1. Long Range Reasons Short Range Reasons
1. Fr still Feudal society 1. Louis’ spending
2. Enlightenment 2. Queens’ gambling 1
3. Scientific Rev mil a year
4. Cost of food 3. Collapse of all govt.
5. American Rev finances
French Revolution

2. The following slides describe
the difficulties of “classes” in
France.
There were 3 “Estates”
(classes) in France.
Roots of French revolution

3. 1st Estate aka Clergy
 Less than 1% of pop
 Exempt from natl. French tax
Roots of French revolution

4. 2nd Estate aka Govt. officials
 Less than 2% of pop
 Exempt from Fr natl tax
Roots of French revolution

5. 3rd Estate aka Common Folk
 97% of pop
◦ 80% peasants; 17% middle class
 Includes Bourgeoisie
 Paid almost 100% of Fr taxes
Roots of French revolution

6. 3rd Estate the Bourgeoisie
 Doctors; lawyers; merchants
 No voice in govt
 Wanted higher social status
Roots of French revolution

7. 3rd Estate Peasants
 Paid fees to use:
mills, ovens, wine press
 ½ salary went to fees, tithes
Roots of the French Revolution

8. Louis needs money
 Wants to tax the 1st/2nd estates
 Calls 3 estates to Versailles
 Called meeting of Estates
General
◦ first time called in 175 years
Roots of the French Revolution

9. May 5, 1789
 1st/2nd estates have 300 each
 3rd have 600 total
 But only 1 vote for each estate
(total of 3 votes only)
 Basically 3rd estate screwed
Meeting of Estates General

10. 3rd estate makes waves
 Want all delegates to have 1
vote each
 King says no – stay with old
ways
 June 17, 1789
◦ 3rd estate recreates itself into a
“National Assembly”
◦ Own constitution
◦ Tennis court oath
Meeting of Estates General

11.  National assembly
◦ 3 days later find themselves
locked out
 The Tennis Court Oath
◦ Pledge not to leave until all 3
estates draft new constitution
The Tennis Court Oath

12. July 14, 1789
 Louis doesn’t trust his troops
◦ Swiss guards protect him
 Moves Swiss troops to
Versailles and Paris
◦ Mass fear that he is stopping
National Assembly and the Rev
 Rumors Rumors
◦ The Bastille holds 20,000 lbs of
gun powder
◦ Mobs “storm” it to protect the NA
and Rev
Storming of the Bastille

13.  Peasants Becoming Outlaws
◦ Break into nobles’ manors
 Get Louis!!!
◦ Peasants march on Versailles
◦ Louis “leaves” to Paris
A Great Fear

14.  The Rights of Man
◦ Like our DOI
◦ “Men are born free and remain
free”
 National Assembly (NA)
◦ Creates constitution – forces Louis
to sign
Assembly Reforms France

15.  Louis and Family
◦ Change clothes with servants
◦ Make break for Austria
 Pictures Pictures
◦ Apparently they recognize him
from the money pic
◦ Oh and the royal seal on the
carriage
 Legislative Assembly (NA)
◦ King is no longer
◦ Call for his execution (Marie also)
Louis Tries to Escape

16.  January 21, 1793
◦ “Citizen” Louis is marched to
scaffold
 Courage and dignity
◦ “I am innocent and shall die
without fear. I would hope that my
death might bring happiness to the
French”
 Blood Blood
◦ His head is held up
◦ Silence at first – then cheers
◦ Dipping of handkerchiefs
Poor Poor Louis

17.  October 16, 1793
◦ Marie’s untimely death
 Fashion to the end
◦ Wore the same black dress she
wore at trial
◦ Wore it for 2 months
◦ Not allowed to wear at execution –
fear of sympathy
Poor Poor Marie

18.  Humane?
◦ Dr. Joseph Guillotine supported it
as being “humane”
◦ Actually was compared to other
ways
 Equality
◦ Instead of nobles getting axed and
the poor being hung
◦ Made execution almost production
line style
The Guillotine

19.  September 1793 to 1794
◦ 40,000 executed
◦ Radicals take over NA and want
reforms
 Not radical enough?
◦ 18 yo boy executed for cutting tree
down
◦ Bartender executed for selling
sour wine
 Led by Robespierre
The Reign of Terror

20.  Wild Man
◦ Tries to eliminate religion
◦ Creates the Cult of the Supreme
Being
◦ Calls for many more executions
 Radicals fear the Radical
◦ He is arrested and executed
Robespierre