergy owe allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church or the French government? Perhaps most importantly, how much authority would the king, his public image further weakened after a failed attempt to flee in June 1791, retain? A Adopted on September 3, 1791, France’s first written constitution echoed the more moderate voices in the Assembly, establishing a constitutional monarchy in which the king enjoyed royal veto power and the ability to appoint ministers.

ConclusionOne has to wonder about the future of France if the moderate phase had solved all of the problems.

However, some of the more radical leaders were already starting to wonder if the monarchy could be trusted to yield power. They were to discover that Louis XVI had no intention of becoming a constitutional monarch.

Homework for Monday NightAs we mentioned in class the impact of the American Revolution may have had an impact leading to the

French Revolution (though not resulting perhaps in the same kind of revolution)

Read the following secondary source for a short bell work assignment of on Tuesdayhttps://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/HIST303-2.6.1-

HowRevolutionaryWastheRevolution-FINAL.pdf

Homework for Tuesday NightNone (Bring you book Wednesday)

THURSDAY(TEXTBOOK NEEDED) Analyze primary and secondary sources on the Revolutions of the Eighteenth Century

Materials Strategy/FormatText and questions packet Guided Reading and document analysis

Instructions and Introduction As we have discussed European History this year we have used a little US History as a synthesis but today

we will see that there is more than synthesis at work. There is quite possibly direct linkage between events in the US and those in France.

Using the text and a few primary sources we will back track a bit and look at the late 18th century in both places. Some of the text material will be review and perhaps you can answer just from class discussions.

You will need your own paper but please attach a copy and remember that there will be no separate unit test on the French Revolution

HomeworkTake the following Review Quiz on English History (33 formative questions)

English Unit Reviewhttp://www.quia.com/quiz/4437520.html

T FRIDAY Examine the radical phase of the French Revolution (INT-7,10,11)(PP-10)(IS-6,9,10)(SP-3,4,5,6,7) Explain why this phase led to another round of war in Europe.

Materials Strategy/Formatppt and video? Lecture-discuss/ReviewIntroduction

For the first time in its history, France had a constitution. Many feudal ideas were abolished which satisfied many people. Yet there were already tensions developing. One of the ways that you can tell that the new Constitution was moderate was the way that it handled citizenship. There were two types: active and passive citizens. . Active citizenship was granted to men who were French, at least 25 years old, paid taxes equal to three days work, and could not be defined as servants. This meant that at the time of the Declaration only white, male, Christian, property owners held these rights. The deputies in the National Assembly (French Revolution) believed that only those who held tangible interests in the nation could make informed political decisions. This Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen as each of these rights is related to the right to vote and to participate actively in the government. There were less than 5 million who fell into this category out of about 30 million. Passive citizens had rights but not political powers. This was almost exactly how the U.S, originally handled citizenship. The Assembly replaced the historic provinces with 83 départements, (and Paris organized into districts called arrondisments) uniformly administered and approximately equal to one another in extent and population

Revolution brought about a massive shifting of powers from the Roman Catholic Church to the state. Under the Ancien Régime, the Church had been the largest landowner in the country. Legislation enacted in 1790 abolished the Church's authority to levy a tax on crops known as the dîme, cancelled special privileges for the clergy, and confiscated Church property. To no small extent, the Assembly addressed the financial

crisis by having the nation take over the property of the Church (while taking on the Church's expenses), through the law of December 2, 1789. In order to rapidly monetize such an enormous amount of property, the government introduced a new paper currency, assignats, backed by the confiscated church lands. Further legislation on 13 February 1790 abolished monastic vows. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed on July 12, 1790 (although not signed by the King until December 26, 1790), turned the remaining clergy into employees of the State and required that they take an oath of loyalty to the constitution. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy also made the Catholic church an arm of the secular state

In response to this legislation, the archbishop of Aix and the bishop of Clermont led a walkout of clergy from the National Constituent Assembly. The papacy never accepted the new arrangement, and it led to a schism between those clergy who swore the required oath and accepted the new arrangement ("jurors" or "constitutional clergy") and the "non-jurors" or "refractory priests" who refused to do so. The ensuing years saw violent repression of the clergy, including the imprisonment and massacre of priests throughout France.

