The French Revolution was a major turning point in European history that transformed France from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and, later, a republic. Rising social and economic pressures increased tensions under the inefficient rule of King Louis XVI and the nobility, leading to the storming of the Bastille and the abolition of feudalism. The Revolution soon turned more radical under figures like Robespierre, establishing a repressive Reign of Terror to consolidate power and defend the Revolution from foreign threats, at the cost of thousands of lives. After the overthrow of Robespierre, a moderate republican system was established, though it struggled with instability until the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.

1. Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

2. One of the biggest turning points in European history
Unlike the Russian Revolution or The Chinese
revolution, France was the most advanced country of
the age

3.  Population growth and declining standard of living
increased pressures on an inefficient economy
 Writings of the philosophes inspired criticism of the Royal
Government and powerful Church
 Extravagances of the Court exhausted the treasury
 Efforts of the King’s ministers to reduce privileges, reform
taxes, cut spending, and introduce free trade within
France had all failed
 The Royal Government had proved its incompetence and
the nobles saw their chance to seize control of the King’s
powers and increase their own

4. 1. Church
2. Nobility
3. Third Estate

5. Church – 100 000 people
Deeply involved in the prevailing social system in
France
They owned between 5 and 10 percent of the land
Church was the greatest of all landowners
Church wealth concentrated in the hands of few

6. Nobility – 400 000
They had enjoyed great resurgence since the death of
Louis XIV
Army, parlements, government offices all monopolized
by the nobility
Had blocked any plan at taxation
Middle class – bourgeoisie, not part of this estate, didn’t
enjoy the same privelidge
MC taxed

7. Third Estate – disgruntled
In the 40 years prior to the rev, prices rose 65%,
whereas wages rose 22%
4/5 of the population
Not like serfdom in Russia – they worked for
themselves
Noble still had rights – hunting, collected fees for mills,
bakeshop, wine press

8. The manorial lord performed no economic function
He lived not by managing his land, but by collecting a
series of dues
During the 18th century, lords were faced with rising
living costs, and consequently, collected their dues
more vigorously
They also revived the old ones that had previously been
ignored

9. Leases and sharecropping also became less favourable
to the peasants
Additionally, peasants began to resent the feudal dues
because they saw themselves as the true owners of the
land

10. As we saw, France struggled with financial burden
Upkeep of army, and servicing debt
Revenues falling short of expenditure
Nobility and church avoiding taxation
Louis XVI, also had appointed Jacques Necker, a Swiss
Banker – also dismissed
His successor, Calonne, proposed a general tax to
replaced the taille - a tax on all landowners

11. He wanted to pass it by an Assembly of Notables, Louis
wouldn’t allow it
Louis dismissed him
He wanted to pass it in an Estates General, because he
knew parliament wouldn’t accept it
Additionally, they tried to replace the parliaments
Nobles were angered, wouldn’t do anything, like a
strike
Louis called the Estates General and various classes
were called to elect representatives

13. Estates General hadn’t met since 1614-1615
It is an assembly of representatives elected from the
three estates
Each estate voted separately on an issue
Then the rep from estate would vote
Dangerous for Louis
 Move to politics
 Weakening absolutism
 Everyone felt they could have a say

14. Rift between old and new nobility – reps for the EG had
to be from long established noble lines
Angered new nobility , and pushed them toward 3rd
estate
3rd estate thought the voting system was unfair
Led by Abbe Sieyes
They demanded that double the number of reps be
given to the third estate
Louis gave the 3rd more reps, but it was still rep by estate

15. Louis missed his chance to be a strong leader in the EG
Main issue was the 3rd refused to do anything until there
was a unicameral legislature
Even disgruntled parish priests left the first estate and
joined the third
17 June 1789 – Third Estate called itself the National
Assembly – urged the other estates to join

16. “What is the Third Estate?”
 Complied by Mirabeau
and Sieyes
Demands of the estates
Fairer tax system
End to feudal dues
Came from everyone
 Rich and poor
 Rural and Urban

17. Palace of Versailles

18. Tennis Court Oath
Tennis Court Oath – on June 20th the kings officials
locked the 3rd out of the hall
The 3rd thought the EG was being dissolved, and met at a
Tennis court
They vowed to stay together even against the king’s will
bc they were the nation, not the king
First assertion of power by the 3rd
Louis called for a constitution shortly after
Led to the revolutionary myth, united people

20. Louis eventually gives in – June 27
National Assembly formed
Why did Louis do it?
 He was scared
Unicameral body- set out to provide the monarchy with
a constitution
National Assembly faced a series of obstacles

