French Revolution (Pre-IB SS 9)
Who was in the First Estate? What percentage of the entire population were they? What did they charge?
- Members of church: Clergy
- Made up less than 1% of population
- 10% tax on a person's income
Prior to the revolution, what was France divided into?
- Three Estates System
Who was the Second Estate?
The nobles and royal family but NOT the king (king was on top of everybody, he was the absolute monarch)
Who were the Bourgeoisie and why were they important to the revolution?
- Wealthier members of the Third Estate
- Provided services and goods to the country that were important to economy
- HOWEVER, they had no say in gov, paid a lot of taxes, and it was expensive/difficult for them to make a profit
Why were the French people angry at the Kings and Queens of France?
- They were very extravagent (ex. King Louis XIV "Sun King") and did little to fix the debt of tue country
- ex. Marie Antoinette allegedly tried to purchase a very expensive necklace worth over a million livres but ppl were starving and angry about the waste of money
What was the Food Crisis?
- 1780s: Food Crisis because crops were destroyed due to bad weather
- Specifically bread was very expensive causing many riots (to which Marie Antoinette said "qu'ils mangent de la brioche- let them eat cake which showed how out of touch she was)
- Families could not feed their children and had to abandon them
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
The oath, made by representatives of the Third Estate, was to never disband until a new constitution gets drafted
Who was Maximilien Robespierre and what happened to him?
- Was an important member of the jacobin political party who opposed the French monarchy.
- He became an influential leader of the COPS and encouraged the execution of 17,000 + enemies of French Revolution.
- Was executed by guillotine because people sought more moderate policies
What did enlightened thinking promote?
- Science + human intelligence > religion + divine right to rule
- Equality of MEN, right to vote
- Modern, rational, democratic societies
What was the Reign of Terror? How many people were killed during it?
- Between 30,000 - 50,000, including the King and Queen, were killed during the Reign of Terror
- Collapse of the previous feudal system --> new system of power
- Abolished many of the privileges enjoyed by First and Second estates (ex. Church lands were taken away and sold, clergy were now paid officials)
What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen? Why was it influential?
- Proclaimed the end of the feudal system and granted civil rights to some commoners. (Only men were created equal, not women.)
Important article: "Men are born free and remain free and equal in rights." It was arguably the first step to recognizing human rights. It put into practice the ideals of enlightenment.
Girondists vs Jacobins
Jacobins: Opposed the French monarchy and wanted the French king to be executed.
Girondists: Opposed revolutionary methods and wanted a constitutional monarchy to avoid riots and killings.