The French Revolution
CAUSES OF THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION
What is the French Revolution?
French Revolution against Absolutism
ABSOLUTISM: Absolute monarchs didn’t share power with a counsel or parliament
“Divine Right of Kings” (1600-1800; the age of absolutism)
• What is it? :
- It was a period of radical social and political upheaval from
1789-1799
- It was the first time the Monarchy and Nobility were
challenged and replaced by democracy and popular rule
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What happened?:
Common People overthrew a king and formed a new
government in the one of the most powerful and wealthy
countries in the world (The only time in history)
- Because of the Revolution, the French government began
to consider the needs and wants of the many instead of the
few
• Who initiated it and what did they want:
The lower class (third estate)
Freedom, Individual Rights, equality
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Fueled By: Unfairness, past endeavours, revolutionary
writers, (Rousseau, Montesquieu, John Locke), and
propaganda conspiracies
• Based on:
The ideas of the enlightenment: Freedom, free speech,
fairness, equality of power, etc.
Harsh reality of the French Revolution
Things almost immediately go wrong in 1789:
• Caused Violence then Chaos between the estates
• Caused War and Public executions by the
Thousands (internal and external)
• 10 years later, yet another dictator takes power
In the end, after 20 years of insanity, a new king
(Louis VIII) is appointed in France and the
revolution ends
However;
• Its legacy: The French Motto: "Liberty,
Equality, Fraternity“, new culture (flag, art,
anthem)
• The idea of DEMOCRACY
The revolution does not die, the ideas live
on and act as the foundation for many of
the political and social changes of the 19th
century
THE CAUSES ACTIVITY
• 6 Main Causes of the French Revolution
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1) Bankruptcy
2) Famine
3) The Estates system
4) The Enlightenment
5) The American Revolution
6) Louis 16th & Marie Antoinette (MOI)
Cause 1: Louis 16th & Marie Antoinette
Cause 1: Louis 16th & Marie Antoinette
Who: King of France 1774-1792 and Wife, succeeded Louis XV
• Did not possess leadership qualities:
- Although Louis was well liked and popular at first, he lacked the ability to be
ruthless and he was not highly intelligent
- EXAMPLES: inability to reform the grain trade which created supply issues,
Parlements (a council of the King), and Edict of Tolerance (Non-Catholic, Jewish
people granted legal status) -> all not legally enforced
- He was easily influenced by others, especially by his wife, Marie Antoinette
- Failed to provide a son in 7 years of marriage
- Louis's indecisiveness and conservatism led the people of France to view him as a
symbol tyranny similar to the Ancien Régime. His popularity deteriorated
progressively
Louis XVI
- Increased their debt and made the lower class pay
for it:
- More debt because he spent a lot of money on the American
Revolution war (on top of the debt caused by the 7 years’ war)
- France was besieged by economic problems, yet he and his
wife, Marie Antoinette, hosted grand balls at the massively
expensive palace at Versailles, gambled, and bought a lot of
luxurious items (jewelry, clothes, shoes)
- There was a lot of discontent among the common people,
third estate was taxed a lot, were not able to rise through the
ranks, and did not have the same privileges as the other
estates
- A bad rep: Illegal press: propaganda pamphlets that spoke
about conspiracy
• Pacte de Famine: Hoarding food in the palace
• Her response “eat cake”
Reality is…
• Louis was only 20 when he became King and Marie
Antoinette was only 18 when she became queen
• In truth, he never wanted to be King
• He inherited a real problem, as France had been
battered in the 7 years war and was in debt. Louis
XVI picked up the tab, as you might say, for his
grandfather and great-grandfather
• He did not have children because he had phimosis, a
problem which prevented him from having
intercourse –easily fixed by circumcision
Reality is…
• Louis was an intelligent man with enthusiasm and
talent for other things other than being ruler of a
monarchy (very good at manual labour - interested
in locks)
• Marie Antoinette was dedicated to helping the poor
through charity – however, she became a symbol of
the extravagance of royal life and was a target of the
revolutionaries
• She never said “let them eat cake”
Group Roles
• Divide into 10 groups
• Each Group will receive a short text which
describes a cause
• Discuss, then pair up with another group (that
has the same cause)
CONVINCE ME
What to do?
