a beautiful presentation on french revolution will help the needy specially pinegrovians of class 9 but friends do not copy this, this year 2013 because even i need to submit it . love u

1. SINCERE EFFORTS BY
ANGAD SINGH

4. Before the revolution, France’s society was
divided into three classes:
• The First Estate made up of the clergy (high
ranking officials—including priests—and the
wealthy)
• Second Estate consisting of the nobility
• the rest of the French population made up the
Third Estate (more than 95% of the
population)

5. The Three Estates
Estate Population Privileges Exemptions Burdens
First •Circa 130,000 •Collected the tithe •Paid no taxes •Moral obligation (rather than legal
•Censorship of the press •Subject to Church obligation) to assist the poor and
•High-ranking •Control of education law rather than civil needy
clergy •Kept records of births, deaths, law •Support the monarchy and Old
marriages, etc. Regime
•Catholic faith held honored
position of being the state religion
(practiced by monarch and
nobility)
•Owned 20% of the land
Second •Circa 110,000 •Collected taxes in the form of •Paid no taxes •Support the monarchy and Old
feudal dues Regime
•Nobles •Monopolized military and state
appointments
•Owned 20% of the land
Third •Circa 25,000,000 •None •None •Paid all taxes
•Tithe (Church tax)
•Everyone else: •Octrot (tax on goods brought into
artisans, cities)
bourgeoisie, city •Corvée (forced road work)
workers, •Capitation (poll tax)
merchants, •Vingtiéme (income tax)
peasants, etc., •Gabelle (salt tax)
along with many •Taille (land tax)
parish priests •Feudal dues for use of local manor’s
winepress, oven, etc.

10. • The Estates General was first
established in 1302 as a
legislative body representing
the three social estates of
France.
• This group of representatives
hadn’t met in some 175 years
before Louis XVI had called for
it in 1789.

14. • Frustrated at the strong
possibility of being shut out
of the new constitution by
the other two Estates, the
Third Estate declared
themselves as the National
Assembly on June 17, 1789

16. Court Oath Tennis
• The opposition of Louis XVI led to the
National Assembly meeting on June 20, 1789
in a tennis court at Versailles. There, they
took an oath.
• In it, the majority swore “never to The
King had rejected the activities and ideas
of the Third Estate as the National
Assembly
separate, and to meet wherever
circumstances demand, until the
constitution of the kingdom is
established and affirmed on solid
foundations”.
• The King was unwilling to use force and
eventually ordered the first and second
estates to join the new National Assembly.
The Third Estate had won.

17. Fall of the Bastille
–July 14, 1789
• The dismissal of Finance Minister Jacques Necker in
July 1789 sparked the violent retaliation of the third
Estate.
• The Bastille was targeted because of its secrecy and
terror, holding prisoners considered enemies of the king
without proper trial.
• All 7 prisoners were freed and every guard was killed.
• The fall of the Bastille became a symbol of the fight
against the tyranny and injustices of France’s absolute
monarchy

18. “The Great Fear”
• After the siege of the Bastille, a
series of riots continued to break out
amongst the peasants in the
countryside.
• Targets of the riots included nobles’
châteaux, monasteries, and buildings
that housed public records—
especially those containing records of
their feudal obligations.

22. Constitution of 1791
• Declared France to be a constitutional monarchy
• Legislative powers went to a single Legislative
Assembly, which alone had the power to declare
war and raise taxes.
• Monarch had limited powers (could only
implement a suspensive veto)
• Monarch could not control the army, Legislative
Assembly, or local government.
• It only lasted for one year.

23. Committee of Public Safety &
Robespierre
• Maximilien Robespierre was the head of the
Committee of Public Safety, the executive
committee of the National Convention.
• Robespierre along with the radical Jacobins was
also the leader of the Reign of Terror after the
death of Louis XVI in 1793.
• The Reign of Terror was a period under the rule
of the conventions that focused on the
elimination of economic and political threats of
any degree within France.
• Up to 50,000 French citizens were guillotined.

24. The Thermidorian Reaction
• After the arrest of Robespierre, moderates that
were repressed under the Reign of Terror
appeared back in the National Convention of
1794.
• Jacobins’ prisoners were freed, the power of the
Committee for Public Safety was neutralized,
and Robespierre’s affiliates were executed.
• In an attempt to fix the economy, the Convention
printed more money and got rid of price
controls—causing inflation.

26. • Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew
the Directory and replaced it with
Napoleon
the Consulate in November
1799—marking the true end of
the revolution
• He soon assumed the position of
First Consul, with near dictatorial
powers.
• Helped abolish the feudal system
for good and established a
meritocracy.
• Reestablished the Church
• At first brought peace to the
French in domestic and foreign
affairs
• But would soon push France to
war again in 1803

28. Websites
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/lecture11a.html
http://www.historywiz.com/oldregime.htm
http://www.helium.com/items/1086965-what-is-the-imporance-of-
bastille-day
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/section5.r
html
Books:
Armstrong, Monty, Daniel David, and Kanarek Abby. Cracking the
AP World History Exam. New York: Random House, Inc., 2006.