The French Revolution Unit 3 The Revolution Begins • The American Revolution had an immediate effect on many people in France • They also wanted political changes based on the ideas of freedom and equality • The French Revolution began in 1789 • It dramatically changed France and all of Europe Enlightenment and Revolution • Enlightenment thinkers, many of whom lived in France, talked of change and making life more fair • They spoke of social contracts, the organization of government, and human rights • The American Declaration of Independence excited many people in France • Young nobles volunteered to fight with the Continental Army in an effort to bring about a change in government King Louis XVI • King Louis XVI disliked rebellion, but he disliked the British even more • British victory over the French in the Seven Years’ War resulted in the loss of many French lands • The French king saw a chance to strike back at the British • The King threw French support behind the Americans during their revolution France and the American Revolution France and the American Revolution 1775 France, angry at the loss of land to the British, secretly aids American Patriots—people who wanted independence from Great Britain 1776 Colonists issue the Declaration of Independence. Young French Nobles volunteer to fight in America 1777 The French supply colonists with weapons to fight the Battle of Saratoga 1778 France signs a treaty of alliance with the American colonists 1780 General Rochambeau lands in Rhode Island with 6,000 French soldiers 1781 George Washington, supported by the French, traps the British at Yorktown. French warships prevent British escape 1783 American and British meet in France to sign the Treaty of Paris, recognizing the US as an independent nation • Use a colored piece of construction paper • Use the chart on the left to make a timeline of French assistance in the American Revolution The Causes of the French Revolution • In the 1700’s, France was one of the most powerful countries in Europe • French kings ruled with absolute power • Nobles lived in great wealth and enjoyed many privileges • The absolute monarchy of France controlled one of the richest and most powerful nations in Europe, yet the mass of people did not share the wealth • Working men and women lived in poverty and held few rights • They had little education and struggled to make a living • The French people longed for a better life Dividing the French Classes First Estate Second Estate Third Estate • The French people were divided into three estates, or classes • This system determined a person’s legal rights and social standing • It also created a great inequality in French society On your separate sheet of paper, make three columns: First estate, second estate, third estate First and Second Estates • The First Estate was the Catholic clergy, or church officials • They did not pay taxes, and they received money from church lands • The aristocracy, or nobles, made up the Second Estate • They held the highest posts in the military and in government • Like the clergy, the nobles paid no taxes • They lived in luxury at the king’s court or in their country houses surrounded by large areas of land The Third Estate • Everyone else in France belonged to the Third Estate • At the top of this group were members of the middle class, known as the bourgeoisie • Merchants, bankers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers were members of the bourgeoisie • Next were the city workers: servants and artisans • They made up 80% of the population. They paid taxes to the King and had no voice in governing the country The Third Estate • The Third Estate had no voice in government, but it paid all of the nation’s taxes • Members of the First and Second Estates lived tax-free, even though they owned 35% of the land • As the middle class learned more about Enlightenment ideas, they began to resent the privileges of the nobles and clergy Political Cartoons 1. How do these pictures represent the three estates in France? 2. Who pays taxes in the United States today? 3. What are taxes used for? 4. In France in the late 1700’s, which groups of people did not have to pay taxes? 5. How do you think the rest of society felt about that?