1) Read the text (as a group)
2) Find the purpose (cause) and explain how could this have
sparked the French Revolution
• TAKE NOTES WHILE YOU READ OR HIGHLIGHT
• Find the important information, this is good practice
• You have 10 Minutes to read the text and mark down
important information
3) Then, exchange ideas with other group (of same cause)5 Mins
4) Mark your findings on the blackboard
5) Report these notes to the class (2-3 Min each group) and why
you think this cause is more important than the others
Key points: The revolution was caused
by:
• Famine and starvation
• Bankruptcy (because of 7 years war, American
revolution)
• The estate system (which heavily favored the
nobility and clergy)
• Incompetence of Louis 16 (indecisive, spending,
other interests)
• Enlightenment (Ideas of freedom, equality, and
liberty
• The American Revolution (inspired many, gave
hope)
Pictures… Why are they relevant
WHY IS THIS RELEVANT?
Yearly Income
Archbishop of Paris
50,000 Livres
Marquis de Mainvilette
20,000 Livres
Prince de Conti
14,000 Livres
A Parish Priest in Paris
10,000 Livres
A typical Village Priest
750 Livres
A Master Carpenter
200 Livres
Who is in the Third Estate?
Why is this relevant?
Why is this relevant?
Why is this relevant?
“Men are born free, yet everywhere are in
chains.”
Why is this relevant?
The American Revolution
• The success of the American
revolution proved that
democracy could work and that
common people could rise to
power
• It acted as a model
• Most importantly, French troops
fought beside Americans in the
Revolution
• These troops fought, suffered and
died for the cause of Freedom.
Then they came home to
absolutism and oppression
• If they could fight for the freedom
of others, then they could fight
for their own freedom
Bankruptcy
• France had been involved in many
costly wars during the reigns of
Louis the 14th, 15th and 16th
• They had recently fought, and lost,
the seven years war
• They had sent soldiers, naval
vessels and money to support he
American revolution
• In addition, the King and the
nobility were spending enormous
amounts on luxury
• France was completely bankrupt!
The Estate System
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The People of France were divided into 3 Estates
The First Estate was the clergy
Approximately 100,000 people
The Second Estate was the Nobility
Approximately 400,000 people
Both did not have to pay taxes
Most lived in great luxury in chateaux and palaces
The Nobles had almost complete authority over the peasants
They collected tolls for usage of the roads, markets, mills, ovens and
winepresses
• Were not required to do Military Service
• Despite all their privileges, they were politically unimportant since
the time of Louis the 14th
• Several attempts were made to tax the nobility, but Louis was to
weak to implement it
The Third Estate
• 90% of the Population
• Forced to do military service
• Forced to pay taxes and tolls to the King, Nobility
and Clergy – economically crushing
• Denied important positions in the government and
Army
• Were not allowed to hunt to supplement the diet
• Not all the third estate were peasants – many in
France were educated – doctors, lawyers,
merchants, middle class workers - shared the same
fate as the country folk
The Harvest Crisis
• This was the spark that set off
the firestorm
• Very few fruits and vegetables
were being produced by
France’s farms
• The price of produce, especially
wheat and bread were very high
• Despite the crisis, taxes
continued to rise to combat the
national debt
• The people of France were
starving
• They began to protest and soon
became violent
The Enlightenment
• The ideas of the Enlightenment
were the foundation of the
complaints against the king
• They were also the foundation for
the concept that a government
could be ruled by the people for
the people
• The enlightenment suggested
that people have natural rights
that should be protected and that
a government that disregards
these rights rules illegally
• The enlightenment was not the
greatest source of anger in the
people, however, it was a very
important cause
Example: The first people in the area of North
America that is now the US had to sign a social
contract to start making laws. They couldn't just
have all kinds of people from the street start making
rules if they didn't all have a common ground. The
social contract is the basic rules for a government. It
is the consent which is given by the people
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