1. CHAPTER 1
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
PRESENTED BY:
1. SAARA NAJEEM
2. BHAVANITA RAJESH
3. VAISHNAV. J
2. INTRODUCTION
ON 14TH JULY 1789 PARIS WAS IN A STATE OF ALARM.
RUMORS SPREAD THAT HE WOULD SOON ORDER THE ARMY TO FIRE
UPON THE CITIZENS 7,000 MEN AND WOMEN FORMED PEOPLE’S
MILITIA.
THEY STORMED THE BASTILLE PRISON AND KILLED THE
COMMANDER.BASTILLE STOOD FOR THE DESPOTIC POWER OF THE
KING AND PEOPLE HATED IT.
RIOTING STARTED IN PARIS AND COUNTRYSIDE AGAINST THE HIGH
PRISE OF BREAD.
THESE WERE THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENTS THAT FINALLY LED TO
EXECUTION OF KING OF FRANCE.
3. FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE
EIGHTEENTH CENTUARY
IN 1774 LOUIS XVI OF THE BOURBON FAMILY OF KINGS ASCENDED THRONE OF FRANCE.HE WAS 20 YEARS
OLD AND MARRIED TO THE AUSTRIAN PRINCESS MARIE ANTOINTEE.LONG YEARS OF WAR HAD DRAINED THE
FINANCIAL RESOURCES OF FRANCE.
TO MEET THE REGULAR EXPENSES,COST OF MAINTINNG ARMY ,THE COURT ETC,LENDERS BEGAN TO
CHARGE MORE INTRESET ON LOANS.FRENCH SOCIETY WAS DIVIDED INTO ESTATES.MEMBERS OF THE THIRD
ESTATE ONLY PAID TAXES.OLD REGIME IS USED TO REFER SOCIETY AND INSTITUTION BEFORE
1789.PEASANTS 90% POPULATION BUT ONLY FEW OWNED THE LAND.
CLERGY AND NOBILITY ENJOYED CERTAIN RIGHTS BY BIRTH AND OWNED MOST OF THE LANDS.
THEY EXEMPTED FROM PAYING TAX,NOBLES HAD FUEDAL PRIVILEGES.CHURCH TAX – TITHES,TAX TO THE
STATE –TAILLE AND OTHER TAXES PAID BY PEASANTS.
4. THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
POPULATION OF FRANCE ROSE FROM 23 MILLION TO 28
MILLION FROM 1715-1789.
DEMAND FOR FOOD GRAINS INCREASED.PRICE OF
BREAD ROSE RAPIDLY AS IT WAS STAPLE DIET OF
MAJORITY.
MOST WORKERS WERE EMPLOYED AS LABOURERS IN
WORKSHOPS WHOSE OWNER FIXED THEIR WAGES.BUT
WAGES DID NOT KEEP PACE WITH THE RISE IN PRICES.
SO THE GAP BETWEEN THE POOR AND THE RICH
WIDENED.THINGS BECAME WORSE WHENEVER
DROUGHT OR HAIL REDUCED THE HARVEST.
THIS LED TO A SUBSISTENCE CRISIS,SOMETHING THAT
OCCURRED FREQUENTELY IN FRANCE DURING OLD
REGIME.
7. A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGES AN
END TO PRIVILEGES
IN 18TH CENTUARY A NEW SOCIAL CLASS EMERGED CALLED MIDDLE CLASS.
THEY EARNED WEALTH FROM OVERSEAS TRADE,EXPORT OF SILK.APART FROM
MERCHANTS IT CONSIST OF LAWYERS AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS.MIDDLE CLASS
EDUCATED AND AGAINST PRIVILEGES BY BIRTH ADVOCATED SOCIAL POSITION ON MERIT.
AMERICAN CONSTITUATION,GUARANTEE OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS INFLUENCED FRENCH
THINKERS.
THE IDEAS OF THESE PHILOSPHERS WERE DISCUSSED INTENSIVELY IN SALONS AND
COFFEE HOUSES AND SPREAD AMONG PEOPLE THROUGH BOOKS AND NEWSPAPER.
