French Revolution

The Causes of the French Revolution

1. France's Absolute Monarchy: France was ruled by the ancien régime with Louis XVI as the absolute monarch, claiming divine right to rule. His wife, Marie Antoinette, was unpopular due to their extravagant lifestyle during economic hardship.
2. The Enlightenment: A movement that valued science and reason over faith and authority. Thinkers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu criticized the ancien régime, leading many to challenge the idea of divine right.
3. Social Divisions in France:
4. First Estate: Clergy (100,000 people) who did not pay taxes and owned 10% of the land.
5. Second Estate: Nobility (400,000 people) who did not pay taxes and owned 60% of the land.
6. Third Estate: Common people (25 million), including well-off professionals and poor peasants, who paid all the taxes.

3. Impact of the American Revolution: Inspired the French people but bankrupted the country. By the late 1780s, financial crisis led Louis XVI to call the Estates General for the first time in 175 years.

---

The Road to Revolution

• The Estates General met in May 1789 but couldn't agree on voting methods.
• The Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly and took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing to stay until a constitution was drawn up.
• Storming of the Bastille: On July 14, 1789, the sans-culottes (urban workers) attacked the Bastille prison, a symbol of the old regime. This event is celebrated as Bastille Day.

---

Revolution in France

• National Assembly Reforms: Abolished feudalism and tithes. Passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, proclaiming all men are born free and equal.
• Symbols of the Revolution: Slogan 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity' and the tricolour flag.
• Flight to Varennes: Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to escape but were caught and returned to Paris.
• War with Austria: Led to suspicions of Louis aiding enemies. The sans-culottes stormed the Tuileries Palace, imprisoning the royal family.
• First French Republic: Declared by the National Convention. Over 1,000 'enemies of the revolution' were executed in the September Massacres. Louis XVI was executed by the guillotine in January 1793, followed by Marie Antoinette.

---

The Reign of Terror

• Led by Maximilien Robespierre and the Jacobins.
  • The Committee of Public Safety launched the Reign of Terror under the Law of Suspects, leading to mass executions.

• Robespierre intensified the terror, targeting even loyal revolutionaries. He was arrested and executed in July 1794, ending the Reign of Terror.
• The Directory: A more moderate government formed in 1795.

---

The Results of the French Revolution

1. The Directory was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, who later declared himself Emperor.
2. The revolution's ideas of 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity' spread across Europe, inspiring calls for democracy and reducing nobility's power.
3. Inspired the 1798 United Irishmen Rebellion.
4. Marked the rise of nationalism and the desire for self-rule.
5. Introduced the metric system and decimalised currency, still used worldwide.

---

---

Key Terms

1. Absolute Monarchy: a form of government where the king or queen has complete and unrestricted power over the government and its people.
2. Ancien Régime: The Ancien Régime refers to the political and social system in France before the French Revolution, characterised by feudal privileges, absolute monarchy, and a rigid class structure.
3. Louis XVI: the King of France during the French Revolution, eventually executed by guillotine in 1793.
4. The Enlightenment: an intellectual movement in the 17th and 18th centuries that emphasised reason, individualism, and scientific inquiry, challenging traditional authority and inspiring revolutionary ideas.
5. National Assembly: The National Assembly was a revolutionary assembly formed by representatives of the Third Estate (commoners) in 1789 to draft a new constitution for France.
6. Tennis Court Oath: a pledge made by members of the National Assembly in 1789 to continue meeting until they had created a new constitution for France.
7. Bastille Day: Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14th to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, a key event that symbolised the start of the French Revolution.
8. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is a fundamental document from the French Revolution that proclaimed the equal and inalienable rights of all men, including liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
9. Reign of Terror: a period during the French Revolution (1793–1794) when the revolutionary government led by the Committee of Public Safety executed thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution.
10. Napoleon Bonaparte: a military general who rose to power during the French Revolution, eventually becoming Emperor of France and dominating European politics in the early 19th century.

---

Revision Questions

1. What was the ancien régime?
2. True or False: The Enlightenment valued faith and authority over science and reason.
3. Who declared themselves the National Assembly?
4. Fill in the blank: The storming of the _______ is celebrated as Bastille Day.
5. What did the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen proclaim?
6. True or False: Louis XVI successfully escaped to Varennes.
7. What led to the Reign of Terror?
8. Fill in the blank: Maximilien Robespierre was a leader of the _______.
9. Who overthrew the Directory?
10. True or False: The French Revolution introduced the metric system.

---