The French Revolution was caused by growing social inequality, enlightenment ideas challenging the status quo, and economic troubles from taxation. France in the late 1700s still had a feudal social structure divided between clergy, nobles and peasants. The gap between rich and poor grew vast as new ideas of liberty, equality and democracy spread from the American Revolution and Enlightenment philosophers. Despite reform attempts, the system remained unstable until the revolution began in 1789. The revolution occurred in four stages, starting with overthrowing the absolute monarchy and establishing a constitutional monarchy, then becoming more radical as fears of counterrevolution grew, leading to the Reign of Terror under Robespierre. The revolution ultimately transformed France from a feud

1. French Revolution

2. In 1789 France was the most populated nation in Europe and had been growing in wealth and
prestige since the time of Louis XIV. Despite this economic growth, it was still a very backward
nation socially and politically: socially, because it was still divided into feudal classes of people
(clergy–those who pray, nobles–those who fight, and the peasants–those who work); politically,
because they were still ruled by an absolute monarch who believed in the divine right of kings.
 The gap between rich and poor in France was vast. The inequalities of the economy of
France were a major cause of the French Revolution.
 Driven by the example of the American Revolution and such Enlightenment ideas as
liberty, equality, and democracy, the French ousted the government of Louis XVI and
established a new political order.
 After seizing power in 1799, Napoleon conquered a huge empire that included much of
Western Europe. His attempt to conquer Russia, however, led to his downfall.
Background

3. Causes of the French Revolution
The Revolution was the result of three related crises
that fell upon France simultaneously; one social, one
political, and one economic.
CAUSES
The Social
Crisis
Social inequality Enlightenment
ideas
Taxation Failure of
Reforms

4. The Social Crisis
 The clergy numbered about
100,000 and yet they owned 10%
of the land.
 The nobility, it paid no taxes and
merely contributed a grant to the
state every five years, the amount
of which was self-determined.
 All peasants were liable to pay
taxes, from which the nobility could
claim immunity, and feudal dues
payable to a local lord.
The Social Inequality
Feudal France was neatly
divided into three social classes,
or Estates, with different jobs
and privileges: the clergy was
the First Estate, the Nobles
were the Second Estate, and
the peasants were the Third
Estate.
One of the major problems that
upset this order was
the incredible growth of the
bourgeoisie in wealth and in
number.

5. Taxation
 Peasants and nobles alike were
required to pay one-tenth of their
income or produce to the
church. Peasants paid a land tax to
the state, a 5% property tax.
 Further royal and seigneurial
obligations might be paid in several
ways: in labor (the corvée), in-kind,
or, rarely, in coin.
 Peasants were also obligated to
their landlords for: rent in cash, a
payment related to their amount of
annual production (the charm part),
and taxes on the use of the nobles’
mills, wine-presses, and
bakeries (the banalités).
Failure of Reforms
During the reigns of Louis XV
(1715–1774) and Louis XVI (1774–
1792), several ministers,
most notably, Turgot and Necker,
proposed revisions to the French
tax system so as to include the
nobles as taxpayers, but these
proposals were not adopted
because of resistance from the
parliaments (provincial courts of
appeal). Members of these courts
bought their positions from the
king, as well as the right to transfer
their positions hereditarily through
payment of an annual fee, the
Paulette.

6. Enlightenment ideas
 A growing number of the French
citizenry had absorbed the ideas of
“equality” and “freedom of the
individual” as presented by Voltaire,
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis
Diderot and other philosophers and
social theorists of the Age of
Enlightenment.
 The American Revolution
demonstrated that it was plausible
for Enlightenment ideas about how
a government should be
organized to actually be put into
practice.