THESE WERE FREQUENTLY READ ALOUD IN GROUPS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO
COULD NOT READ AND WRITE.
8. PHILOSPHERES AND THEIR BOOKS
JOHN LOCKE
TWO TREATISES
OF
GOVERNMENT.
THE BOOKS TELLS
SOUGHT TO REFUTE THE
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE
AND ABSOLUTE RIGHT OF
THE MONARCH.
JEAN JACQUES
ROUSSEAU
THE SOCIAL
CONTRACT.
THE BOOK CARRIED THE
IDEA FORWARD
,PROPOSING A FORM OF
GOVERNMENT BASED ON
A SOCIAL CONTRACT
BETWEEN PEOPLE.
MONTESQUIEU
THE SPIRIT OF
LAWS.
IT PROPOSES THE
DIVISION OF POWER
WITH GOVERNMENT
BETWEEN THE
LEGISLATIVE,THE
EXCUTIVE ETC.
11. THE OUTBREAK OF THE
REVOLUTION
OLD REGIME OF FRANCE THE MONARCH DID NOT HAVE POWER TO IMPOSE TAX ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
ALONE.
KING SHOULD CALL A MEETING OF THE ESTATE GENERAL WHICH WOULD THEN PASS HIS PROPOSALS FOR
NEW TAXES.ESTATE GENERAL WAS A POLITICAL BODY TO WHICH THE THREE ESTATES SEND THEIR
REPRESENTATIVES.
THE MONARCH ALONE COULD DECIDE WHEN TO CALL A MEETING OF THIS BODY.THE LAST TIME IT WAS
DONE IN 1614.
IN 5TH MAY 1789 LOUIS XVI CALLED ASSEMBLY OF ESTATES TO PASS NEW LAWS PROPOSALS FOR NEW
TAXES.FIRST AND SECOND ESTATES SENT 300 REPRESENTATIVES.WHILE THE 600 MEMBERS OF THE THIRD
ESTATE HAD TO STAND AT THE BACK.THE THIRD ESTATE WAS REPRESENTED BY ITS MORE PROSPEROUS
AND EDUCATED MEMEBERS.
THEY GATHERED IN THE HALL OF A TENNIS COURT IN VERSAILLES IN 20TH JUNE 1789.THEY DECLARED
THEMSELVES AS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND PLANNED TO PREPARE CONSTITUATION IN FRANCE.
THEY WERE LEAD BY MIRABEAU AND ABBE SIEYES.
12. MIRABEAU AND ABBE
SIEYES
ABBE SIEYAS,ORGINALLY A PRIEST
WROTE AN INFLUNTIAL PAMPHLET
CALLED “WHAT IS THE THIRD
ESTATE?”
MIRABEAU WAS BORN IN A
NOBLE FAMILY BUT WAS
CONVINCED OF THE NEED
TO DO AWAY WITH A
SOCIETY OF FUEDAL
PRIVILEGE.HE BROUGHT
OUT A JOURNAL AND
DELIVERED POWERFUL
SPEECHES TO THE CROWDS
ASSEMBLED AT VERSALLIES.
13. SOME IMPORTANT DATES
LOUIS XVI BECOMES THE KING
OF FRANCE,FACES EMPTY
TREASURY AND GROWING
DISCONTENT WITHIN SOCIETY
OF THE OLD REGIME.
177
4
CONVOCATION OF ESTAES
GENERAL,THIRD ESTATE
FORMS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
THE BASTILLE IS STORMED,
PEASANTS REVOLTS IN THE
COUNTRY SIDE.
1789
A CONSTITUATION IS
FRAMED TO LIMIT THE
POWERS OF THE KING AND
TO GUARANTEE BASIC
RIGHTS TO ALL HUMAN
RIGHTS.
179
1
14. 1792-
1723
1804
1815
FRANCE BECOMES A REPUBLIC,THE
KING IS BEHEADED.
OVERTHROW OF THE JACOBIN
REPUBLIC, A DIRECTORY RULES
FRANCE.
NAPOLEON BECOMES EMPEROR OF
FRANCE,ANNEXES LARGE PARTS OF
EUROPE.
NAPOLEON DEFEATED AT
WATERLOO.
