Revolutions Series:
French Revolution
Segment descriptions
Sampler – Revolutions
French Revolution:
5’34” (90’ lecture)
Why the Enlightenment is not suppressed, its role
in the French Revolution, and implications for our
time.
play sampler
Prelude to Revolution
1
Absolute divine right monarchy rules
France. The lavish spending of King Louis
XIV in early 1700s. The crisis of France’s
large debt incurred helping the American
Revolution against England. The class
system. Taxing the have-nots. Life on the
edge for the peasants and city
people. Resentments of the middle class.
2
The role of the French Enlightenment
starting in the late 1600s with the ideas of
Voltaire, Rousseau and others. The
optimistic view of human nature as rational,
with ability to solve problems in this life using
science and education. The monarch
considered this relatively harmless and did
not suppress these ideas. Yet this becomes
a threat to the absolute divine right monarchy
in the long run.
3
Religious enlightenment. Emerging of
concept of deism, that God is a watchmaker,
setting things in motion, but does not take
part in its operation, contrary to traditional
Christian beliefs.
4.
Estates General (1788-89). Key problem is
how to resolve the debt incurred aiding
the American Revolution. For the first
time in 150 years a meeting of the Estates
General is called to solve this by three
voting groups: the clergy, and the Third
Estate – commoners consisting of the
Revolutions Series:
French Revolution
Segment descriptions
bourgeoisie (the capitalist businessmen),
the san culottes (city people), and
peasants., voting is skewed in favor of the
nobility and clergy.
The Revolution
5
First, Moderate Phase (1789-91). The
Bastille storming in 1789 as a venting of long
simmering anger by the city people. Rural
peasants rise up against the nobles, wanting
their own piece of land. Many nobles,
possibly in shock, flee.
6
The Great Fear. The collective mind set of
the peasants that they will be slaughtered if
the nobles ever come back, engendering
great violence against the nobles. The city
people in Paris, after 2 years of bad harvests
and already dire living conditions, frequently
abused by the nobles, but there is no
systematic violence yet but potentially
ignitable.
7
Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizens.
The bourgeoisie write a constitution, form an
assembly, propose a constitutional monarchy,
rejected by the king.
8
Second, Violent Phase (1791-94). Europe,
bolstered by exiled French nobles, does not
see the French bourgeoisie gains as
moderate, is threatened, forms a coalition
army and attacks France.
9
The Jacobins The “lower bourgeoisie”
respond to the attack, and come to power
with its leader, Robespierre, forming a
coalition with the peasants to fight the
European invasion.
.
Reign of Terror. Urge for revenge against
the nobles. Guillotine claims 17,000,
including King Louis XVI and wife, and soon
also Robespierre and other Jacobin leaders,
leaving a power vacuum.
10
11
Third, Moderate Phase (1794-99). Other
segments being exhausted by the long
Revolutions Series:
French Revolution
Segment descriptions
12
intense struggles so far, the upper
bourgeoisie fill the leadership vacuum,
consolidating the bourgeoisie gains made in
the early phase, and continues to be seen as
a threat to Europe which continues its ware
against France. There is a brief hint of future
class struggle between bourgeoisie and the
working class.
.
Napoleon emerges as modern hero who
consolidates capitalist gains for all time,
introducing the Napoleonic Code. His mixed
motives and achievements. War is not just
defensive but Napoleon lusts for power and
conquers most of Europe under French
control.
13
Resistance. He brings modernization and
necessary reforms to various parts of Europe,
but also strong resentment against foreign
occupation which meets strong resistance,
provoking harsh retaliation.
14
Invasion of Russia by Napoleon in 1812 is
met with retreat and scorched earth tactics,
leading to his defeat since he is exposed and
unprepared for the brutal Russian winter. The
vast majority of his huge army never returns.
He returns to France and raises another
army, with his final downfall at Waterloo, nd
exile to an island, St. Helena, where he dies 6
years later at the age of 51.
Effects of the Revolution
15
Congress of Vienna is the 1815 meeting of
the victors, the English, Austrians, Prussians,
and Russia. Royalty returns to rule France
and nobles reclaim land, but bourgeoisie
gains are there to stay. The victors vow to
crush any future revolutions, and act on this.
The “White Terror” is inflicted by the upper
class who slaughter many peasants when
they return and reclaim their land. Lasting
effects. The French Revolution colors future
world history.