The French Revolution
I. Louis XV (r. 1715 – 1774)
A. Nobility gained power under him
B. Ministers and mistresses exercised influence (Madame de
Pompadour)
C. Emergence of “nobility of the robe” who bought titles
D. Parlement of Paris was abolished over taxes-for-war issues
II. Overview: France in 1789
A. Most advanced country in 18th C.
B. Population of 25 million
C. Wealthiest country in Europe (not per capita)
D. Productive economy (more so than Britain)
E. French culture dominated the continent
1. Official language of diplomacy and spoken in courts
2. Center of the Enlightenment
3. Science led the world
4. Most powerful military in Europe
III. The Three Estates (a medieval system - didn’t reflect modern France)
A. The First Estate (clergy)
1. Less than 1% population but owned 20% of land
2. Exempt from taxes
3. Played role in government affairs
4. Local parish income drained by government officials and
aristocrats
B. The Second Estate (nobility)
1. 2-4% population
2. Owned 25% of land
3. Experienced resurgence after death of Louis XVI (1715)
4. Enjoyed manorial rights that allowed them to tax peasants
5. Tax free
C. The Third Estate (merchants, middle class, workers, peasants)
1. Bore majority of tax burden
a. Taille (land tax) and tithe (church tax or 10% income)
b. Income tax, poll tax, salt tax
2. Vast majority but owned only 40% of land
3. Corvee obligated peasants to work for landowners sever days/yr
4. Bourgeoisie demanded political and social power of nobility and
church
a. Wanted less power to first two estates
b. Wanted tax relief
c. Hated the “lettre de cachet (imprisonment without trial)
IV. Long-term Causes of the French Revolution
A. The American Revolution
1. Many French served
2. Bourgeoisie and lower nobility intrigued by idea of
liberty
3. French aid to Americans resulted in huge debt
B. Enlightenment brought criticism of French absolutism
1. Ideas of Montesquieu, Locke were popular
2. Laissez-faire economics (A. Smith) appealed to middle
class
3. Many saw government and laws as corrupt, inefficient
a. Divine right didn’t match Enlightenment
thought
b. No representative body existed in France
D. Class conflict
1. Three estates didn’t reflect wealth of France
2. Bourgeoisie frustrated by lack of political, legal rights although some bought way into power
V. Immediate Causes
A. France was nearly bankrupt under Louis XVI
1. Costs from war (with Britain)
2. Debt was same as other economic powers but could not
be paid off under tax exemptions system
3. France had no paper currency, no national bank
4. Government was dependent on poorest classes for taxes
5. Wages could not keep up with prices (inflation)
B. Conflict between the nobility and Louis
1. Financial minister Jacques Necker attempted to raise taxes
but was dismissed
2. King called for Assembly of Notables (1787)
a. King asks nobility to pay taxes. They say no
b. Parlements regain power through nobility and block
tax-raising decrees by king
c. Nobility threaten to revolt
3. King summons Estates General in July 1788
VI. The Estates General (met in May 1789)
A. Made up of reps from all three estates. Met last in 1614
B. Each estate asked to present a “cahiers de dolances” (list
of grievances)
C. Common agreements between the estates
1. Call for constitutional monarchy
2. Individual liberties protected by law
3. Improvement of parish clergy
4. End of internal trade barriers
D. Makeup and voting
1. Each estate allowed as many reps as desired
2. Third Estate reps were middle-class members
3. One vote per estate
E. What is the Third Estate by Abbe Sieyes (Jan 1789)
1. Claimed that Third Estate should have power – represented
France
2. Called for end of nobility
3. Influenced by ideas of Rousseau
F. The formation of the National Assembly
1. Third Estate attempted to assert power in Estates General
2. After meeting (May 1789) deadlock was reached after six weeks
over voting system
3. Third Estate locked out of meetings by king in June and
supported by some members of clergy, meet at tennis court
4. The Tennis Court Oath
a. Swore not to disband until constitution created
b. Creation of new national assembly
c. Led by bourgeoisie, some members of other estates
d. King calls army to Versailles
The Tennis Court Oath
VII. The Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)
A. Revolts in Paris over food shortages, events at Versailles
B. Dismissal of Necker led to fears of landowners by peasantry
C. Mobs storm prison looking for weapons
D. Result – King left confused and calls off army, accepts National
Assembly
E. New National Guard to protect Paris – led by Marquis de
Lafayette
VII. The Great Fear (1789)
A. Spirit of rebellion spreads to countryside
B. Peasants attack manor houses, destroy records
C. Results
1. National Assembly votes to destroy feudal system
2. Manorial rights of nobility ended
3. Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
Peasants riot in
the French
countryside
VIII. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Aug 1789)
A. Blueprint for French constitution
1. Modeled after US ideas
2. Allowed due process (innocent until proven guilty)
3. Sovereignty to the people
B. Based on “classical liberalism” of the Enlightenment
1. “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights”
2. Natural rights assured (Locke)
3. Law is expression of the general will (Rousseau)
C. Freedom of expression and religion
D. Taxes raised only with common consent
E. Public servants held accountable for actions
F. Separation of powers through three branches
G. Confiscation of property only with compensation to owner
H. “Citizen” applied to all regardless of class
I. Biggest issue with Declaration – power of the king
The French Revolution
Part Deux
I. Role of Women
A. Left out of Declaration
B. Lacked rights regarding family law, education, suffrage, public office
C. Olympe de Gouges’ The Rights of Women (1791) applied rights
Declaration to women.
D. Wollstonecraft (Eng.) – Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
E. March on Versailles (Oct. 1789)
1. Incited by Jean-Paul Marat
2. Call for lower bread prices
3. Forced king, National Assembly back to Paris
II. The New Constitution (1790)
A. Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)
1. Sold off church lands to pay off national debt
2. All religions could vote based on land ownership, citizenship
3. Clergy forced to swear loyalty to gov’t – not the pope
4. Move unpopular – peasants, urban working class
5. “Refractory clergy” refused to take oath
B. France becomes a constitutional monarchy
1. Unicameral assembly
2. Nobility abolished
3. Voting controlled by middle class
4. France divided into 83 departments run by elected officials
C. Economic Reform
1. Metric system replaces sloppy system of weights and measures
2. Strikes outlawed
3. Middle class benefits more than anybody
III. Reactions to the Revolution
A. The “Flight to Varennes” (June 1791)
1. Royal family attempts to flee and raise army of
emigres rather than accept constitution
2. King captured, forced to accept constitutional monarchy
IV. Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France
A. Intellectual defense of conservatism
B. Defended inherited privileges
C. Predicted anarchy and dictatorship in France
V. Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man
A. Defended Enlightenment ideas and French Revolution
B. Saw triumph of liberty over despotism