French+Revolution+Notes

 1. society (source 6) - (no privileges) (third estates) taxation (source 12) - (tax evation) (people who weren't nobles, or clergy) feudal rights and dues (sources 13) - (paying for any kind of service) (peasants) law (source 16) - (excessive torture and intolerance) (puritans, and even catholics) government (Sources 20,26,31) - (spending too much by the royal government, cruel punishments) (the French people)

2. Many people wanted to change the way France was run. Even nobles and clergy, but especially the third estate, as they did not receive any privileges, they paid substantial amount of taxes, which later went to being spent by Mary Antoinette in building her private garden. Along with frivolous spending by the royal family, the fact that they did not consider basic human rights important really angered the French people. They wanted to live in freedom, with liberty.

3. The government spent more each year than it received in taxes, so the government was deeply in debt, so the Finance Minister planned to raise money with a new tax on land. But the assembly of nobles and clergy refused to agree to the new tax, so the government went bankrupt, so Louis XVI ordered a meeting of the Estates General, hoping it would agree to the new tax, but the third estate deputies took over the Estates General and turned it into National Assembly, so Louis XVI decided to hold a royal session of the Estates General, and warn the third estate not to defy him, but the government went bankrupt, so the deputies gathered in a tennis court and swore an oath that they would continue to meet.

4. a) People thought the king and his ministers had too much power (e.g. lettres de cachet) Many poor people blamed the government for high prices and unemployment.  b) People disliked the fact that Marie Antoinette was Austrian c) Nobles disliked the government's plans for a new land tax because they would lose their privilege of tax exemption. People disliked Marie Antoinette's extravagant spending.

5. I think that the frivolous spending by Mary Antoinette and others really angered the king. They were born under monarchy, so it was easy for them to accept that the king had power, but it must have been very frustrating to know that the money they earned and really did not want to give to the government because they were starving was going into useless expenses.

6. I think that it would have made some big difference. Mary was especially unpopular because she was not French, she did not help by using up tons of money for useless things, when it could have gone to help out the population. She was so oblivious about famine, that when she learned that peasants had no bread to eat, she declared, "let them eat cake".

2. Revolution and Terror, 1789-1794

-Background info: · Revolution began at Versailles in 1789. · It soon spread throughout the country. · The French Revolution changed many things about the country’s society, government, and religion. · These changes also spread to the rest of Europe. · Millions of people disliked the revolution and tried to put a stop to it.

- Revolution, 1789 · Creating the National Assembly was a great accomplishment by the third estate. · Louis XVI had officially lost any control or reign over the estates. · Mayhem began, as riots in Paris showed Louis that he was also losing control over his capital. · After many requests, Louis sent 20,000 royal troops to move into the area around Paris. · The citizens in Paris was afraid that all the troops were there to break up the National Assembly. · In July 12th, people found out that Louis fired a popular finance minister, Necker, and that he was replaced with someone who did not like or favor the third estate. · People realized that Louis was about the destroy the National Assembly, in order to keep his power. · Crowds of people in Paris thought to defend themselves from the King’s troops and started collecting weapons and such items. · They kept searching for more weapons, crowds collected thousands of guns. · Bastille was a prison with people locked up from the sealed letters. · There was a rumor that there were tones of gunpowder in Bastille.

- The storming of the Bastille · Bastille was notorious for its lack of concern for human rights, where people were tortured. · The crowed arrived at Bastille, looking for weapons. · They detested everything about Bastille. · The crowed declared that they would destroy everything inside Bastille. · The governor surrendered the fortress, but the crowd did not hear surrender. · They smashed everything and killed its defenders, gaining control of the Bastille.

- Images of the Bastille · One of the biggest events of the French Revolution was the fall of the Bastille. · It symbolized the power of the ordinary. · There were many images and writings that describe the horrific Bastille.

-The king loses control · Although Louis wanted to send troops to Paris to control it. · The advisers and war minister was afraid that they would not follow his command. · Louis had to give up Paris. · The king asked his army to go back to its original station, barracks. · Louis had no choice but to allow the people to form their own army for the sake of Paris, the National Guard. · To attain a new leader for the city, the third estate set up its own government, the Paris Commune. · As the capital city Paris rebelled against the king, towns and cities all over France followed the example of Paris. · There were even more riots all over France. · A lot of royal officials were forced out of their positions. · All over countries, people set up their own government (communes) and their National Army.

- The Great Fear · As cities spread violence, it also reached the countryside. · Unemployment rates were high, and most were hungry. · People began to steal food to survive. Farmers were worried that gang of thieves would come steal their crop. · Rumors about the nobles trying to take the food from the commoners away started spreading during harvest time. · There were also rumors that it was the nobles who hired the gang to try and intimidate the peasants. · Peasants, filled with rage, refused to pay their feudal dues. · In many cases, the peasants broke and entered into the noble’s home and set the records on fire. · As number of gangs increased, the citizens of France were gripped with fear. By July, the whole country was swept with “The Great Fear”.