7. (1789-1792)
Stage 2: Second Revolution
Stage 1: Revolution
of 1789
(1792)
(1793-1795)
Stage 3: The Reign of Terror
Stages of the French Revolution
(1795-1799)
Stage 4: The Thermidorian
Reaction

8.  The first stage of the revolution began because of the long-festering conflict between the
monarchy and the aristocracy. King Louis XVI needed to raise taxes in order to pay the
government’s large debt.
 The aristocracy believed, because the Estates-General voted by order, that the tax would be
defeated. When the Estates-General met in Versailles during the summer of 1789, the Third
Estate broke away.
 Upon breaking away, they formed the National Assembly. The National Assembly
demanded a written constitution.
 After being recognized by the king, the National Constituent Assembly went about
restructuring France. The Constitution of 1791 created a Constitutional Monarchy.
 Louis XVI, however, had little power. The first stage of the revolution was conservative when
compared to other stages of the Revolution. It did, however, represent the death of the Old
Regime and effectively transferred power from aristocratic wealth to all forms of
commercial wealth.
Stage 1: Revolution of 1789 (1789-1792)

9.  Many felt that the revolution had not gone far enough. In particular, the radical Jacobins (the
Mountain) wanted a republic instead of a constitutional monarchy. The more
moderate Jacobins (the Girondists) desired to preserve the new government.
Because of –
 Louis XVI did many things to raise suspicion that he was a counterrevolutionary
 The poor economy
 The fact that most of France had no political power
 A war with Austria and Prussia, the Mountain was able to gain control of the Legislative
Assembly. Again, the populace played a part. With the help of the sans-culottes (the
common people of Paris), the Mountain ousted the Girondists and transformed France into
a Republic. The new legislative body was called the Convention. The Legislative Assembly
ceased to exist.
• It was during this stage that Louis XVI was tried and executed as a counterrevolutionary.
Stage 2: Second Revolution (1792)

10.  This was, by far, the most radical phase of the French Revolution. The war with Europe
created a situation that allowed the Convention to crush opposition in France without due
process of the law. No one, from royalists to republicans was safe.
 The new government attempted to create a “Republic of Virtue.” This new republic was
essentially a military state whose main objective was preserving the new government and
destroying all aristocratic elements and traditions.
Players and Political Factions
• Mountain
• Controlled the Convention (with the help of the sans-culottes)
• Robespierre
• As the leader of the Committee of Public Safety, essentially controlled France from
1793 to 1794
• Executed all those (both radical and conservative) who opposed him or opposed the
Republic of Virtue
• Enrages
• Radical sans-culottes who opposed the Republic of Virtue
Stage 3: The Reign of Terror (1793-1795)

11. 1. This was a backlash against the radical elements of the revolution. The political pendulum
swung back to the right and a government that was neither a constitutional monarchy nor
a democracy was established. Social change was avoided. When all was said and done,
the real “winners” of the French Revolution were the owners of the property.
2. Important Events in stage IV
• Constitution of the Year III
• Set up the new government and a limited democracy
• The new government relied on the military to keep order and stability
Stage 4: The Thermidorian Reaction and the Establishment of
the Directory (1795-1799)

12. During Revolution
• Played an active role in the revolutionary movements
• Started their own clubs and newspapers.
• One of the most famous political clubs was the Society of Revolutionary and
Republican Women. They were disappointed by the Constitution of 1791 which
designated them, passive citizens.
• The Society demanded equal political rights as men. They wanted to vote and stand in
elections for political office.
After Revolution
• The early revolutionary governments introduced many laws that improved the lives
and status of women in society.
• Schools were created, and education was made compulsory for all girls.
• Marriage without consent was made illegal.
• Divorce was made legal.
• Women were allowed to be artisans and run small businesses.
Role of Women in the French Revolution

13. Impact of Revolution on France
Destruction of
social classes:
The French
Revolution
destroyed the social
discriminative class
system in France
and declared
equality for all.
Revolutionary ideas:
The revolution gave
birth to the
revolutionary ideas of
liberty, equality, and
fraternity. These ideas
started in France and
got spread to other
areas like Italy,
German, etc.
The rise of
Napoleon Bonaparte:
The French revolution
contributed to the rise
of Napoleon
Bonaparte to power
without which he
would have died a
common man.
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14. Impact of Revolution on France
Rise of Political Parties:
France became a
multiparty state as a
result of the 1789
French revolution. The
freedom of association
led to the rise of
political clubs such as
the Jacobins,
Cordeliers, Giirondin
Fauvillants that
competed for power.
Parliamentary Democracy:
The French revolution
led to the revival of the
parliament which was
abandoned for a
period of over 175
years.
Land ownership
The revolution brought
change in the land
tenure system in
France. The idea of
private ownership of
land by everybody
was encouraged
04 05 06

