Agenda 12/1/14: Perspectives
on the French Revolution
Activities
Objectives
1. Hand back tests, work
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to describe the project that
you will complete for our study of the
French Revolution.
2. Introduce French Revolution
Journal Project
3. Create historical characters
HOMEWORK: Ch. 18 Section 2 and
Section 3 (“The Monarchy is
Abolished”) and complete reading
guide as far as you can.
Agenda 12/2/14: What caused
the French Revolution?
Activities
1. Causes PPT
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you
should be able to:
2. DBQ – work in pairs
Homework: Finish reading Ch. 18
Section 2 and first part of Section
3. Complete reading guide as far
as you can.
1. Describe some of the different
things the French Revolution
2. Given a set of documents,
decide which cause or causes
you think are most important and
be able to support that with
evidence.
Agenda 12/3/14: What caused the
French Revolution?
Activities
Objectives
1. Finish DBQs in groups (10 mins)
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to:
2. First part of documentary
1. Discuss the different causes of the
French Revolution
Homework: Finish DBQ as
necessary. Make sure you have a
good thesis statement that can be
supported by the evidence you have
been given. Write a brief outline of
what your essay would look like if you
wrote it. You will turn this in
tomorrow.
DO NOT START FIRST JOURNAL
ENTRY YET
2. Identify evidence that could be
used to support these different
causes.
Causes of the French
Revolution - Social
Social
People divided into Three Classes or "Estates":
First estate: Roman Catholic Church/Clergy
Second estate: Nobility
Third estate: middle class; urban workers;
and peasants
Causes of the French
Revolution - Social
Social
By 1789 Third Estate was 97% of population,
and with expanding middle-class, more
numerous – and powerful -- than ever before.
No longer willing to tolerate privileges of other
two estates.
Causes of the French
Revolution - Ideological
Ideological (Ideas....)
New ideas of Philosophes led many to criticize
monarchy, as well as existing social privileges
and institutions.
Causes of the French
Revolution - Misrule
Misrule
Louis XVI (and Marie
Antoinette), by their
misrule, caused the
French Revolution.
Causes - Misrule
overspending
out of touch with
people
"Let them eat
cake!!"
lack of interest in
reform/ Enlightenment
ideas
Causes of the French
Revolution - Economic
Economic
Gov't spending had grown out of control b/c of
costly wars (American Revolution) and lavish
court lifestyle.
Gov't responded by borrowing, to such an
extent that in 1788 interest on debt over half of
total spending.
Gov't on verge of complete financial collapse...
Causes of the French
Revolution - Economic
Economic
Situation made worse by series of bad harvest
1780s - drove up price of bread beyond
budgets of many
1789 - no more borrowing - Louis forced to call
Estate-General...
Voila!!: Phase 1 of the French Revolution
begins.....
Agenda 12/4/15: What was it like in
France just before the Revolution?
Journal Entry 1
Activities
Objectives
1. Take in DBQs
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to reflect on what France was
like just before the Revolution from
the point of view of one historical
character.
2. Review Revised Journal
Instructions
3. Pairwork/Brainstorming
4. Begin writing
Homework: Write draft of Journal
Entry 1
The French Revolution
Begins.....
Three Phases of the French Revolution:
1. The Moderate Phase (1789-91)
2. The Radical Phase (1792-94)
3. Thermidorian Reaction and The Directory
(1795-1799)
Agenda 12/5/14: What were the events and
effects of the first, moderate stage of the
French Revolution?
Activities
Objectives
1. Go over events for Journal Entry 2
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to:
2. Documentary
3. (If time) Confer with your “double’
about what events might mean for
you.
Homework:
Journal Entry 2! Remember to
incorporate at least 2 primary source
documents in your entries.
Reading/video quiz on Tuesday.
1. Describe the causes and effects of
the first few events of the moderate
stage of the French Revolution.
2. Think about what effects these
events had on your historical
character.
The First (Moderate) Stage of the
French Revolution (1789-91)
Meeting of the Estates
General
May 1789: needing money, Louis Calls
Estates General
3 Estates argue over rules of voting
June 1789: Third Estate, led by E-J Sieyes,
name themselves National Assembly.
End of absolute monarchy and beg. of
rep. gov't
Tennis Court Oath
Rumors that Louis going to use force...
Storming of the Bastille
July 14 1789 – Rumors of King’s plans – 800
citizens, looking for gunpowder, storms Bastille,
King's prison
act of great symbolic significance
Great Fear
Rebellion spread from Paris to countryside –
famine led to panic - peasants vs nobles -Great Fear
National Assembly Acts
●1. “Feudalism is abolished”
●2. Declaration of the Rights of Man
• All born free and equal in eye of law
• Freedom of religion
• Taxes set according to ability to pay
• Reaction: Olympe de Gouges, Declaration of Rights of Women and Female
Citizen: “Women are born free and her rights are the same as those of
man.”