Another group that felt left out was women. They had already asserted their power. On October 5, 1789 the people of Paris, mainly working women, marched on Versailles in what was the Women's March on Versailles. The women were responding to their anger at the harsh economic situations they had to face such as bread shortages while the King and his court held banquets such as that for the royal guards on October 1, 1789. The King and his administration were forced to move to Paris in hopes for the poverty to be addressed. On October 6, 1789, followed by 20,000 National Guards, the King and the royal family moved from Versailles to Paris thus legitimizing the National Assembly. Oympe de Gouges, a playwright of some note in France at the time of the Revolution, spoke for not only herself but many of the women of France, when in 1791 she wrote and published the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen." Modeled on the 1789 "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" by the National Assembly, de Gouges' Declaration echoed the same language and extended it to women. This was for France the origins of feminism but the demands did not go very far. As the Revolution turned violent Olympe de Gouges became an “enemy of the state”. For asserting this equality, and repeating the assertion publicly -- for refusing to be silent on the Rights of Woman -- and for associating with the wrong side, the Girondists (more on them below), as the Revolution became embroiled in new conflicts -- Olympe de Gouges was arrested in July 1793, four years after the Revolution. She was sent to the guillotine in November of that year.

The Factions in the National Assembly Within the National Assembly three basic factions developed. The royalists or monarchists generally

wanted to maintain the Bourbon dynasty in a position of power. Of course this did happen at first but as you will see below, Louis XIV squandered this good will. A second faction was called the Girondists or moderates. Generally they were content to have Louis XVI in power to some degree but over time, they became less certain. The third and most radical group was called the Jacobins, named after debating societies. They mostly wanted to end the monarchy and some, as time passed believed that the king, if left alive would be a rallying point for the émigrés, nobles who left France but remained a threat. The most radical Jacobins and ultimately the rulers of France once the radical phase starts were called “the Mountain” or Montagnards.

Flight to Varennes Louis XVI, opposed to the course of the Revolution, but rejecting the potentially treacherous aid of the

other monarchs of Europe, cast his lot with General Bouillé, who condemned both the emigration and the assembly, and promised him refuge and support in his camp at Montmédy. On the night of June 20, 1791 the royal family fled the Tuileries wearing the clothes of servants, while their servants dressed as nobles. However, the next day the King was recognized and arrested at Varennes . He and his family were paraded back to Paris under guard, in the same disguises they wore in their escape.. When they reached Paris, the crowd remained silent. The Assembly provisionally suspended the King. He and Queen Marie Antoinette remained held under guard.

The Declaration of Pillnitz

On August 27 1791, was a statement issued by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia. The statement amounted to a threat against the National Assembly. Calling on European powers to intervene if Louis XVI of France was threatened, this declaration was intended to serve as a warning to the French revolutionaries not to infringe further on the rights of Louis XVI and to allow his restoration to power. The statement helped begin the French Revolutionary Wars. This was probably the death warrant for the monarchy.

By the Spring of 1792 the National Assembly decided to declare war on Austria. Prussia, it was understood would side with Austria in light of the Pillnitz Declaration. Not surprisingly the expectation was that the French would be largely unprepared to fight due to the shape of the economy and the divisions in society. The King outwardly supported the decision of the assembly to declare war. He hoped for a French defeat because he felt that this would result in his restoration to the throne. When rumors spread that he had invite a contingent of Swiss mercenaries to liberate he and family, this was the final straw. On January 20, 1793, the National Convention condemned Louis XVI to death, his execution scheduled for the next day. Louis spent that evening saying goodbye to his wife and children. The following day dawned cold and wet. Louis arose at five. At eight o'clock a guard of 1,200 horsemen arrived to escort the former king on a two-hour carriage ride to his place of execution. His manner was calm and it seemed to freak out some of his guards a bit. They had always been told that the king was a weakling and yet to see him so composed left them admiring his bravery. Ascending the scaffold to the guillotine he turned to the crowd saying "I die innocent of all the crimes laid to my charge; I Pardon those who have occasioned my death; and I pray to God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France." Drums were ordered to drown out the king and with that he was beheaded.

The Reign of Terror 1793 The war against Austria and her allies was not going well. The new French government, the Convention,

led by Danton demanded 300,000 men to join the French army. This was called the levèe en masse (essentially a military draft) The first revolts bloomed in the country, especially in Vendee where the peasants denounced the authority of the Convention and the idea of the Revolution. They asked for the reestablishment of the Monarchy. A real civil war took place in the French countryside, between the Vendeen and the Republican Guards. From March to September 1793, more than 100,000 people died from this opposition.

