WOH 1030 Lecture One and Two 01 25 2013 The French Revolution I Origins of the French Revolution A Societal Changes 1 Clergy First Order a Leaders of the Catholic Church b Untouchable they have wealth power great influence and they didn t pay any taxes 2 Nobility Second Order a Aristocrats or people distinguished by high birth or rank b The only people allowed to carry swords at their side i Symbol of power c Had wealth less power than the clergy but still were powerful they had influence in the government as well and also didn t need to pay taxes 3 Third Estate Third Order a Virtually everyone else whom wasn t born into nobility or whom b They were forced to pay hefty taxes and had very little power or weren t clergymen influence in the government c A highly stratified group 4 The Clergy and the Nobility often worked together to better one another s interest B Erosion of Government Legitimacy 1 The monarchy stood above the orders and was perpetually in debt a After 1775 when the French government helped fund the US revolution the monarchy had to increase taxes b Since the monarchy was only allowed to increase taxes on the Third Order and they were already being largely taxed into poverty themselves the King looks to demand taxes from the Second Order 2 In 1787 the monarchy calls for taxes on the Nobility a The Nobility refuse to pay taxes b Insist that they are granted more power if the monarchy wants to tax them i The power would put them equal to the First Order ii Power would be taken from the King 3 King calls on the Estates General for order C Financial Crisis 1 The Estates General 1789 calls all the orders together to meet and vote upon taxing the Second Order a Estates General hasn t be called together since 1614 b Gridlock occurs i The Third Estate have enough citizens who can vote to tie ii Some citizens were paid off by the First and Second Orders to vote against the tax legislation 2 Estates General fails at reconciling taxation problem II The French Revolution A Estates General becomes The National Assembly 1 Under the National Assembly the Third Estate becomes poorer 2 Starvation and higher taxes causes unrest B Revolt of the Poor and Oppressed 1 Riots break out not only in Paris but in outlying feudal cities 2 Poor start attacking symbols of wealth and power a Weathervanes i Only owned by noblemen b Breaking feudal laws c Bastille Prison interior it was lavish ii Prison for the rich and powerful iii Destroyed July 14 1789 C Limited Monarchy 1 In the Summer of 1789 the old regime fell i A location that looked treacherous from the exterior but in the a All Frenchmen were equal in the eyes of the law b Monarchy replaced by a new constitution mimicked from the US based on independence fraternity and justice for all 2 The Clergy s land was repossessed by the National Assembly and the Church s 3 tax exemptions were revoked In 1792 the King takes his Flight to Varennes when the National Assembly wants to further limit the monarch s power a The Third Order launch a riot on the King when he refuses to lessen his power b With no order society was in chaos marking a period called The Terror i Two years ii France is incredibly unstable c King tries to escape but was capture en route and the Third Estate begin to distrust the government and all of Europe even more D Foreign Reactions and the Beginning of War 1 Austria and Prussia threaten to invade France if the revolution isn t settled 2 The French elections of 1792 marks the beginning of war between France and most of Europe a Most people elected in France were radicals b By 1793 France was losing wretchedly in the beginning of the year but by the summer the National Assembly created an army and began to win back France and take over large parts of Europe E Radicalization of the Revolution 1 The guillotine was invented as a humane killing device for traitors of the National Assembly killings a The blade became dull by the end of the day due to the amount of b July 28 1794 French revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre was sentenced to death and in fear of the inhumane death he tried to assassinate himself i Robespierre shot himself with a gun he smuggled in ii Missed his temple and merely fractured his jaw still alive he was brought to the guillotine and killed F Thermodorian Reaction and the Directory 1 Revolution turned 1794 1799 a People sought moderation and an end to the violence b The Directory was a moderate level headed group of people seeking peace and security in France 2 The Directory was ineffective and corrupt a They got rid of price controls sending the already devastated French economy into dramatic inflation i Money became worthless ii Bread riots occurred iii Revolution began to spark back up b The Directory then reinstated price controls causing even more chaos III The End of the Revolution A Overthrow of the Directory riots 1 The Directory rewrite the enacting constitution and uses the army to stop the a The army begins to lose battles with not only the rest of Europe but also with its own country b The army fails and 1797 elections are near 2 In the 1797 elections conservative old monarch like candidates were elected a The enacting Directory nullifies the result and once again unleashes the army on the French citizens who voted against them b The Directory now comprised of mainly dictators was challenged by Napol on Bonaparte 3 Napoleon was supposed to rule with two others but he managed to ensure that he was the sole ruler of France upon overthrowing the Directory B The Napoleonic Era 1799 1815 1 Domestic Policy a Napoleon brought stability to France economically socially and religiously i Stopped inflation through the creation of the Bank of France ii Set a price floor to the value of currency iii Created a Laissez faire social plan as long as the citizens didn t interfere with his plans then socially they were independent and equal iv Healed relations with the French State and the Catholic Church b Creates the Civil Code the Commercial Code and the Code de in 1801 Napol on 2 European Expansion Luneville Amiens world USA a 1802 Napol on unleashes war against the majority of Europe and the i He defeats the Austrians who were forced to sign the Treaty of ii Begins negotiations with France and creates the Peace of 3 After the Peace of Amiens a Napol on tries to take control of Haiti in debt he sells Louisiana to the b 1804 creates the First Consulate and claims himself Emperor of France 4 The Grand Empire