Zusammenfassung der Ressource
3. The French Revolution
- The French Revolution was a series of dramatic/radical changes
that put an end to the Ancien Régime.
- It marked the arrival of a NEW ERA and it was symbolized by a famous slogan:
- "LIBERTY,
EQUALITY,
FRATERNITY
"or death"
- freedom to live the way that you want.
- having the same rights under the law.
- sharing the same interests and objectives.
- to show that the
revolutionaries were
prepared to FIGHT or DIE for
their principles.
- CAUSES OF THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
- The influence of the Enlightenment.
- The American Revolution (July 4th, 1776)
- Economic crisis
- French government was bankrupt.
- Participation in military conlicts (wars)
- Royal lifestyle (palaces, extravagant parties)
- Bad harvest
- Political crisis
- Representation of the Third Estate in the Estates General.
- Social crisis
- NOBILITY & CLERGY wanted to protect their
traditional economic privileges. They refused
to pay taxes.
- BOURGEOISIE wanted to participate in government.
- PEASANTS suffered economic problems.
- THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 4th
- Responding to the Great Fear, one by one, the
members of the nobility and clergy rose to give
up:
- Feudal dues
- Serfdom
- The tithe
- Personal privileges
- CREATING A NEW FRANCE
- The National Assembly (1789 - 1792) instituted political and
social reforms in the early stages of the revolution.
- In 1791, the assembly finished writing a new constitution that
established:
- Constitutional monarchy
- Popular sovereignty
- Limited male suffrage
- The separation of powers
- The Enemies of the Revolution
- The nobility
- The clergy
- The Royal Family
- Other political groups:
- THE GIRONDINS
- Moderate revolutionaries
- favoured the bourgoisie
- had moderate political ideas
- wanted a liberal econommic policy
- wanted to ristrict voting rights
(limited suffrage)
- THE JACOBINS
- Radical revolutionaries
- favoured the sans-culottes
- had radical political ideas
- wanted to control prices
- wanted to give more people the vote
- Attack to the Tuileries
- August 10th, 1792, the constitutional
monarchy was over.
- THE REIGN OF TERROR
- Radical revolutionaries took control of the Assembly in 1792, the
Convention.
- These radicals ended the monarchy, made France a
republic, and wrote another constitution.
- On January 21st, 1793, they executed the king for treason.
- Maximilien Robespierre
- As president of the republic, Robespierre established a repressive, dictatorial
government, whose objectives was to defend the revolution.
- On July 28th, 1794, he was guillotined with 21 of
his close supporters.