Topic 3 Revolution in France 4º ESO

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2 Topic 2: REVOLUTION IN FRANCE. 1.- What were the long-term causes of the French Revolution in 1789? 2.- The first stage of the French Revolution The spread of the Revolution and the execution of the King Violent revolutionary mobs take control in July Why was the king executed by the revolutionaries on 21st January 1793? 4.- What were the consequences of the French revolution? The short-term effects 4.2.-The long-term effects 4.3.-The impact of the revolution outside France. REVOLUTION IN FRANCE, POLITICAL STAGES Louis XVI Louis XVI called the Estates General The Oath in the Tennis Court, June, 1789 The Storming of the Bastille July, 14, 1789 The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, August, 1789 The Constitution, 1791 Execution of the king, January 1793 National Convention, Girondin rule Jacobin rule /Reign of Terror Thermidorian reaction The Directory Coup d Etat by Napoleon Napoleon is proclaimed First Consul Concordat with the Catholic Church, 1801 Napoleon Consul for life, 1802 The Civil Code, Napoleon Emperor

3 1.- What were the long-term causes of the French Revolution in 1789? LONG-TERM CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 1.- The Ancien Regime was old-fashioned and unjust and was ripe for change. King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette ruled France. The king had total power. He regarded himself as God s representative on Earth (Divine right of kings) and lived in luxury in palaces like Versailles 2.- French society was organized into three Estates (groups). The first two Estates (Church and Nobility) enjoyed great privileges. But most people belonged to the Third Estate which had no privileges and had to pay all the taxes. This system was called the Ancient Regime. The King presided over a country which was divided into three estates : The first estate was the clergy of the Catholic Church. Most bishops were very rich land-owners, and the peasants paid taxes (tithes) to them. The second estate was the nobility. They owned most of the land in France. They owned chateaux and were paid taxes by the peasants, as rent for the use of the land. The third estate was the people. They included business people, professional people, town workers, rural peasants and landless labourers. French society in the late eighteenth century 3

4 3.- Economic factors The privileges of ruling classes are not enough to explain why the Revolution happened. There were other factors that helped cause the revolution as well: - In the 1700 s the cost of living was rising fast but wages remained low. - The French economy was doing badly in the 1780 s. There were bad harvests in 1787 and The French government was getting heavily into debt, so it kept increasing taxes. There was a growing list of complaints by the nobles and by the third estate against taxes the King s government was trying to make them pay. 4.- New ideas There were also new ideas spreading in the 1700 s. Many French businessmen and professional people began to question the way the country was governed. They were influence by Jean Jacques Rousseau s book The Social Contract. Man is born free. No man has any natural authority over others; force does not give anyone that right. The power to make laws belongs to the people and only to the people (From a pamphlet, banned by the French government in 1775, commenting The Social Contract (1762)) The American Revolution of 1776 also inspired some people in France to fight for their freedom. The British were thrown out of America by George Washington s armies, which included many French volunteers. Declaration of Independence in 1776 included such ideas as people are born equal, people have rights and the government should govern in the interests of the people. Causes of the French Revolution 4

5 ACTIVITIES: Causes of the French Revolution 1.- This cartoon was produced in the 1780 s and is a comment on the social situation in France at that time. It can be used to help explain the causes of the French Revolution of You have two tasks for this piece of homework. You should use your knowledge and evidence from your lessons on the causes of the French Revolution to help you complete the tasks. A. Label the three figures in the cartoon by writing in the spaces provided: o o o Peasant Priest Noble B. Use your own knowledge to explain how the cartoon can be used to describe the causes of the French Revolution. 5

