AP EURO
Unit #4 – French Revolution and the
Era of Napoleon
Lesson #401
Causes of the French Revolution
Essential Questions
• 3. How is the personality of Louis XVI likely to
cause issues in governance of France?
• 4. What are the main contributors to the start
of the French Revolution?
What WAS the French Revolution?
1. What was revolutionary?
2. What changed?
3. Textbook Definition: The French Rev. was a period of farreaching social and political upheaval in France from 1789
until 1799, and was partially carried forward by Napoleon
during the later expansion of the French Empire.
4. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a
republic, experienced violent periods of political turmoil, and
finally culminated in a dictatorship by Napoleon that rapidly
brought many of its principles to Western Europe and beyond.
5. Inspired by liberal and radical ideas, the Revolution profoundly
altered the course of modern history, triggering the global
decline of absolute monarchies, absolute monarchies,
replacing them with elected republics.
6. This revolution unleashed a wave of global conflicts.
French Society
• Before the revolution began in 1789, French people were divided into
four social classes
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the peasantry
the town working class
the middle class or bourgeoisie
the nobility.
• According to this division, certain people had privileges that provided
them advantage, while some had none.
• Some of the nobles and the bourgeoisie were incredibly rich, but most
people suffered from poverty and unequal rights.
• The nobles and clergy owned certain rights and were free from taxes,
however, the peasants had to pay more taxes even though they were
poor.
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Nobles owned winepress; peasants had to pay to use
Nobles owned gristmill; peasants had to pay to use
Nobles could hunt, and freely trample crops of peasants
Nobles could demand a “talle” (a tax of labor on their land)
• Most French people did not think to question the way their society was
organized. Until, the enlightenment encouraged such thinking.
France also had an Estates General
THREE ESTATES
• First Estate
– Clergy
• Second Estate
– Nobility
• Third Estate
– Middle Class
– City Workers
– Peasants
ESTATES GENERAL
• A convocation of reps from
all three estates could be
called by the king
• Created in 1302 to advise
the king
• Sometimes used to raise $$
for the king
• No real power
• Last met 1614
First Estate
• Clergy
– High Clergy
– Low Clergy
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.05 % of population
(~10,000)
5-10% of land
No taxes on person or land
Not really accountable to laws
Second Estate
• Nobility
– Nobility of the Sword (old $$)
– Nobility of the Robe
(purchased their position)
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1 % of population
(~400,000 people, including families)
All powerful jobs in government and military
30% of land
– Proud to let the land do the work for them
– Rented land; charged dues and rents to peasants
• Almost no taxes (exempt from all direct taxes)
• Not really accountable to laws (could avoid)
• Top 200 families ran everything
Third Estate
• Everyone else – 28, 000,000
• Bourgeois – city people (14% of population)
– Haute: wealthy land owners, financiers, bankers
– Petit: professionals: lawyers, merchants, doctors (2 million)
– artisans, shop keepers (guildsmen), City workers (2 million)
• Peasants (85% of society)
– Owned majority of land
– Paid most of income to taxes and dues
1. Tithe to Church
2. Dues and rent to landlords
3. Direct and indirect taxes (land)
Louis XV
• Raised in magnanimous privilege and pomp
• Saw his life meaning in the splendor and ceremony
established at Versailles by Louis XIV
• Lost wars to British
• Lost most of colonies to British
• Lost $$ to Mississippi Bubble debacle
• Lost trust and admiration to poor attitude
• Enlightenment created question to Divine Right and
power centered on one man
• Died in 1774 to smallpox
• Power passed to young Louis August (the Dauphin)
Louis XVI
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20 years old at ascension to throne
Good intentioned but indecisive
Raised in the shadow of a frivolous king
4th in line – his dad and older brothers
died
• Reclusive and shy; unable to assert power
• Forced to marry 16th child of Maria
Theresa, Marie Antoinette of Austria
Marie Antoinette
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Forced marriage to Louis August
(she was 14, he was 15)
4m arrival to Versailles
She was young, spoiled and sweet
She was used to living in private splendor
She was forced to the very public and ceremonial life of
Versailles
Not much help from Louis
She proved to be sweet and kind, but
Completely out of touch with society
Blamed for overspending (“madam deficit”)
Loved to look regal and wildly fancy
– 3 ft. high hairdos
– Expensive dresses and jewelry
15 sec “let them eat cake”
Louis, Dauphin becomes Louis XVI
• Was only 20 – not ready to rule
• Took job seriously, but took advice too freely,
and rarely stuck with a decision
• Unpopular with Versailles crowd
• Set goals:
– Solve debt problem
– Get $$ from where the $$ was
– Revenge on Britain for losses
Causes of Revolution
• Massive debt
– Mid-century wars
– Maintaining Versailles
– Nobles lived for free
– Mississippi Bubble
– American Revolution
• Class Conflict
– Bourgeois jealous of privileges of Nobles
– Enlightenment and American Revolution: liberty
• Poor leadership
– Nobles unwilling to take responsibility
– Famines went unnoticed in Versailles
Financial Crisis
• Treasury was gone at start of American
Revolution – financed with debt
• 50% of all tax income went to interest on loans
• Louis intended to restructure tax system
• Looked for advisors to make this happen
• Advisors suggested the only way to restructure
was to get buy-in from all levels of society
• Suggested reconvening meeting of Estates
General
• Once together, the king could force Nobles to pay
their fair share
• Most popular advisor: Jacques Necker
The start of the American Revolution
• Lord North suggested to increase tax burden
on colonies to pay for British debt from wars
• Colonies refused to pay to a government that
didn’t represent them (Locke’s ideas)
• English Civil War taught them to replace a
government
• War made sense
• War of liberty
• French financed
The American Revolution
• Fight over taxation
– Sugar tax (1764)
– Stamp Act
• Crisis and Independence
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Customs laws (1767)
British East Indian Company (1773)
Boston Tea Party (1773) – 92,000# of tea
Coercion Acts (Intolerable Acts) (1774)
First Continental Congress (1774)
Lexington and Bunker Hill (1775)
• Second Continental Congress (1776)
• Roots of conflict
– English Civil War
– John Locke
– Patronage System – immoral
Impact of the American Revolution
• France supported the war from the beginning
– Louis XVI was looking for something positive
– The Americans handed him the opportunity
– Sending $$ for munitions and cannon immediately
• Soon after, France sent key advisors
– Then, troops… Then, the French Navy
– Finally, a full alliance was signed – France was
committed to victory.
• French troops were fighting for their lives for the
CAUSE OF LIBERTY
• French monarchy was borrowing far more that it
had for the purpose of revenge… this would push
France deep into FINANCIAL CRISIS