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The Old Order
In the 1770's, the social and political system of France, The Old Regime, remained in place. Under this system, the people of France were divided into three large social classes or estates. -
Economy Decline
Their Economy was in decline, this caused alarm, particularly among the merchants, factory owners, and bankers of the Third Estate. On the surface, the economy appeared to be fine, because both production and trade were expanding. However, the heavy burden of taxes made it almost impossible to conduct business profitably within France. Further, the cost of living was rising. Also, bad wheater caused crop failure, resulting in a shorting of grain. Price of bread doubled, many faced starvation -
The Forces of Change
Rather than cutting expenses, Louis XVI during the economic decline, he decided to put off dealing with the emergency until he had practically no money left. His solution was to impose taxes on nobility. The Second Estate forced him to call a meeting of the estates general, an assembly of representatives from all three of the estates to approve this new tax. the meeting was the first in 175 years on may 5, 1789, at versailles -
Dawn of the Revolution
The 3rd estate insisted that all 3 estates meet together and
that each delegate has a vote. would give advantage to 3rd estate, which had more delegates. the king ordered the Estates-General to follow the medieval rules. delegates of 3rd estate were determined to have power. Sieyès represented the 3rd estate. In a speech, Sieyès said that the 3rd Estate delegates name themselves the National Assembly and pass laws and reforms. On June 17, 1789, they voted to establish the National Assembly. -
Tennis Court Oath
Three days later, the Third Estate delegates found themselves locked out of their meeting room. They broke down a door to an indoor tennis court, pledging to stay until they had drawn up a new constitution. This pledge became known as the Tennis Court Oath. Soon after, nobles and members of the clergy who favored reform joined the Third Estate delegates. In response to these events, Louis stationed his mercenary army of Swiss guards around Versailles. -
Storming the Bastille
Some people thought that Louis was going to use military force to stop the National Assembly. Others charged that the foreign troops were coming to Paris to kill French citizens. People began to get weapons in order to defend the city. On July 14, a mob searching for gunpowder and arms stormed Bastille the mob crushed the guard and got control of the building. The attackers cheif the prison commander and other guards to death and then walked around the streets with the dead mens heads on pikes. -
The Assembly Reforms France
Throughout the night of August 4, 1789, noblemen made grand speeches, declaring their love of liberty and equality. Motivated more by fear than by idealism, they joined other members of the National Assembly in sweeping away the feudal privileges of the First and Second Estates, thus making commoners equal to the nobles and the clergy. By morning, the Old Regime was dead. -
A Great Fear Sweeps France
From one village to the next, wild rumors circulated that the
nobles were hiring outlaws to terrorize the peasants. A wave of
senseless panic called the Great Fear rolled through France.
The peasants soon became outlaws themselves. Armed with
pitchforks and other farm tools, they broke into nobles’ manor
houses and destroyed the old legal papers that bound them to
pay feudal dues. -
Divisions Develop
By 1791, the delegates had made significant changes in France’s government and society. In September 1791, the National Assembly finished the new constitution, which Louis approved. The constitution created a limited constitutional monarchy. It took the king of much of his authority. It also created a new legislative body the Legislative Assembly. This body had the power to create laws and to approve or reject declarations of war. However, the king still held the executive power to enforce laws. -
War and Execution
some radicals were keen to spread their ideas across Europe. As a result, some countries took action. Austria and Prussia urged the French to restore Louis to his position as an absolute monarch. The Legislative Assembly responded by declaring war in April 1792. By the summer of 1792, On August 10, about 20,000 men and women invaded the Tuileries, the palace where the royal family was staying. The mob killed the royal guards and imprisoned Louis, Marie Antoinette, and their children.