6 C. Fill in the gaps on this sheet using the words at the bottom of the page. There was a revolution in in The ruler of France before the Revolution was King XVI. His wife was Queen King Louis XVI lived in his palace at near Paris. One of the reasons why there was a revolution in France in 1789 is that the king ran out of He spent lots of money on two wars with One was in 1756 and another one was in In the second war the French were helping the break away from British control. Another cause of the French Revolution was the problem faced by the They were so poor that they did not have enough money to feed their families. This was made worse when the crops failed to grow. The failed in 1787 and Another cause of the French Revolution was that the two groups in France would not give the king more money. The and the had lots of land and money but would not pay more This left the king unable to find more money. A final reason why the French had a revolution in 1789 was ideas. A new set of ideas called the attacked the power of the king and the church. These made lots of ordinary French people think that they should have some of the power of the I am a lord. I have lots of money and do not want to pay any extra taxes to the king! I am a bishop of the church. I have lots of money but I do not want to give the king any extra taxes either! taxes peasants Americans Louis Marie Antoinette government Enlightenment Britain lords France rich church Versailles harvest I am a peasant. I have nothing. When the crops fail to grow the prices rise and I starve. money I am King Louis XVI. I have run out of money fighting the British. Perhaps the lords and the church could give me some more taxes? 6

7 2.- The first stage of the French Revolution By the 1780 s, many French people were angry with their ruler, King Louis XVI, and the way he ran the country. Although the French government was running out of money, the king s nobles still led a luxurious life and paid no taxes. By 1787 the French government was bankrupt, as the figures show Income Spending Total debt 560 million livres 630 million livres 4000 million livres France had spent a great deal of money fighting wars against Britain. Some French people accused Queen Marie Antoinette of spending too much money. The harvest problem, In three years, , heavy rain, hard winters and hot dry summers led to three very poor harvests. Farmers and peasants had smaller incomes and town workers had to pay higher prices for their food. Town workers were also being made unemployed as the rural workers had less money to buy goods made in towns. The King and the Estates General By 1788, the government had no money left at al. In August 1788 the desperate King decided to call the Estates General (a gathering of representatives from all three estates). This had last happened in The three estates met in separate buildings, on May Each group had different expectations: The King hoped the Estates General would approve new taxes. The nobles (along with the clergy) hoped for concessions from the King. The middle class hoped to create and English-style democracy. The peasants hoped for an end to the suffering caused by high taxes and a series of bad harvest. The National Assembly The National Assembly began on 19 June Radical nobles and priests were responsible for leading the Assembly and deciding that they should draw up a constitution showing how France was to be governed. On 20 June the members of this (illegal) Assembly met in the royal tennis court at Versailles to swear an oath that they would not leave until the King met their demands. Finally, the King agreed to the setting up of a national Assembly. 7

8 ACTIVITIES: THE FIRST STAGE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 2.- THE TENNIS COURT 8

9 3.- The spread of the Revolution and the execution of the King The storming of the Bastille and the New Constitution. The Paris mob, hungry because of poor harvests, and impatient, took the law into its own hands. On July 1789 the mob attacked the prison in Paris, the Bastille, freed it prisoners and stole guns and ammunition. This dramatic event is known as the storming of the Bastille. Throughout France, the peasants, too, had become impatient. They took part in a widespread but unorganized series of attacks on the chateaux and palaces of their feudal lords. The whole country is in greatest agitation. Many chateaux have been burned and others plundered. The Lords hunted down like beasts. Their feudal documents burned. Travels in France, Arthur Young, 1792 The storming of the Bastille Louis XVI beheaded at the guillotine August to September 1789 On the 4 th August 1789 the Assembly passed a law ending all feudal privileges and unjust taxation. There were to be no more church tithes, no feudal dues and no more private companies keeping part of the taxation. Between the 12 th -26 th August, the Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Finally, the Assembly voted to write a French constitution to organize a government of liberty. Over the next two years, the members of the Three Estates, as the Assembly, worked together worked together to hammer out a new constitution for France. The main features of this constitution were: A new National Convention was to be elected by men who were well off enough to pay taxes. A new currency and taxation system was introduced to cover the whole France. The Church lost its land to the state, and lost its power to tax its tenants (tithes). Priests had to be elected and make oaths of loyalty to France and not to the Pope. 9

10 ACTIVITIES The storming of the Bastille and the New Constitution. 3.- Analyse the text Declaration of the Rights of Man Approved by the National Assembly of France, August 26, 1789 Articles: 1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good. 2. The rights of men are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. 3. The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. Nobody nor individual may exercise any authority which does not proceed directly from the nation. 4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law. 6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents. 11. The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law After reading the text, Which parts of the declaration are fair? Which people of France previously did not have equal rights? Which people in France still were not equal despite the Declaration? Explain your answer. Article 3 it is against what? 4.- The New Constitution Explain how changes in the constitution affected 10

