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Long Term Causes of Rev.
There are a lot of long term causes of the French Revolution starting with, Estates System. The 3rd estate was the only one that had to pay for taxes(Taille). Political issues, tried for Gov't & military positions. The BG- 3rd estate count to be 1st and 2nd, equal taxes, enlightenment and rights. -
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Short Term Causes of Rev.
Some of the short term causes of the French Revolution is, financial crisis overspending on war and luxuries by King Louis XVI,
unemployment. Bread shortage, hail storm 1787- 1788, famine, riots. Louis XVI forced to call the estates general this causes the aristocratic revolution. -
Estates General
In 1789 King Louis XVI is forced to call the estates general that hasn't been called since 1614. The 3rd estate is unhappy since their was unfair voting, they had twice as many representatives and still only got 1 vote. Parliament proposed each delegate get 1 vote which the king does not like so it leads to the National Assembly. -
National Assembly, TCO
June 1789 the 3rd estates declares it is the National Assembly and they would draft a constitution, they had to Versailles 3 days later and are found locked up. This is when they go to a nearby Tennis Court and that is where the Tennis Court Oath got its name in which they swore to meet until a constitution was made. -
Bastille Day
On July 14th of 1789, 900 people of Paris stormed the Bastille which was an old fortress used as a prison and armory. They hoped to get weapons to fight the king, they found no weapons so they freed prisoners and cut the warden's head off. This is a historically important day, it symbolizes the Revolution. -
Great Fear
The following days when rebellions broke out everywhere in France to help the assembly, they wanted feudal obligations and fees to be removed, they raided and killed lords houses and families. A lot of people were killed and it was a bad time. -
August Decrees
19 decrees made by National Constituent Assembly in early august. They completely abolished the feudal system. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
This was a declaration inspired by English Bill of Rights, Deceleration of Independence and our Constitution. It affirmed free speech and press and reflected enlightenment. It showed that all men were free and equal. -
Womens March to Versailles
On October 5th 1789, fish wives were looking for bread and found no bread so they begin to march on Versailles. Around 7,000 women and revolutionaries marched. They found a way into the castle beat everyone and killed guards until Marquis De Lafayette stops the crowd reasons and gets a new Constitution started. -
Constitution of 1791
1st of several constitution that creates a limited monarchy, legislative assembly made laws still king but more legislative. They had a conservation approach, they had active and passive citizens. They made it so only males 18+ could vote for the electors. -
Austrian War
The revolution in France made other countries worried that this could happen to them, so austria threatened France, and France declared war on them. Fighting went very poorly this fueled more mistrust in the king. The revolution goes radical and violent leads to radicals like the sans-culotte. -
Sans-Culottes, Radicals
A new mob that called themselves Sans-Culottes, that means without knees breeches, people who were regular pants. They were the poor, working class, this group drove the revolution to the rise of Napoleon. On Aug 10th in Paris a mob attacked the royal palace and caused many other problems. -
September Massacre
Waves of killings in Paris that left thousands dead. People feared that foreign and royalist armies would attack Paris so they killed all the city's prisoners. -
French Republic, Death of King
The National Convention was called to draft a new constitution, they ran the country and soon abolished the monarchy and this set up the French Republic. The Jacobins and Girondins try to figure out what to do with the king and in Jan 21, 1793 the king was beheaded with the Guillotine a device that was quick and efficient. -
Commitee of public safety, Robespierre
The CPS gained broad powers because of their response to external and internal issues. Maximillen Robespierre was an important part of the commitee and this leads to the reign of terror. -
Reign of Terror
This was led by jacobins who were lead by Robespierre and with the support of the sans-culotte they wanted to crush the oppositions to the revolutions. Over 40k were killed either by gullotine or execution, (grapeshot). Plus over 250k were imprisoned and all rights, suspended. -
Thermidorian Reaction, Robespierre, Army of 1 million
The end of the Reign of terror is when the Thermidorian reaction starts in July of 1794. In June 1,300 people were executed under the Law of Prairial this gave Robespierre more power. National Convention arrests him and has him executed, jacobins lose all the power. The sans culotte give all their support to bourgeoisie. The army of France grew to nearly 1 million people, crazy. -
Constitution of Year III, Directory
They create 2 houses of legislative branch, the council of 500, and the council. Both houses were chosen by the voters, the directory of the executive branch would choose 5 people of the council. They realized this was corrupt and lasted only 4 years. -
Coup d'etat
France was in major debt because of the wars and they relied on their military to keep power. This all leads to a coup d'etat which was a sudden overthrow of the gov't by Napoleon which starts the rise of Napoleon era. -
Napolean Bonaparte
He is considered to have ended the Fr. Rev. and preserved the best parts of the revolution. He was born in 1769 in corsica, went to military school and moved up in ranks. By 1794, he was made brigadier general, after all the uprisings he put down in Paris. By 1797, he attacked Egypt and lost but, he lied to the directory, they needed the won and he was called a hero. -
Triumvirate
By 1799, he and 2 other men wanted to overthrow the directory so they created a triumvirate and made 3 consuls which Napoleon overthrew. In 1802 he makes himself consul for life. He declared the republic over, makes an empire an becomes the emperor. -
Reforms
Napoleon claimed to keep the ideas of the Revolution. In 1801 he made an agreement with the pope to recognize Catholicism as majority religion. He also made France a lot of money from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and finally got bread for the people. Civil Code was created by France that organized a legal code. He gave equality for every citizen, right to choose profession and feudal obligations. -
Empire and Fall
Napoleon became master of Europe after defeat Prussia, Austria, and Russia. He had 3 major parts of his empire, French Empire Dependent States, Papal states. Napoleon empire doesn't last long he spread principles of the revolution.
The empire 1st reason why it fell is it tried to invade Britian which didn't work. The 2nd reason is nationalism, which gave other opponents even more hate towards France. -
Cont. Fall
He dislikes the continental system tries to invade Russia with 600k troops and loses all but 40k, because of the harsh conditions. He then gets weakens and by 1814 Paris falls after the loss at Waterloo and he gets exiled to the island of Elba. He then comes back 3 months later and loses again and is exiled again to st. Helena and in 1821 he dies of stomach cancer.