Women’s March on
Versailles
Louis (misrule!!!) does nothing....then
Oct. 5 Women's March to Versailles
Royal family returns to Paris...
Meanwhile, the National Assembly sweeps in a
number of reforms:
Declaration of Rights of Man and of the
Citizen - men are free and equal in
rights
-- based on Enlightenment ideals
-- similar to Declaration of I.
"civil constitution of the clergy" priests to be elected and paid as state
officials
land sold to pay debts
The CCC turns many peasants off revolution...
Escape/Return of he King
June 1791 - Royal family tries (unsuccessfully)
to escape to Austrian Netherlands
New Constitution
N.A. finally completed New CONSTITUTION
- created limited constitutional monarchy
- created new legislative body
= Legislative Assembly:
power to create laws
power to approve/reject declarations
of war
Political Divisions L.A.
Food shortages & continuing gov't debt....
New Legislative Assembly divides into:
Radicals (sat on left) = opposed idea of
monarchy; wanted sweeping
changes Jacobins
Moderates (sat in center) = wanted some
change
Conservatives (sat in right) - wanted few
Other influential factions
Emigres: nobles and others who had fled
France. Wanted to restore Old Regime
"Sans-Culottes" (no knee breeches): Parisian
workers and small shopkeepers wanted even
greater changes for France
Meanwhile.....The Radical
Phase (1792-4)
Other Monarchs around Europe are worried.
Would revolution spread?
Urged L.A. to restore Louis, but instead
declares war...
War initially goes badly, and royal family -assumed to be collaborating with the enemy -is imprisoned.
L.A. becomes under influence of radicals...
National Convention
L.A. replaced by National Convention
abolished monarchy
declared France republic
male citizens granted right to vote
mostly composed of Jacobins = radical
political organization
leader: Jean-Paul Marat
King tried for treason
National Convention finds King guilty and
sentenced to death
Mass Conscription
War starts to turn in France's favor, but more
European monarchies join forces against it.
To reinforce army, Convention orders mass
conscription of 300,000
Terror
National Convention more and more under
radical leaders, esp. M. Robespierre.
Enemies are seen everywhere
Robespierre governs France as leader of
Committee of Public Safety = Reign of Terror
aim: protect Revolution from enemies
thousands executes - 85% peasants and
members of urban poor or middle class
Execution of Marie
Antoinette
Guillotine
http://www.history.com/shows/modern-marvels/videos/guillotine#death-devices
Agenda: How did the
Revolution end?
Activities
Objectives:
1. Finish documentary
By the end of this lesson, you should
be able to:
2. The Thermidorian Reaction and
the Director
3. Journal Entry 5
Homework: Journal Entry 5 – Follow
instructions!
LIBRARY ON MONDAY
1. Describe how the end of the
Revolution came about
2. Describe the nature of the
Directory period which followed it
3. Reflect on what this might have
meant for your historical
character.
4. Begin to evaluate the
achievements of the French
Revolution
Nation in Arms
1793 The Committee of Public Safety proclaims “levee en masse” :
compulsory military service for all men between 18-40
First example of national military based on MASS PARTICIPATION
Good news – citizen-soldiers start fo defeat armies
The End of the Revolution
●The Thermidorian Reaction (Summer 1794)
●Robespierre continues to pursue his dream of creating a Republic of
Virtue
●Worry that Robespierre has gone mad led other members of
Convention to execute Robespierre (before they can be accused)
●It is Robespierre’s death that marks an end to the radical phase of the
Revolution.
The Directory (1795-1799)
Government swings to the moderates, who were mostly members of
the rich middle class.
Committee of Public Safety and Jacobin clubs abolished
1795 New Constitution: New Government
2 house legislature
Executive body of 5 men (Directory)
The Directory (1795-1799)
●Society and culture reacts against the restrictions of Robespierre’s
Republic of Virtue
●Dominated by the incroyables (incredibles) and the jeunesse doree
(golden youth) who relish in new explosions of outrageous fashions,
parties and excess.
The Directory (1795-1799)
●Comforts of wealthy again contrast sharply with deprivations of the
poor
Winter of 1795 very harsh – price of bread and commodities start to
climb again – massive inflation
near Paris, people scramble to eat carcasses of dead army
horses…..
The Directory (1795-1799)
●Directory ended the Terror, but did not bring stability
oWar continues – army plagued by mass desertion and heavy
casualties
oRoyalist and Jacobin plots against the government are frequent.
Journal Entry 5
●Must include a response to the events of the end of the revolution, and
comment on what the Directory meant for you.
●The end of this entry should also include a FINAL SECTION that SHOULD BE
A REFLECTION ON THE REVOLUTION AS A WHOLE:
●1. What did I gain from the Revolution? What did I lose? Were the
excesses worth the gains (did the ends justify the means)?
●2. What does France need now? What kind of government would you
like to see for France?
●Note: You will read this final refelction to the class on Tuesday as part of our
class discussion about the achievements of the French Revolution.