11 a) The King b) The local government c) The economy d) The Church Which of these changes do you think was most important? Why? Which people might not have agreed with the new constitution? (Consider members of the three estates) Why was the king executed by the revolutionaries on 21 st January 1793? The personality of the King and Queen made it difficult for people to love them. Like his father and grandfather, Louis XVI believed that he was God s servant and that this gave him the power to make laws. Louis was dominated by his strong-willed wife, Marie Antoinette, the sister of the Emperor of Austria. She was the subject of many rumours about her lavish spending on clothes and jewels. During the night of 20 th -21 st June, Louis and his family, in disguise and carrying false papers of identity, left Paris. Unfortunately for Louis, he was recognized along the route, and at Varennes a mob prevented the coach from proceeding. He was brought back to Paris (25 th June). Le famille des cochons ramenée à l etable After a long debate the National Assembly decided to keep the monarch. The King took and oath of loyalty to the constitution, but many people in the Assembly and throughout France knew the King did not believe in the new system of Government. On April 1792 France declared war on Austria. French were military defeated and, unluckily for the King, many people in France blamed him for the defeat and for the higher food prices and starvation that the war caused. On 10 th August 1792, mobs of starving people, supported by soldiers, stormed Louis XVI s Tuilleries Palace and arrested him. On 21 st September 1792, announced that France was a republic. On 26 th December 1792 the members of the Convention put the King on trial. The King had lawyers, but he could not call witnesses. He was charged with bankrupting France, that he was disloyal to the new constitution and that he was plotting against the Revolution. 11

12 Louis denied the charges, but he was found guilty. By a majority of just 374 votes to 321 the Convention court voted that Louis should be executed, by guillotine. On 21 st January 1793 the King was executed. ACTIVITIES 5.- Read the texts and answer the questions Read source 3. What words or phrases does the writer use to give an atmosphere of fun and festivity on Louis XVI execution? How does the writer present Louis in a negative way? Read source 4. How does this writer present Louis in a more positive way? how could an historian find out which of sources 3 or 4 is more reliable? EXTENSION: write a newspaper report for Le News on Louis execution. You ll need a headline, a picture, and as many details of the event as you can find. REMEMBER how articles should be written!! 12

13 4.- What were the consequences of the French revolution? The short-term effects The period following Louis s execution became known as The Terror in France. In years thousands of people suspected of anti-revolutionary activities or of helping France s enemies were sent to the guillotine. We need to look at the situation in France to understand why the reign of Terror began: In January 1793 the King was executed. In February, it was clear that the war was still going badly for France. In March there was a peasant revolt in Vendée in defence of the Church and baby King. In August the Jacobins declared that Terror is the order of the day. By the late summer, many areas of France were rebelling against the new radical Jacobin government. Because of these threats to the stability of France, the Convention took emergency measures. It set up a Committee of Public Safety with aimed at allowing the revolution to survive during a crisis. One of the leading figures of the Committee was Robespierre. The Committee shall talk in secret; it shall be responsible for watching over the work of the government under the critical circumstances it is authorized to take measures to defend the revolution against internal and external enemies Decree by Convention, April 1793 on Committee of Public Safety. The terror took revenge on old France. One of the first to be executed was Marie-Antoinette; nobles, failed generals and anyone thought to be a royalist were guillotined. But it was not just the former members of the first and second estates who suffered at his hands. Of the 12,000 or so who were guillotined, 1031 were Nobles, 2923 were from middle classes, 674 were from the clergy, and around 8000 were workers and peasants. Eventually, people got sick of all the killing, and by mid-1794 the Terror had died out. As the Austrian threat decreased, so too did the need for the emergency government. Many now looked for someone to blame for the reign of terror. The leading Jacobin, Robespierre found himself at the centre of the blame and was arrested and locked up. In July 1794, Robespierre found himself facing the same fate as thousands of other French people, the guillotine. The execution of Robespierre 13

