The French Revolution
Last Updated    1/6/2008     1/2/2008

Old Regime
During the 1600s and the early 170s, France was a divine-right monarchy.
French society was divided into three classes called estates.

The First Estate
The First Estate was the clergy.
The  were 1% of the people and they owned 10% of the land.
They were free from taxes.
They received income from their land.
Most of the income went to high church officials.
They wore purple and scarlet velvet robes trimmed with lace.

The Second Estate
The Second Estate was the nobility.
They were 2% of the people and, they owned large areas of land.
Nobles were free from taxes.
They received grants from the royal treasury.
They received rent paid by peasants.
Some nobles stayed at court dancing, hunting, and gambling.
Some filled government and army posts.

The Third Estate
The Third Estate was everyone else in France.
The bourgeoisie were at the top of this estate.
They were bankers, merchants, lawyers, doctors, manufacturers, and teachers.
Next were artisans, day workers, and servants.
At the bottom were the peasants.
Peasants made up 80% of the people of France.
The Third Estate had no power in government.
They paid the taxes of France.
They paid tax on income, personal property, land, and crops.
They paid sales tax on salt, tobacco, and wine.Parents paid a tax when a baby was born.
Peasants still paid a feudal dues.

The Estates-General
In the 1780s, French philosophers pointed out the political problems
Voltaire favored free speech, free press, freedom of religion, and equal justice.
The major problem for the French government was money.
It was almost bankrupt because of the help France gave to the American Revolution.
King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette spent onjewels, hunting parties, horse races, and balls.
The French people called Marie Madame Deficit.
The king wanted the clergy and nobles to give him money.
They refused.
Louis XVI called the French legislature to meet.
The clergy and nobles usually voted together.
The Third Estate wanted a bigger voice.
They wanted the Estates-Genearl to met with each representative having one vote.
They also wanted the same number of representatives.
1789 May, the Esates-Genearl met.
The Third Estate was granted more representatives.
The other teo estates refused to meet with the Third Estate.
The Third Estate and some clergy and nobles met on a tennis court.
They called themselves the National Assembly.
Louis XVI threatened to break up the National Assembly.
The king ordered the First and Second Estates to meet with the National Assembly.

Uprisings in City and Country
The French people had high hopes, but they feared that nothing would improve.
1789 Fall, harvest was bad.
Food was scarce and expensive.
A loaf of bread cost more than a day's pay.
The winter was extremly cold.
Hundreds of thousands of city workers were unemployed.
1789 July 14, a mob attacksed and captured the Bastille.
The Bastille was an old dort now used as a prison.
The mob killed the mayor of Paris and set up a new city government.
In the country, peasants attacked and burned the house of the nobles.
They destroyed the feudal dues.



The National Assembly
The National Assembly did away with the privileges of the clergy and nobles.
1789, August 27, the Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
It said people are born equal and remain free and equal in rights.
The government's right to rule came from the people.
It gave everyone free speech.
Torture and arbitrary imprisonment were abolished.
The highest ranks of the military were now open to people of every class.
The National Assembly worked two years to write a Constitution.
To pay off government debts the Assembly sold church land to peasants.
The Roman Catholic Church was amd.
The Assembly said that clergy shoud be elected and swear an oath to the government.
1789 October, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette became prisoners of the people.
1791, the Constitution was finished.
It made France a constitutional monarchy.
That means the ruler's power is limited by written law.
The Crown and the legislature would govern together.
Representatives and voters had to have a certain amount of money.
Peasants and city workers did not have enough money to vote.

The End of the Monarchy
Rulers throughout Europe were afarid they would lose their power.
French political exiles encouragd rulers to help Louis XVI.
1792 spring, France declared war on Austria.
By August of 1792, Prussian and Austrian troops were marching towards Paris.



The National Convention
In Paris, the city workers took over.
Their new government was called the National Convention.
France became a republic.
1793 January, Louis XVI and his wife Marie were beheaded.
More European countries joined the war against France.



The Committe of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety, led by Robespierre took over the governemnt.
Thousand of people suspected od being against the Revolution were beheaded.
This wave of killing was known as "The Reign of Terror."
Anyone whose clothes suggested luxury were seized as an aristocrat and sent to the guillotine.
The new fashions imiatated English country styles.
Muslin and broadcloth replaced silks and satin.
People began to turn against Robespierre.
1794 July 28, Robespierre was executed.

The Directory
1795, the Directory was the new government.
In addition to the legislature there was an executive branch of five directors.
Only people who owned land could vote.
Reforms of the Revolution came to an end.
The Directory worked on food shortages, rising prices, government bankruptcy, and foreign attacks.
The Directory kept the Metric System.

Bibliography
"French Revolution." Wikipedia On Line Encyclopedia. 5 Jan. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution.

Greenblatt, Miriam, and Lemmo, Peter. Human Heritage A World History. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill, 2001.