High school history lecture dealing with the French revolution through the Reign of Terror.

1. CH. 7.2
FRENCH REFORM AND TERROR
Tennis Court Oath

2. ALL MEN ARE EQUAL!
 August 27, 1789- the National Assembly adopted a
statement of ideals which reflected the influences of
the Declaration of Independence and
Enlightenment ideas. “A Declaration of the Rights
of Man and of the Citizen” declared that “men are
born and remain free and equal in rights” and that
“the aim of all political association is the
preservation of the natural…rights of man. These
rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance
to oppression.” This document however, did not
apply to women.

3. WHAT ABOUT WOMEN?
 Disappointed that the Declaration of the
Rights of Man did not grant equal citizenship
to them, women called for equality. In 1791,
Olympe de Gouges, a journalist, demanded
equal rights in her Declaration of the Rights of
Woman and the Female Citizen. She
proclaimed that women should be equally
eligible for all public offices, positions and
jobs. Later in the revolution , women met
resistance for expressing their views in public,
and many, including Gouges, were
imprisoned and executed.

4. FROM 1789 TO 1791…
 …the National Assembly argued over a
new constitution for France. June
1791, Louis XVI and the royal family
attempt to escape France in disguise
but are discovered. Soldiers escorted
the royal family back to the Tuileries in
Paris. This proved to many that Louis
XVI was a traitor to the revolution.
August 1791, the king of Prussia and
the emperor of Austria issued the
Declaration of Pilnitz which threatened
to intervene to protect the French
monarchy. September 1791, the
National Assembly completes a new
constitution which created a limited
constitutional monarchy. This gave the
power to make laws to the new
governmental body, the Legislative
Assembly. Executive powers of
enforcing laws remained with the king
and his ministers.
Joseph II
1764-1790
Leopold II
1790-1792

5. THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY WAS SOON SPLIT INTO 3
FACTIONS OVER CITIZENS’ CRIES FOR MORE LIBERTY,
MORE EQUALITY AND MORE BREAD.
 Radicals – sat on the left side of the hall (left-wing) and they
opposed the monarchy and wanted changes in government
which would give full power to the common people. The sans-
culottes was a radical group who wanted a greater voice in
government, lower food prices and an end to food shortages.
 Moderates – sat in the center of the hall (centrists) and they
wanted some changes in government but not as many as the
radicals.
 Conservatives – sat on the right side of the hall (right-wing)
and believed in the idea of a limited monarchy and wanted few
changes in government. The extreme right of this group were
the émigrés. They were nobles and others who fled France
during the peasant uprisings who wanted to restore the
monarchy and the Old Regime.

6. WAR AND MOB RULE
 April 1792- the Legislative Assembly declares war
on Austria after Austria and Prussia proposed that
France put Louis XVI back on the throne. Prussia
soon joined Austria in the fight against the French.
As Prussian and Austrian forces approached Paris,
they warned the revolutionaries not harm any
member of the royal family. August 10, 1792-
20,000 men invade the Tuileries and massacred the
Swiss Guard and imprisoned Louis XVI, Marie
Antoinette and their children in a stone tower. The
fighting between France and other European
nations will last on and off until 1815.

7. September of 1792 saw much bloodshed
between Frenchmen. Fearing threats
from angry mobs and Parisian radicals,
the Legislative Assembly set aside the
Constitution of 1791, deposed the king,
dissolved the assembly and called for the
election of a new governing body. The
National Convention was elected in
September of 1792 and quickly made
sweeping changes. September 21, 1792
they abolished the monarchy and
declared France a republic giving only
adult male citizens the right to vote.

8.  Since Louis XVI was now only a commoner and a
prisoner, he was charged and tried for treason and was
found guilty. January 21, 1793- Louis XVI is executed by
guillotine.
British illustration of the execution of Louis XVI

9. 1793-Great Britain, Holland and Spain join
Austria and Prussia in their fight against the
French thus forming an alliance known as the
First Coalition. (there will be 7 Coalitions in all)

10. THE BATTLE OF VALMY WAS A DECISIVE VICTORY FOR THE FRENCH
REVOLUTIONARY ARMY OVER PRUSSIAN FORCES.
 The French radicals took extreme steps to meet the
danger from this new alliance. February 1793- the
National Convention order a draft of 300,000 citizens
between the ages of 18 and 40.

11. THE REIGN OF TERROR
 This period of rule under
Maximilien Robespierre was
from July 1793 to July 1794.
His rule was an effort to
contain and control the
enemies of the radical
Jacobins from within France:
peasants who were horrified
by the beheading of the king,
priests who would not accept
government control and rival
leaders who were stirring up
rebellion in the provinces.

12.  Robespierre became the leader
of the Committee of Public Safety
which was responsible for
deciding who was an enemy of
the republic, trying and executing
the guilty. As head of this
committee, Robespierre took on
the role of dictator of France and
executed for treason some
40,000 people total. About 85%
were peasants, the urban poor or
middle class. Fellow
revolutionaries who challenged
Robespierre were also victims of
his authority and suffered the
same fate as the most famous
victim of the Reign of Terror,
Marie Antoinette.
British political cartoon
depicting the Reign of Terror.

13.  July 1794- The National Convention
realize that they are not safe from
Robespierre and turn on him. He is
arrested on July 27, 1794 and
executed by guillotine on July 28,
1794 thus ending the Reign of
Terror. The National Convention
then has the task of drafting a new
plan for government. This new
government gave power to the
upper middle class and called for a
two-house legislature and an
executive body of five men known
as the Directory. Under the
leadership of the corrupt moderate
Directory, a period of peace and
order falls on France.
^Robespierre’s death mask.
Reconstructed model of
Robespierre.