The French Revolution

France had long been the most powerful country in Europe, ruled by one of the most powerful in Europe However, by the mid 1700’s, France began to face many By the time Louis XVI (XVI=16) became king on June 11, 1775, France was both economically and sociallyLouis XVI himself was to lead a country Economic ProblemsEconomic problems were compounded by war debts (Seven Years’ War), excessive spending by the royal family, and food shortages resulting in famine (hunger)

to pay off war debts and pay for court spending the monarchs increased taxes on the (who were already suffering famine) and reduced privileges for the nobility

War Debts (Seven Years’ War)The Seven Years' War (more commonly known as the French and Indian War in U.S) was the largest war in history at the time. As a result of the Seven Years’ War, both France and Britain (England) suffered

France and Britain fought against each other during the Seven Years’ War and were considered long standing enemies at the time

The Seven Years’ War… lasted over 7 years (from 1754 to 1763) included several of the most powerful countries in the world affected 6 continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America)

Spending by the Royal FamilyLouis XIV (XIV=14) decided to move the government from Paris to Versailles, a small town miles to the westLouis XIV built an enormous and luxurious palace at Versailles (Palace of Versailles), a symbol of his power as an absolute monarchThe royal family also spent untold sums of money on royal ceremonies (such as a dressing ceremony), parties, as well as expensive foods, fine clothing and .

The Palace of Versailles and the royal gardens… were 19,262 acres in size (roughly the size of Manhattan), cost an estimated 116,438,892 livres (roughly $2 billion by today’s standards)

Food ShortagesPoor harvests, bad , market manipulations and failed government policies led to shortages in France (bread was the main food source in France at the time)The cost of bread , leaving many unable to afford enough food to survive

Social ProblemsSocial problems arose due to an unfair class system (the three estates), the ideas of the Enlightenment, and the emergence of a powerful bourgeoisie (middle class)

Unfair Class System (The Three Estates)Since the middle ages, French society had been broken into three distinct social classes (called estates)

First Estate Clergy (Church leaders)Second Estate Nobility (determined by , not wealth)Third Estate Common people (everyone else)

First and Second Estate made up less than % of the population, … controlled of the vote in the Estates General (France’s Legislative Assembly leading up to the French Revolution) enjoyed special privileges controlled much of the country’s wealth and political power

The Third Estate made up over % of the population, … controlled of the vote in the Estates General included some wealthy lawyers, doctors and merchants, but most members were poor forced to pay

Ideas of the Enlightenment (Age of Reason)The Enlightenment began around the mid-1600s in Western EuropeEnlightenment thinkers brought new ideas and used reason and science to the outdated traditions and unchallenged authorityEnlightenment thinkers preached and (freedom)Enlightenment thinkers would challenge the absolute monarchs, the Catholic Church and the titled nobility

Furthermore, the emergence of a powerful bourgeoisie (middle class) began to seek more power

Instant Expert: The French Revolution

Kingdom in Crisis

What did Louis XVI build 12 miles west of Paris to the town of Versailles?

How does the video describe 15 year old Louis XVI? (3 answers)A. IndecisiveB. OutgoingC. Physically fitD. PudgyE. Shy

Louis XVI’s marriage to Marie Antoinette was a political arrangement representing an end to the rivalry between France and ___.A. AustriaB. PrussiaC. England

As the wedding gala continued for days, what was going on outside the gates of Versailles?

Nearly a decade earlier, Louis XV lost the Seven Years War against Great Britain over territory in North America ___. A. bringing fortune to FranceB. nearly bankrupting France

The population of France ____ greatly during the 18th centuryA. increasedB. decreased

Louis XVI dies of small pox. What was the condition of France at the time Louis XVI was crowned king?A. GoodB. Bad

According to most experts, was Louis XVI ____ to become king.A. preparedB. unprepared

New Age Dawning

Since the Middle Ages, European society had been broken into three distinct classes dictated by birth, which began to be during The Enlightenment, a movement that taught people to ___ authority.

A. QuestionB. Trust

To see Enlightenment ideals in action one only need to look across the Atlantic, America was fighting for freedom from France’s old nemesis Britain. Which side did France support during the American Revolution?

A. AmericaB. Britain

Louis commits 2,000 million livres (currency in France from 781 to 1795) enough to feed and house 7,000,000 French citizens for a year. What impact did this have on the French economy?