21. 11 July
 Dismisses popular Finance Minister
Jacques Necker
 Calls troops to Versailles and Paris
The dismissal of Necker, who was a
reformer, sparked outrage amongst
the masses because he was seen as a
reformer, and it was viewed as a
conspiracy

22. Louis XVI’s actions convinced people that the King
was about to dismiss the National Assembly and
march on Paris
In Paris, rioters (bourgeois, store keepers, guilds, etc)
stormed a prison – the high officials were lynched,
and their heads paraded through the streets on a pike
Hoped to arm and defend themselves in the event of
an attack

23.  Bastille symbolized royal power and authority
 Fall of the prison prompted similar actions throughout the
French countryside
 Expression of the power of the people to take politics into
their own hands
 A century later, the French republic made it a national
holiday
 Short term, it made Louis more receptive, but this angered
the nobles

24. National Assembly took action to restore order by
officially abolishing feudalism and the church tithe

25. Text Book
 182-183
Which points reflect
those of:
 Locke
 Rousseau
 Montisque

26. Demonstration led by
6000 Parisian women
motivated by fear of
bread shortages
Decapitated people who
had insulted
revolutionaries
Royal family forcibly
moved to the Tuileries
Palace in Paris

27. French Revolution Video
For the video take notes on the following points:
 Importance/Impact of the Revolution
 Describe
Robespierre
Louis XVI
Marie Antoinette
 Describe Louis and Marie’s relationship
 Who are the sans-culottes?

28. 2 November 1789
 Confiscated property and wealth of the church
 Sold it to members of the middle class and peasantry
19 June 1790
 Abolished hereditary nobility and noble titles
12 July 1790
 Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Required priests and bishops to swear oath of loyalty to the
constitution
Provided for election of bishops and priests by the people

29. Attempted escape of Louis XVI and family from
France
Left behind a letter condemning the Revolution,
stating his belief in nobility and his right to
absolute rule, and his hope to reestablish the
Ancien Regime with the help of émigrés

31. Produced by the National Constituent Assembly
(formerly National Assembly)
Strictly limited power of the King, setting up a
constitutional monarchy
Original National Constituent Assembly dissolved
and replaced by the National Legislative Assembly

32. Other European rulers
were horrified by the
example set by
revolutionary France
 Feared revolution would
spread to their countries
Declaration of Pillnitz by
Emperor of Austria and
King of Prussia

33. Royal Family wanted war to discredit and defeat the
Revolution
French moderates wanted war to shift attention from
economic problems and preserve the constitutional
monarchy
French radicals wanted war to free the people of
Europe

34. 20 April 1792
 France declared war on Austria
 Prussia soon at Austria’s aid
25 July 1792
 Brunswick Manifesto issued by
Austria and Prussia
Threatened severe punishment for
Parisians if anything happened to the
royal family

35. Robespierre used the Manifesto to argue for the
overthrow of the French monarchy
Mob anger intensified by conditions in France
 Bread scarce
 Rising prices
 Severe unemployment
 Paper money losing value
 Fear of reinstatement of the Ancien Regime
 Fear of émigré revenge

36.  Mob led by Robespierre, Marat, and Danton
overthrew the Parisian municipal government and
set up the Paris Commune
 Representation to different sections of the city
 Increased power of the radicals backed by the sans-
culottes

37. Mob attack on royal
palace leads to
imprisonment of royal
family
National Legislative
Assembly suspends the
monarchy
Radicals intimidate
National Legislative
Assembly and force its
dissolution
Executive Council rules
France until a National
Convention is elected

38. Public Panic
 caused by King’s arrest and crumbling military that
allowed Austrian and Prussian armies to advance
toward Paris
Paris jails full of suspected royalists and “counter-
revolutionaries” arrested for “aiding the enemies”
Rumours of a royalist plot to stage a massive jail
break

39. 1200 people murdered without trial

40. Jacobins
 Members included Robespierre
and Napoleon Bonaparte
 Most famous political club
 Radical, included sans-culottes
 Advocated radical reform and
harsh measures to bring about
change
Girondins
 Moderate, did not support
extending political rights to
the working class – sans-
culottes

41. The Plain
 Independent representatives
opposed to King’s return and
committed to the Revolution
The Girondins
 Led by Jacques-Pierre Brissot
The Jacobins
 Radicals led by Robespierre
Abolished the Monarchy by
unanimous vote and created a
Republic

