Jean Jacques Rousseau

The Social Contract

“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”

Popular sovereignty

VoltaireAdvocated Free

Speech and Religious Toleration

“I may not agree with a word you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it”

John Locke

Treaties on Civil Government

The role of government is to protect people’s natural rights to Life, Liberty and Property.

The French Revolution Background, Reasons and Beginnings

Unrest in France

Bad harvests High prices High taxes Disturbing questions raised by the

Enlightenment ideas of Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…

-- Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities

FirstEstateClergy

1%

SecondEstate

Nobles2%

Third EstateBourgeoisie, Laborers, Artisans

Peasants97%

FirstEstat

e

SecondEstate

ThirdEstate

TaxedOwned Land

Served in Govt.

Subject toMilitary

NO

YES

NO

NONO

YESYES

YESYES

YES

YES

NO

Inequity of the French Estates

The Burden of the Third Estate

Taxes 50%

PersonalIncome 28%

Tithes 10%

Feudal Dues 12%

Income Distribution of the Third Estate

The French Urban Poor

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% of Income Spent on Bread

1787

1788

2.Helping with the American Revolution. (Louis XVI.)3.The lavish life style of the King and his court.

1.The debts of Louis XIV. from prior wars.

Benjamin Franklin at Court in France trying to gain support for the American Revolution

The French Monarchy:1775 - 1793

Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

Marie Antoine

tte and the Royal

Children

Marie Antoinette’s“Peasant Cottage”

Marie Antoinette’s“Peasant Cottage”

Let Them Eat Cake!

Y Marie Antoinette NEVER said that!

Y “Madame Deficit”

Y “The Austrian Whore”

Commoners3rd Estate (600 members)

Aristocracy (300

members)2nd

Estate

Clergy (300 members)1st Estate

The Suggested Voting Pattern:

Voting by Estates1

1

1

Louis XIV insisted that the ancient distinction of the three orders be conserved in its entirety.

“The Third Estate Awakens”

The commoners finally presented their credentials not as delegates of the Third Estate, but as “representatives of the nation.”

They proclaimed themselves the “National Assembly” of France.

“The Tennis Court Oath”

by Jacques Louis David

June 20, 1789

Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789

A rumor that the king was planning a military coup against the National Assembly.

18 died.

73 wounded.

7 guards killed.

It held 7 prisoners [5 ordinary criminals & 2 madmen].

The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt

(July 20, 1789)

Y Rumors that the feudal aristocracy [the aristos] were sending hired brigands to attack peasants and pillage their land.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of

the CitizenAugust 26, 1789

V Liberty!

V Property!

V Resistance to oppression!

V Thomas Jefferson was in Paris at this time.

The September Massacres, 1792

(The dark side of the Revolution!)

Rumors that the anti-revolutionary political prisoners were plotting to break out & attack from the rear the armies defending France, while the Prussians attacked from the front.

Buveurs de sang [“drinkers of blood.”] over 1000 killed!

It discredited the Revolution among its remaining sympathizers abroad.

The National Convention (1792-1795)

Replaced Legislative Assembly Leaders came from Jacobin Clubs Most violent phase of the

Revolution occurred during this period

Make-up of the National Convention 1792-1795

Speaker

Jacobins

“The Mountain”Radicals Moderates“The Plain”

ConservativesGirondins

The JacobinsJacobin Meeting House

They held their meetings in the library of a former Jacobin monastery in Paris.

Started as a debating society.

Membership mostly middle class.

Created a vast network of clubs.

Jean Paul Marat (1743-1793)

Journalist who was an early Jacobin leader.

Outspoken critic of the Old Regime

Advocated death for opponents of the revolution

Because of a skin disease, he was forced to work out of his bathtub

Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)“The Apostle of Terror”

Became the most

powerful leader of the Jacobin

Former judge who had opposed the death penalty

Most feared man in France Led the revolution to its most radical stage, the Reign of Terror

Jacobin Takeover of the ConventionMay 31, 1793

On May 31, 1793, Jacobins began arresting and executing Girondins

Many Girondins escaped and became emigres

On July 31, 1793, a Girondin supporter, Charlotte Corday, assassinated Marat as he sat in his bathtub. He became a martyr.

“The Death of Marat”by Jacques Louis David,

1793

The Reign of TerrorSept. 17, 1793-July 28,

1794 Devised to stop any opposition to the

revolution. Defendants were tried by the

Revolutionary Tribunal. Trials were quick and unfair.

Guillotines were installed throughout France

More than 40,000 citizens, mostly peasants, were executed in one year.

The Reign of TerrorSept. 17, 1793-July 28, 1794

In May 1794, Danton called for an end to the terror. He and his followers were executed.

By July, moderates had turned against Robespierre. He was executed on July 28, 1794 ending the Reign of Terror.

The Revolution Consumes

Its Own Children!

Danton Awaits Execution, 1793

Robespierre Lies WoundedBefore the Revolutionary

Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, 1794.

* On September 22, 1792, the convention established the First French Republic

* All adult male citizens were given the right to vote

* A new calendar with 10 day weeks was created. Nine work days and one day off

* 1792 became year 1 of the republic

* The monarchy was abolished and the royal family imprisoned

The First French Republic

Seizure of the Royal Family (1792)

Trial of Louis XVI Dec. 12, 1792 - Jan. 21, 1793

Louis was charged for conspiring against the revolution

Jacobins dominated the trial On Jan. 15, 1793, Louis was

found guilty by a 683 to 66 vote

The next day Louis was sentenced to execution by a 361 to 360 vote

Louis XVI’s Head (January 21, 1793)

The trial of the king was hastened by the discovery in a secret cupboard in the Tuilieres of a cache of documents.

They proved conclusively Louis’ knowledge and encouragement of foreign intervention.

The National Convention voted387 to 334 to execute the monarchs.

The First Coalition March 1793 France announced that it planned to export the

Revolution to all of Europe Several countries formed a coalition against

France. They were:

The NetherlandsAustriaPrussiaSpain

Great Britain

Became the first of four anti-French coalitions (1793-1815)

The Constitution of 1793 The moderates who controlled the

Convention finished the new Constitution in the fall of 1795

A new government, The Directory, was created

The Directory consisted of an executive branch of 5 directors, and a weak legislature

Only property owning men could vote

Moderate Control of the ConventionJuly 29, 1794 - October 26, 1795

Moderates regained control of the convention

All Jacobin clubs were closed

When the economy went bad mobs tried to break up the convention.

They were stopped by a young unknown general Napoleon Bonaparte

Execution of RobespierreJuly 28, 1794

Napoleon Bonaparte

Peninsular War

In an effort to get Portugal to accept the Continental System, he sent an invasion force through Spain. Napoleon removed the Spanish king and put his own brother on the throne.

Guerrilla War starts.

Napoleon’sarmy goes into Russiawith 600,000soldiers

And, returns with 10,000 !!

Britain defeats Napoleon and destroys the French fleet.