Describe the lifestyle and spending habits of Louis XVI’s wife Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette was nicknamed “Madam Deficit” because of her___ spending habits.A. Extravagant (spent too much)B. Frugal (spent too little)

According to the video, what was the most essential job of the Queen?

To The Bastille

Which group was hurt the most by Louis XVI’s financial reforms?

Bread was a major part of the French diet. How many pounds of bread did most ordinary people in France eat each day?

What happened to the cost of a loaf of bread under Louis’ mismanagement?

Jacques Necker was a financial consultant hired by Louis. Necker was ___ among the common people and Enlightenment thinkers.A. PopularB. Unpopular

The Third Estate was made up of the common people.

The Third Estate made up _____ % of the population

The Third Estate made up _____ % of deputies in the Estates General

Who did Jacques Necker suggest pay taxes?

After being locked out of the Estates General, Deputies moved to ___ and promised not to dismiss until a new constitution was reached.A. The BastilleB. The Royal PalaceC. A Tennis Court

What was the National Assembly?

By early July, 30,000 of the king’s troops are taking positions around Paris. To defend themselves, the people form a new national guard and steal 28,000 muskets, but lack gun powder. Where do the people go to find gunpowder?

A. The BastilleB. The PalaceC. A Tennis Court

How did the crowds react after Louis XVI dismissed his financial advisor, Jacques Necker? What action did the crowds take?

What happened to Governor de Launay during the storming of the Bastille?

Did the deputies in the National Assembly immediately condemn the violence of revolutionaries, such as the storming the Bastille.A. YesB. No

An aide rushed into the palace to tell Louis about the storming of the Bastille. How did the aide respond when Louis asks “is it a revolt?”?

Rights of Man

The Bastille was torn down brick by brick using ___.A. a wrecking ballB. explosivesC. their bare hands

The Right of Man abolished class distinction and stated that all men should be considered truly ___ and declared that sovereignty belonged to the ___.A. equalB. enemies

A. kingB. people

Maximilien Robespierre demanded that the press was given ___.A. less freedomB. more freedom

Juan Paul Marat started The People’s Friend (Friend of the People), a fiery newspaper ___ the king.A. opposingB. supporting

On October 5, after word of the king’s offensive party (and the trampling of the tricolor flag) reached the people, ___ gathered outside city hall to protest the shortage of bread.

A. childrenB. ducksC. women

Describe the women who march to Versailles to protest at the Palace of Versailles.

According to legend, what famous line did Marie Antoinette supposed mutter as the crowd approached?

“Let them ________________________.”As the mob of women gathered outside the palace, Louis agreed to sign the Declaration of Right of Man. The angry fish ladies demanded that the royal family move to Paris, Louis hesitated. How does the crowd respond after Louis XVI hesitated?

Describe the march from Versailles back to Paris.

How is the royal family treated after they were forcefully moved to Paris?

Birth of the Republic

Which country does the royal family attempt to reach after escaping Tuileries Palace in Paris?

What happened to Louis XVI’s popularity throughout France after his failed attempt to escape to Austria?

Maximillien Robespierre, the foremost speaker of the French Revolution, wanted ___. (2 answers)A. “liberty, equality and freedom”B. to legalize executionsC. to legalize slaveryD. universal suffrage (voting rights)

Which of the common execution techniques reserved for nobility?A. Drawing and quarteringB. DrowningC. Burned at the stakeD. Decapitation

Dr. Guillotin invented a new killing machine called the guillotine. What name did the guillotine earn?A. Décapiter GrandeB. National RazorC. Neck Ninja

Who would be executed using the guillotine?A. Supporters of the kingB. Supporters of the revolution

Afraid of enemies outside of France, France declared war on ____.A. AustriaB. EnglandC. Switzerland

Which side does Prussia join during the war?A. AustriaB. France (revolutionaries)

Call for Blood

As foreign armies close in on Paris, many revolutionaries moved to the battlefront. In the first week of September, Prussia took Verdun. San-culottes break into the prisons to ___. (San-culottes common people who abolition of all the authority and privileges of the monarchy, nobility, and Roman Catholic clergy)

A. Free prisonersB. Slaughter prisoners

France puts Louis on trial for treason. Girondins (moderates outside of Paris who want less bloodshed) call for sparing Louis’ life, while Jacobins want to ___.

Louis is declared guilty of treason. What is his punishment?