15. Impact of the french revolution on the World
The French Revolution had been one of the most
dynamic events of the modern world history. For the
years to come its direct influence was felt in many
parts of the world. It inspired many revolutionary
movements in almost every country of Europe and in
South and Central America. Even though the old ruling
dynasty of France had been restored to power in
1815, the autocratic rulers of Europe found it difficult
to rule their nations. The wars during the revolution
with other countries of Europe resulted in the French
occupation of vast areas of Europe for some time.
The political and social systems of the 18th century
had received a nail in their coffin. They were soon to
die in most of Europe under the impact of the
revolutionary movements that sprang up everywhere
in Europe.

16. INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION

17. Background
The Industrial Revolution (IR) was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1700 to
sometime between 1820 and 1840 (19th Century). This transition included going from hand production methods to
machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power, the
development of machine tools a
In the United States, France, and Latin America, political revolutions brought in new governments. A different type of
revolution now transformed the way people worked.
The Industrial Revolution refers to the greatly increased output of machine-made goods that began in England in the
middle 1700s.
Before the Industrial Revolution, people wove textiles by hand. Then, machines began to do this and other jobs. Soon
the Industrial Revolution spread from England to Continental Europe and North America.

18. Factors that led to Industrial Revolution
England possessed a far better
network of means of
transportation than any other
country of Europe
The agricultural revolution
In Britain, the agricultural revolution
had already taken place which
greatly transformed the English
society.
Risk-taking Private Sector
The presence of a sizable private
sector in the country with the great
capacity of the individual
businessmen to take risks
Better means of transport Geographical location
Being cut-off from the mainland of
Europe, England remained immune
from wars and upheavals of
Napoleonic conflicts

19. Factors that led to Industrial Revolution
The vast amount of capital that
England had accumulated out of
profits of her growing trade
enabled her to make large outlays
on machinery and buildings
World Trade
World Trade gradually increased in
the centuries before the Industrial
Revolution and provided European
countries access to raw materials
and a market for goods.
Small population
The small size of England’s
population, which could not cope
with England’s growing trade, also
necessitated that new devices
should be found
Availability of Capital
The availability of coal and iron mines
close to each other
The location of the coal and iron
mines close to each other
encouraged the English to evolve
new techniques for the
manufacture

20. Impact of the Industrial Revolution
Social Impacts Political Impact
It led to imperialism and colonization of
Asia and Africa.
The industrial revolution sharply divided
the countries viz. developed and
developing.
The Industrial Revolution provided a
precursor to the reform movement in
England.
The industrial revolution led to the
development of the trade union
movement.
The industrial revolution paved the way
for the development of new social and
economic doctrines.
The growth of the factory system
resulted in the growth of new cities.
Workers shifted to places near the
factories where they were employed.
The rise of cities was accompanied by
the growth of squatters and slums
The extremely low wages paid by the
factory owners made it difficult for
workers to meet their basic needs.
The women were required to work in
factories and mines for long hours

21. Global impact of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution shifted the world balance of
power. It increased competition between industrialized
nations and poverty in less-developed nations. Rise of
Global Inequality: Industrialization widened the wealth
gap between industrialized and non-industrialized
countries, even while it strengthened their economic
ties.
Britain led in exploiting its overseas colonies for
resources and markets. Soon other European countries,
the United States, Russia, and Japan followed Britain’s
lead, seizing colonies for their economic resources.
Transformation of Society Between 1700 and
1900, revolutions in agriculture, production,
transportation, and communication changed the lives of
people in Western Europe and the United States.
Industrialization gave Europe tremendous economic
power. In contrast, the economies of Asia and Africa
were still based on agriculture and small workshops.

22. For French Revolution:
 https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution
 https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution
 https://lotusarise.com/french-revolution-upsc/
For industrial Revolution:
 https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrial-revolution.asp
 https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/industrial-revolution-and-
technology/
 https://lotusarise.com/industrial-revolution-upsc/
References

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