- The Assembly begins its work · The officials in the National Assembly was in fear of the violence from the peasants, who outnumbered them. · They decided that they needed immediate action to stop them. · The nobles started giving up their feudal dues, that required their peasants to pay them endlessly. · They also abolished land taxes and such. · Feudalism was dead in the country. · After, the National Assembly also stated ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen’. · This declaration stated that everyone was equal, and they had the right to speak and write freely. · The declaration also touched the subject on the lawas of arrest and imprisonment. · One of the most important things it did was that it banned torture. · Above all, the declaration stated that the power in France belonged to the people.

- The women march to Versailles · Louis XVI was immediately displeased by the decisions that the National Assembly came up with. · He refused to sign them, and therefore it could not become a law. · After this, for his own protection, he brought in more soldiers to use as bodyguard. · This gave the impression that he was going to break up the National Assembly by force. · The market women, furious by this, gathered weapons. · On October 5th, holding many weapons, the women marched to Versailles palace to protest. · With the protection from National Guardsmen, the complained to the king about their lives, the high price of food, and the troops inside Versailles. · They wanted him to come to Paris to live, instead of Versailles. · Louis had no intention of going, however he had a quick change of mind when the women broke into the palace, and murdered 2 bodyguards. · They also threatened to kill the queen. · October 6th, Louis XVI, Mary Antoinette, and their oldest son moved to Paris. They lived in the Palace of Tuileries, in the center of Paris.

- The King and the Assembly, 1789 – 1792 · The deputies of the National Assembly also arrived at Paris. · They made many new laws to change the way France was run. o Male taxpayer above the age of 25 had the right to vote. o All church lands were taken so that France could pay debt. o Assignats were given so that people who gave money to France could get it back with church land. o Local government and councils were elected by its citizens. o Protestants were seen as equal as Catholics, as were Jews. o France was divided into 83 different departments. o Salt tax was eliminated. o Most of the church monasteries and convents were shut down. o Assignats became France’s currency. (look above) o Noble titles were abolished (IMPORTANT) o The clergy went through major reform, and bishops were chosen by vote. o Judges were elected by citizens, and there were new justice system created. o Taites taxes were dismissed. o A new tax on land was introduced. o Trade guilds were abolished. o There were racial equality among the blacks and whites in French colonies. o Slavery was banned in France. o The Assembly set up a constitution about how France would be governed.

- The reformed of the Church · Most people liked the reforms, making their life comfortable. · On one of the issues, was the reform of the church. · In one side, the people believed that the church held too much power, money, and land. · Also, one of the factors that contributed to church reform was the corrupted unholy lives the church clergy members were living. · The other side contained millions of God-fearing Catholics, who did not want the church to fall because they might be punished. · Hence, many Catholics protested when the government started to take money away from the church. · In July 1790, the Assembly drew a law to lessen the power of church, which causes massive protest. · The law made priests and bishops be elected, and ordered the officials to take an oath of loyalty to the French nation and the law. · About 50 % of the clergy refused to take this oath, saying that the Assembly did not have any right to mind the church’s business. · The Pope in Italy also condemned the new law, and from then on, there was a divide in the Catholic church in France. · There were clergy members who supported the revolution and took the oath, and there were those who opposed to change. · From then on, the country was divided as the question of what to do with the Church rose.

- The flight to Varennes · Louis XVI was not happy with the Civil Constitution, he supported those clergy member who refused to take an oath. · By doing this, he angered many Parisians. · They began protesting profusely at the gate of Tuileries Palace. · With the urge from Mary Antoinette, Louis decided to leave France. · They wanted to get all the French princes who left already to build up an army. · They also wanted some assistance from Mary’s brother, the Emperor of Austria. · With the army, they would eliminate the Assembly and take back the power. · However, leaving France was not as easy as they planned. · The Assembly forsaw that Louis might leave, and they placed guards to keep the King prisoner. · Louis had to make a secret escape. · On midnight, June 21st, 1791, Louis and his family, all in disguise, crept out of the palace. · However, they were soon caught, and sent back to Paris.

- The road to war · Louis’s escape to Varennes triggered the war, as Emperor Leopold, who believed that Mary and Louis was in danger, issued a statement to intimidate the citizens, and promised them that they will gain their power back. · With Prussia’s help, they collected all European kings to help Louis. · Leopold, actually did not want to attack France. · He just wanted to show that no one could mess with her sister. · Nobody in France knew his intentions, they were very concerned that Leopold might attack. · Most people realized that war was inevitable. · The French wanted the war, whether it was the royals, who was sure that the rebels would lose, or the rebels themselves. · The rebels wanted war because it would force Louis to show whose side he was on. · If he chose the foreign side, the rebels would have enough excuse to take over France as a republic.