Marat and Marie

Marat once called for the execution of 200. How many people is Marat calling to be executed now?

Charlotte Corday promised to meet Marat and give him a list of traitors to the revolution. What did Carday give Marat instead?

After his death, how is Marat as a ___ by members of the radical republic (revolutionaries). (2 answers)A. criminalB. godC. martyrD. traitor

Describe the transformation of Marie Antoinette during her time in capture.

On October 15, Marie is put on trial. What were some of the charges and accusations brought against Marie Antoinette?

Marie Antoinette was declared guilty. What was her punishment?A. Deportation to AustriaB. Execution using the guillotine

On the day of her execution, Marie was treated as a ___. A. common criminalB. royal

Time of Terror

Which of the following countries supports French Revolution?A. AustriaB. BritainC. PrussiaD. United StatesE. none of the above

Robespierre and Danton convinced their colleagues to institute Marshall Law, beginning a new chapter in the revolution, a period of violent repression called the terror. During the terror, what happened to the new constitution and all the rights it was to guarantee?

Police spies were scattered throughout the country. What would happen to anyone suspected of counterrevolutionary activity?

A revolutionary tribunal was used to___ the rate of executions during the terror.A. slow downB. speed up

What was the Committee for Public Safety?

The most powerful man of the Committee for Public Safety was Maximillien Robespierre. What happened to Robespierre’s views on the use of execution and freedom of the press?

What happened to power of the Catholic Church during the terror? Explain.

Who was the military leader that sent the British into retreat?A. Duke WellingtonB. Napoleon Bonaparte

Lasting Legacy

Dantonists pushed for an end to the terror by the spring of 1794. What action did Maximillien Robespierre take against the Dantonists?

What happened to the number of executions in Paris during the Great terror?

Robespierre temporarily stopped the executions for the festival of the Supreme Being. Describe the Cult of the Supreme Being.

June 27, Maximillien Robespierre returns to the convention with a list of enemies of the republic. What happens when Robespierre returns to the convention the next day?

In what condition did the people find Robespierre as they storm into his office?

What finally brought an end to the terror?

After 5 years, power would once again consolidate into the hand of one man. Who rose to power as dictator in France, in many people’s view ending the French Revolution?

Which 3 words made up the motto of the revolution?A. EqualityB. Eternity

A. LibertyB. Faculty

A. FraternityB. Tyranny

Tennis Court OathAfter Louis XVI to solve the problems hurting France, Louis summons a meeting of the Estates GeneralUpset over lack of political power in the Estates General, deputies of the Third Estate begins to meet on their own calling themselves the National AssemblyTennis Court Oath – After being of the Estates General, members of the Third Estate meet at a nearby tennis court and write a new constitutionWithin a week, members of the First and Second Estate join the National Assembly, replacing the Estates General as the legislative assembly

Financial advisorAs food shortages grew worse, Louis was also forced to appoint Jacques Necker as a financial advisorJacques Necker is with the common people and Enlightenment thinkers. Many viewed Necker as the savior of FranceAfter Necker suggests that the church clergy and nobility , Louis Necker who he views as too sympathetic to the Third Estate

Storming of the BastillePeople were angered over the dismissal of Necker and feared that Louis would the National AssemblyLouis had recently moved roughly 30,000 into Paris (and Versailles) which in the minds of many confirmed these suspicionsOver 10,000 people gathered to protest the dismissal of Necker. Soon riots broke out throughout ParisThe people of Paris started to plunder any place where , and supplies could be hoarded, including the property of and The Royal troops did nothing to stop the spreading of social chaos in Paris during those daysThe people (mostly poor and middle class citizens) had already begun to form a new national guard, possessing over 28,000 of muskets, but lacking

Angry mob of crowd of roughly 1,000 entered the Bastille wanting more weapons and gunpowderBastille – a seldom used middle age prison which possessed weapons and gunpowder. The Bastille was a symbol of royal tyranny and was torn down by the people using their bare hands after the storming of the Bastille The Governor of the Bastille, Bernard-René de Launay, was taken outside the Bastille and After de Launay shouted "Enough! Let me die!" he was stabbed repeatedly and his was cut off, put on a pike and carried throughout the streets of ParisLouis was informed of the storming the next morning by an aide"Is it a revolt?" asked Louis XVI. The aide responded: "No sire, it's a .”