42.  Disciple of Rousseau
 Both considered the general will an absolute necessity
 Realization of the general will would make the Republic
of Virtue a reality
Individual will not as important
 Gained a following and knew how to manipulate it

43. Louis XVI brought to trial before the Convention,
found guilty of treason, sentenced to execution
 Guillotined on 21 January 1793

46. 1 February
 France declared war on Britain, Holland, Spain
23 February
 Food riots in Paris
March
 Royalist revolt in the Vendée

47. National Convention set up committees:
 General Defence
 General Security
 Public Safety
 Revolutionary Tribunal
To try enemies of the Revolution
Robespierre and Mountain supporters seize control
when Girondins prove ineffective

48. 2 June
 National Guardsmen and sans-culottes march on
National Convention, demanding expulsion and arrest
of Girondin members
 Remaining members elect Robespierre to Committee of
Public Safety
Control National Convention and rule France from July 1793
to July 1794

49. New calendar
 “Year One” = establishment of the Republic
 12 months each with three 10-day weeks
 5 left over days: patriotic holidays celebrating Virtue,
Genius, Labour, Opinions, Rewards
 Names of the week changed to reflect mathematical
regularity
 Primidi, duodi, tridi… decadi
 Months renamed to reflect natural rhythms of seasons
 January: Nivose (month of snow); Brumaire (fog), Frimaire
(cold)

50. New national educational system to indoctrinate and
educate
New flag – tricolour
 Blue and red are the colours of France
 White is an ancient French colour
Conformity on all levels
 Clothes, books, songs

51. Churches renamed to reflect secularization
 Church of Saint-Laurent = Temple of Marriage and
Fidelity
 Notre Dame = Temple of Reason
Cult of the “worship of the supreme being”

52. Addressed military
invasion, food shortages
and inflation, and internal
revolts

53. Used the press, theatre, and the arts to appeal to men,
women, and children to defend the Republic
23 August 1793 - Introduced levée of entire male
population
 Created an army of 850,000 soldiers by 1794
Appointed commissioners to supervise the army and
check on the loyalty of generals
 Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte from major to brigadier

54. Death penalty for food hoarders
17 September 1793 - “Maximum” law introduced to
control prices, wages and profits
Commissioners appointed to collect food from the
countryside for the army and cities

55. Surveillance committees staffed by local Jacobins
report on leading citizens and local government
officials
Law of Suspects – 17 September 1793
 Permitted arrest of any person suspected of speaking or
acting against the Revolution
 Death sentence for incompetent generals, food
hoarders, speculators, and political critics

56. Some 40,000 people died during the Terror
 6.5% priests, 8.5% nobles, remainder commoners
1251 persons executed in Paris
 March 1793 to 10 June 1794
 16 October – Marie Antoinette
 31 October – Girondists
 24 March 1794 – Hébertists
 6 April - Dantonists
1376 executions
 10 June to 27 July 1794
 30 executions per day

58. National Convention members join together to
overthrow Robespierre and vote for his arrest
He Alienated left and right
Defended France from foreign invasion but could not
save democracy through terror
28-30 July
 Robespierre and 92 of his
supporters are guillotined

59. National Convention drew up peace treaties with all
European countries except Austria
New moderate Constitution
 Remove the power of the Paris mob
 Protect middle class principles of liberty and property
 Power reserved for educated property owners

60. Sans-Culottes marched on
National Convention
demanding “bread and the
Constitution of 1793”
 Efforts repulsed and Paris
Commune dissolved
Louis XVI’s 10-year old son
died on 8 June
Louis XVI’s brother demanded
complete return to Old
Regime

61. New republican constitution proclaimed
 Limited participation to property owners
 Executive power to committee of 5 directors
The Directory passed useful laws in education and
justice but failed to control inflation
October 1795
 Pro-royalist riots suppressed in Paris by republican
troops led by General Napoleon Bonaparte
Performed day-to-day duties
Balanced middle path between royalists and
insurrection
Achieved goals of a stable constitutional rule

62. Sovereign will of the people permanently replaced the
monarch’s claim to divine right to rule
Yet with democracy came tyranny
Repression of the terror revealed the pressures of
external war and civil unrest
Search for conciliation, opportunism and stability by
the people
Ironic they turn to a man of war and a dictator!

64. Movie Questions
Describe the logic behind the guillotine
How was the French Republic born officially?
What lead to Robspierre’s demise?
What state was France in after Robspierre’s death?
What questions are raised from the French
Revolution?