On April 6th, 1793 the Convention created the Committee for Public Safety (Comite de Salut Public). This new government, led by Robespierre took urgent measures to stop a rebellion in the Vendèe region and the French military defeats in Belgium. A few weeks later, the Girondists, were held responsible for the military crisis. 22 representatives of the Girondins were guillotined. The original revolutionary system was breaking apart.

Another major event of the French Revolution was the death of one of its most radical figures, Jean Paul Marat. Marat, friend of Robespierre, Jacobin deputy to the Convention, and editor-in-chief of L'Ami du Peuple,(The Friend of the People) was a fiery orator; he was also a violent man, quick to take offense. Some saw him as an intransigent patriot; for others he was merely a hateful demagogue. On July 13, 1793, a young Royalist from Caen, Charlotte Corday, managed, by a clever subterfuge, to gain entry into his apartment. She claimed to have a list of enemies of the revolution knowing that Marat would love to see it.

In September 1793, the "Reign of Terror" spread all over the country. This was a cruel period when France was killing its people by hundreds in a frightening movement of rage and decadence. People were arrested and executed without trial if they were accused of being enemies of the revolution. It is estimated that about 40,000 people died during this 15 month period. Marie Antoinette was executed in October 1793. She died because she represented the King's heritage and was the perfect illustration of the fear that reigned at this time.

Blaming the war and Vendee insurrection, the Declaration of the Rights of Man was suspended. Robespierre became a tyrant, who thought anything was justified when it came to the revolution's rights. He changed his views on the death penalty, saying it was justified against enemies of the Republic (He said "to make an omelet one must break a few eggs"). He reinstalled censorship, especially in the press and acted for a secular state. To this effect, he changed the calendar and in November 24th, 1793 he set the Revolutionary calendar as the new benchmark. It was once said that "a revolution always eats its young."Quickly, Danton himself became the victim of the Terror at the order of Robespiere. He was considered "too moderate" and then, arrested and executed in April 1794

The Great Terror One of the darkest periods in French history soon ensued. The Great Terror began in June 1794.

Robespierre and the Comittee of Public Safety launched a new wave of executions. He was strongly supported by the Montagnards and the Sans-Culottes. Robespierre was in a mission against the counter revolutionaries and against the Church. Thousands of people who were suspected to be anti-revolutionists were executed savagely. A campaign of de-Christianization took place all over the country.

On May 8th, 1794 the Assembly introduced the "Culte de l'Être Supreme" (The cult of Supreme Being), as form of deism. On June 8th, 1794 Robespierre, the so called "President" of the Convention and ordered the establishment of a new civic religion called the Cult of the Supreme Being. He then ordered a suspension in executions to celebrate a new holiday "Fête de l'Etre Supreme" (Supreme Being celebration) in Paris. However, these celebrations were mocked by the Parisians and Robespierre lost his credibility when he appeared before the crowd on top of a paper machè mountain wearing a Roman toga.

Conclusion: Robespierre's Demise July 1794. A major turn of events took place in July 1794. Robespierre was now set to launch yet again another wave

of attacks and many in the room felt that they themselves would be the next victims. He was accused of dictatorship and tyranny and evicted from the Convention. The members voted for his simultaneous eviction and execution, without allowing him to defend himself. Robespierre and several associates were arrested but he actually attempted to kill himself but succeeded in only blowing off his own jaw! Robespierre was beheaded to an ovation by the people of Paris. His death was the symbol of the Reign of Terror's end. However as we will see it also marked the end of the democratic movement.

Conclusion: The Formation of the Directory 1795-1799 The Directory became France's executive power between 1795 and 1799. There were five members, or

directors, and each was elected by the Council of Ancients (les Anciens) and the Five Hundred (Cinq-Cents). Those of you who have taken world history might recognize that this is similar to the format of early Athenian democracy. This, I think hammers home the notion of neo-classicalism and its influence upon this period in France.

Following the turmoil of the Reign of Terror it seems obvious that the majority of French people were ready to take a somewhat conservative step backwards. It was somewhat effective in its first years, but then corruption and self-service set in. Internal bickering and in-fighting increasingly destabilized the country and, in 1799, two of its members - Paul Barras and Abbe Sieyes - plotted with Napoleon Bonaparte to overthrow their colleagues. The Coup of Brumaire succeeded and the Directory was dissolved. It was replaced by the Consulate led by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Homework for Thursday-WeekendYou will have a document set of primary sources that you will have the weekend to complete. This will posted separately on the website (or handed out in class if I can make copies)