March on VersaillesAngered over food shortages and royal spending and incited by the of Juan Paul Marat, a Parisian mob marched to Versailles The most famous of group was the poissardes, a group of women who worked at the . These ladies were largely muscular and uneducated

Hearing about the oncoming mob, Louis XVI the Declaration of Right of Man (and of the Citizen), while (according to legend) Marie Antoinette muttered “Let them ”The Declaration of Right of Man was written by the National Assembly, similar to America’s Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Right of Man stated that all men are created and enjoy natural rights such as and freedom from oppression (freedom from tyranny)

The mob demanded that the royal family leave Versailles and return with the mob to After Louis hesitates, the mob rushes the Palace of Versailles, killing many of the and looking to kill the queenEventually, a mob of roughly 60,000 returns to Paris with the royal family, , weapons and the heads of many royal guardsOnce in Paris, the royal family is treated as

War with Austria, Death of the MonarchyOn June 20, 1791, the royal family attempted to from the Tuileries Palace in Paris to Louis was stopped in Varennes, and returned to Paris where he was viewed as a to FranceShortly after Louis was returned to Paris, France on Austria (who was supported by Prussia)Many suspected Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette of Austria and Prussia As the Prussian army neared Paris, mobs broke into prisons prisoners

Later, as mobs stormed the Tuileries Palace killing his guards, Louis XVI escaped to the AssemblyLouis was arrested and put on trial for treason. Louis is declared guilty by a single vote and is sentenced to On January 21, 1793, Louis was using the guillotineOn October 15, 1793, Queen Marie Antoinette was put on trial for treason, draining the economy and incestOn October 16, 1793, Queen Marie Antoinette was using the guillotine

Reorganizing the ChurchAnother enemy of the French Revolution was the Catholic Church (_____% of France was Catholic before the French Revolution)Much of the Church land and property was or taken over by the governmentBefore the French Revolution, the Church was very and was also the largest landowner in the country

Under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, priests were forced take an oath of allegiance to France. Priest who refused (nonjuring priests) were During the terror, Religious statues, crosses, and other signs of worship were . France replaced Christian calendar and the ____ day week was replaced by a ____ day week. were introduced to replace the Catholic Church, including the Cult of Reason and later the Cult of the Supreme Being(The Cult of the Supreme Being was introduced by Maximillien Robespierre and a reason Robespierre’s rapid downfall)

The Terror – (Period during the French Revolution, lasting about a year, where about 40,000 people were executed, most guillotined)Shortly after the death of Louis XVI, the Committee of Public Safety was established to protect France from its enemiesThe Committee for Public Safety was a man council that controlled France under Marshall Law during the Terror, eventually dominated by Maximillien Robespierre Police were scattered throughout the country. Anyone suspected of counterrevolutionary activity was swiftly tried before the revolutionary tribunal and

On March 30, 1794, Georges Jacques Danton (Robespierre’s political rival) and his supporters were arrested and ______________________ within a few daysAfter the death of Danton, Robespierre continued to find more enemiesOn July 27-28 1794, Robespierre is arrested along with other members of the Committee for Public Safety and using the guillotine (Robespierre attempted to commit before his arrest but failed)Over the course of the next few months, the remaining of Robespierre were executed as well

Napoleon BonaparteAfter years, power would once again be combined in the hand of one man, Napoleon BonaparteNapoleon was a successful during the French Revolution, who used his popularity and the to overthrow the Executive Directory (a 5 man council that replaced the Committee for Public Safety as the government of France)

French Revolution Illustrated TimelinePlace the following events in order first earliest (1) to most recent (9). Next, draw each event in the appropriate box.

Louis’ deathMarch on Versailles

Marie Antoinette’s death

Rise of Napoleon BonaparteThe Terror

Royal family attempts to escape to Austria

Storming the BastilleTennis Court Oath

War with Austria and Prussia

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9.

People of the French Revolution

Louis XVIKing of France

Jacques NeckerFinancial advisor

Maximillien RobespierreGreat Terror

Dr. Joseph-Ignace GuillotinInventor of Guillotine

Georges Jacques DantonRobespierre’s political rival

Marie AntoinetteQueen of France

Bernard-René de LaunayGovernor of the Bastille

Juan Paul Marat“Friend of the People” writer

Charlotte CordayAssassinated Marat

Napoleon BonaparteGeneral turned emperor