French Revolution

Nota:

• Enlightenment thoughts were imposed. It marked the arrival of a new era.

1. The influence of the Enlightenment

   Nota:

   • They demanded that all French subjects be free and equal under the law.
2. The political crisis

   Nota:

   • The votes were not equal, the clergy ande the nobility had one vote each while the middle class and peasantry only had one, so the had no power.
3. The economic crisis

   Nota:

   • The state was in bankrupt, and they decided to increase taxes also to the privileged classes.
4. The social crisis

   Nota:

   • The states were dissapointed. The clergy and nobility wanted to protect their traditional economic provileges. The middle class wanted to abolish the absolute monarchy, the lower one suffered economic problems and the peasantry.

Nota:

• They create the Estates Generales in order to icrease taxes

1. The National assembly

   Nota:

   • The assembly made by the third state to declare themselves the true representatives and they demanded a constitution. 
2. The Constituent assembly

   Nota:

   • It was elected to write a constitution.  At this time riots began so this assembly abolished feudal rights and aproved the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.  Later it adopted a constitution that stablished a constitutionl monarchy, popular sovereignty, the separation of powers and limited male sufrage.
3. The Legislative assembly

   Nota:

   • It implemented the necessary legal changes. Two political groups existed: -The Girodins, who believed in the revolution but with the interests from the bourgeoisie. -The Jacobins, who also believed in the revolution but their ideas were more radical.
4. The convention

   Nota:

   • Louis XVI was acused of treason and then executed. some countries joined together against France to prevent the revolution. The Jacobins imposed a dictatorship, the Terror, under the control of Robespierre. 
5. The Directory and the Consulate

   Nota:

   • Moderate middle class had gained control of the country. The Directory was created in order to stop the violence and executions, it was more conservative because of the limited suffrage. The revolutionaries wanted to regain control so Bonaparte organised a military coup and stablished the Consulate.

Nota:

• Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself emperor  of France. It include some archievements such as the domestic policy (laws were applied to all citizens)  and the international policy (he expanded his empire and imposed Enlightenment ideas.)