- War · On April 20th, 1792, France declared war on Austria. · France wanted to win quickly, therefore attacked the Austrian bases in Belgium. · The Austrians were prepared, they were far superior in numbers and technology. · The easily defeated the French. · In Paris, as confusion grew, the people blamed the defeat on the traitors. · There were rumors that there was an Austrian Committee in Tuileries Palace. · The committee was alleged to have passed France’s military secrets to the Austrians. · Prussia joined Austria in May, worsening the situation. · The Assembly was very threatened, they wanted to take emergency measures to deal with the threat. · They traced all foreigners, set up a Perimeter around Paris. · They expelled all the priests who did not take the oath. · The Assembly started asking people to join in the Army. · Louis was in a difficult position, and he was especially infuriated by the exile of priests. · The citizens were angered by Louis’s disagreement, entered his palace, and shouted abuse at him. · Louis was in more of a difficult position, as the enemy’s commander, Duke of Brunswick declared the Brunswick Manifesto, saying that if Louis was harmed, there would be terrible consequences. · The Brunswick Manifesto put the royal family in a lot of danger. · The Brunswick Manifesto resulted in Assembly approving citizens to have their own weapons. · The citizens could do whatever they wanted, and what they wanted was to get rid of the monarch that had tortured and belittled them.

- The storming of the Tuileries · August 10th, 1792, about 20,000 men and women with weapons marched to Tuileries, ready to throw Louis XVI out of his monarchy. · The Swiss Guards tried to defend the palace but they were too outnumbered. · The Swiss Guards made a ran for it, but the rebels caught up with them and cut them open. · They also ransacked the palace. · The attack on the palace soon ended the French monarchy. · A new assembly, called the Convention was set up, to make new laws. · September 21st 1792, the people de-throned Louis, and declared France as a Republic. · After two months, he was put on trial for high treason, and was put to death.

- The sans culottes · The rebels who beheaded the king called themselves sans culottes. · They were the commoners, working class. · They made little money for their hard work, and they had many ideas in common how to make France better. · Sans culottes despised nobles, therefore called each other ‘citizen’ or ‘comrade’ instead of noble words. · Sans culottes declared that they had the right to bear arms, and to use them if necessary. · For example, in September 1792, the Sans culottes broke into the Paris prison and killed approximately 1,400 prisoners who they thought supported Austria. · Many thought of what Sans culottes doing as horrific, violent and barbaric.

- The war spreads · As the execution of Louis XVI was a threat to the other monarchs in Europe, the other kings were enraged. · Many joined forces with Prussia and Austria, they wanted to destroy the new French Republic. · This angered the French and gave them more will to fight a war. · They declared war on Britain, Holland and Spain, who supported Prussia and Austria, now they were in war with most of Europe. · France was on the verge of defeat, when its leader/commander abandoned it, and Austria won a series of battles.

- Inflation and shortages · There were many problems during the war, as the new government did not know what to do with high price of food. · As the government printed out more and more Assignats, the worth of the money went down, and the farmers started refusing to sell their crops.

- Rebellion · The third major problem occurred when the government ordered to add an extra 300,000 men to join the country’s army. · Many royalists in the western France joined to rebel against the new government. · Many problems began to trigger, as the Girondins (who held the most important jobs in the government) and Jacobins (supported by the sans culottes). · They began to blame the Girondins for the loss in the battlefield, and the Girondins were expelled from council by sans culottes. · This was immediately replied by many angry provinces, who supported to Girondins. · With many disasters, the panicked Convention decided to establish an emergency group, named the Committee of Public Safety. · This Committee was run by twelve people. · For one year, they imposed harsh rules to keep people down, also known as the “reign of terror”.

The Reign of Terror

- The Law of Suspects · The Committee ordered for every town in France to draw up names of those who seemed to be suspicious, royalists. · Over 250,000 names were drawn, and those who were sentenced to death was about 50 % of conviction.

- The guillotine · The guillotine (named after the inventor Doctor Guilliotin) was a machine that was designed to kill humans faster and with less pain. · Many people died on the guillotine, such as Mary Antoinette.

- Terror in the provinces · The Committee did not tolerate any revolts in the countryside. · Massacres occurred as officials were sent to countryside to execute anyone who was against the liberation.

- Terror in the armies · The Convention ordered a ‘Mass Levy’, for every French person to help somehow to the army. · Every citizens, men, women and even children had to contribute somehow. · The Mass Levy ended up increasing the French army to 800,000 men.

- The Economic Terror · The economy turned for the worse, and the Committee needed to make a quick decisions. · They created the Law of the Maximum in September 1793. · This stated that many different types of foods was fixed under the same prices until further notice.

- Terror and the Church · Christian religions disappeared in many parts of France. · Sans culottes, sick of the clergy and Christianity, closed down all churches in France, and stole its property. · The new calendar that did not reflect on Christianity caused many confusion.

- Result of the Terror · The Committee saved France from collapsing completely. · The army was doing well, as they drove out most of its enemies by mid 1794. · Committee was able to avoid famine by setting and establishing many laws to stabilize the economy. · However, many countless innocent and guilty had to die for the success of saving the country. · The freedom that was given to the people when monarchy was ridden of was soon abolished. · The committee had become a twelve people dictatorship.

- The coup of Thermidor · The committee soon became wildly unpopular. · It was becoming too powerful for many others. · Convention decided that they got enough of the committee, and decided to get rid of Robespierre, and his supporter. · The terror came to an end after the death of its leader.