French revolution timeline

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 18
th
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 3
rd

estate
3
rd
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 3
rd
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 3
rd
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 20
th
the kings officials
locked the 3
rd
out of the hall
The 3
rd
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?