14 After the Terror ended in 1794, the constitution changed yet again. The Jacobins and Sans- Culottes were forced out of power and politicians tried to find a moderate form of government that French people would support. It was decided that there should be five directors who would see that laws were carried out. However, the Directory had serious problems to deal with and by 1798 they had reached a crisis point As things got worse for the Directory in France, one of the Directors began to look round for a general who could control France. The choice fell on Napoleon, he had proved himself as a brilliant general in wars across Europe and Africa and this made him famous and popular in France. In 1799, Napoleon secretly left his armies who were still fighting in Egypt for France. When he landed, people of all opinions welcomed him. On 11 th November 1799, Napoleon seized power. ACTIVITIES The short term effects of the French Revolution 6.- Using sources 4 and 5, what examples of particular horrors are there? Explain at least 3, in full. 14

15 7.- Look at the cartoon, Does it criticize or support the coup d etat by Napoleon? Explain your answer. The Corsican crocodile dissolving the Council of Frogs 4.2.-The long-term effects of the French Revolution Napoleon brings law and order to France. France was suffering as a result of ten years of war and revolution. He introduced a new constitution and named himself First Consul of France. In 1802 Napoleon made an agreement with the Pope and Catholicism was accepted as the main religion of the French people. In 1804 Napoleon announced that he was now Emperor and, in a ceremony attended by the Pope, crowned himself. Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine 15

16 Napoleon preserves many of the benefits of the Revolution: Feudalism was abolished, the nobles lost their powers, and the peasants were given access to land and the right to pay only their fair share of taxes. All adult men (not women) got to the vote. Marriage became a civil (state) ceremony and divorce was allowed. In 1802 Napoleon made an agreement with the Pope called the Concordat in which the Pope agreed that the Church would not get its land back and in return, Catholicism was accepted as the religion of the majority. As well as this, it was agreed that Bishops were to be chosen by napoleon, and agreed by Pope. This meant that the government now had greater control over the Church. The Napoleonic Code Napoleon is still the basis of the French legal system, with the one set of laws for the whole country. It was introduced in It had a set of clear laws, applicable to all members of French Society. The Code was also introduced to other parts of Europe conquered by napoleon, like Italy, Spain and some parts of Germany. ACTIVITIES Napoleon s Legion of Honour continues to be France s highest award for service. The idea of the need for a strong leader remained important to France. 8.- Read the Napoleonic Code. List the points of the Code which you think are: Fair Unfair 16

17 4.3.- What was the impact of the French Revolution outside France? France was the leading power in Europe, so other people took notice of what happened and followed the French example with liberal revolutions of their own. In Spain, for example, a proliberal and nationalist revolution took place in Other Europeans followed the example of the Spanish liberals: Portugal, Germany and Italy. ACTIVITIES 9.- French revolution symbols. Have a look to this website and complete the information for each symbol SYMBOL INFORMATION The guillotine The Phrygian cap The French Flag La Marseillase 17

18 10.- Practice questions a) The long term causes of revolution Complete each of the following sentences 1. A revolution may be defined as. 2. The royal family in France was becoming unpopular due to 3. American revolutionary ideas were becoming influential in France because 4. The poverty of people in France was another problem since this led to 5. The middle class in France was growing and they wanted to 6. Government taxation policies were causing problems because 7. France was divided into three classes or states. They were b) Events of the French Revolution Rank the following reasons for the start of the French revolution in order of their importance, in your opinion. 1. Division of France between rich and poor. 2. Shortage of food because bad harvest. 3. Foreign wars 4. Anger of the peasants 5. Anger of the middle class 6. The King s mistakes 7. The formation of the National Assembly 8. Riots in Paris 9. The work of the National Assembly Explain why you have chosen this order. Explain how each of these factors played its part in the Revolution Explain how some of these factors are linked together c) The effects pf the French Revolution Draw a spider diagram in which you show the following effects of the French Revolution. The execution of the King. The victims of the Revolution. The rise and fall of revolutionaries. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. The long-term benefits of the Revolution for France. The impact of the Revolution on Europe. d) Vocabulary: Constitution, Sans-Culottes, Jacobins, Girondins, coup d etat, revolution, Ancient Regime. 18

19 BIBLIOGRAPHY History, Revise KS3, ed. Letts 19