10.

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The French Revolution

Global 10R
Ms. Seifert

Student Name: Victoria Chalk

 THE FRENCH ESTATES GENERAL
Directions: Fill in the bolded blanks of the chart below outlining the
Estates General of France using the slides provided in class.

1s
t
clergy

->1% of population
Paid no taxes
-Owned ~15% of the
land
2nd
nobility
->2% of population
Paid no taxes
-Owned ~30% of the land
3rd
Bourgeoisie City Workers Peasants
-wealthy merchants -Servants, cooks, -Farmers
-skilled workers etc. -Lived in poverty
-Lawyers, doctors, -Poorly paid -~80% of population
bankers, etc. -Didn’t own land -Collectively owned ~__-__%
-Owned ___% of land of land in small plots
Heavily taxed Heavily taxed

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 CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Directions: Answer the questions below based on the political cartoon above and your
knowledge of social studies.

1. Label all 3 figures in this political cartoon according to which Estate they
belonged to.
a. 3rd estates b. 1st estates c. 2nd estates
2. Why are the figures arranged in this manner? What is the author of this
cartoon trying to say? The first and second estates are just piggybacking off of
the third estates and using them which makes the third estate start the decline
and the population decreases because of how much they are dying
3. Based on this political cartoon and your notes about the 3 Estates, predict what
will happen next in France. The third estate will revolt against the government
and come together in hopes that they will be treated fairly in the future

CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

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On the eve of the Revolution, France was in a state of financial crisis and faced severe
economic problems that affected much of the country. France was deeply in debt. By the 1780s,
this pattern of spending and borrowing had taken the country deeply into debt. By 1787, King
Louis XVI was desperate for money. A year later the country faced bankruptcy. At the same
time, nature was creating further economic problems. France was broke, and people were
hungry and angry.

Directions: Read each description and explain how the event was historically significant in
contributing to the French Revolution.

Cause Description Historical Significance

S There were three social classes in France

Social known as estates. The first estate was part of EX: The Third Estate grew
Inequality the clergy for the Catholic Church. They made
up 1% of the population and owned 10% of the resentful of the privileges given to
land in France. The second estate was the
nobility or the wealthy class. They made up 2%
of the population and owned 20% of land in the First and Second Estate, and
France. The third estate consisted of the
Bourgeoisies (educated middle class), peasants wanted to fight for equality.
and laborers. They made up 97% of the
population and had no political rights.

T The first and second estates paid no taxes. The ● The first and second estate
Taxes third estate paid high taxes. Peasants paid over paid no taxes while the
half of their income in taxes and made up 80% third estate was so heavily
of 3rd estate. Louis XVI tried to tax the First taxed and literally had
and Second Estate, but they refused to pay so
nothing left to give
he continued to tax the third estate even
though they could not afford it anymore.

E The ideas of the Enlightenment challenged how ● The third state greatly
Enlightenment much power the government should have. Most supported in limiting the
Enlightenment philosophers believed that government's power in
governments receive their power from the hopes of improving their
people. The third estate greatly supported
rights
Enlightenment ideas in hopes of improving the
government and increasing their rights.

A France had seen the success of the American ● People were inspired with
American Revolution which was inspiring ideas among ideas after seeing the
Revolution their own people. american rev.

K King Louis XVI lived lavishly which led to ● King Louis XVI and Marie
King Louis XVI borrowing money and increasing debt. Marie Antoinette were so
and Marie Antoinette was nicknamed “Madame Deficit,” arrogant and naive that
making fun of how much money she spent. Louis they led the country into
Antoinette XVI further added fuel to the fire by dismissing
debt with their lavish
financial ministers who tried to bring about
reform. spending which caused the
3rd estate to be taxed

F The winter of 1788 destroyed the harvests and ● Harsh seasons led to a bad
Famine froze the rivers, preventing water wheels from crop and bread which was

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 powering the mills to grind wheat into flour. This the bulk of peasants diet
led to bread shortages which was the bulk of a wasn't accessible anymore
peasant’s diet. Peasants had access to other so riots were caused due
food such as meat and dairy products, but to starvation
these foods were too scarce and too expensive
to eat regularly. This resulted in bread riots
which were often led by women.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: TIMELINE

Directions: Read the passage below, and then answer the questions that follow.

May-June 1789: The Estates General is called

In June of 1789, the Estates General met in Paris for the first time in approximately 175 years.
The Estates general was the representative assembly of the three estates (similar to the idea of
Parliament or Congress). The king began the first meeting by instructing the assembly to follow
the old rules of voting by estate. The First and Second estates combined had more votes to
represent what they wanted from their government, even though they had fewer people. As a
result, the Third Estate refused the king’s order. When Louis did nothing to enforce the order,
the Third Estate took action. They proclaimed themselves a legislature with the right to make
new laws. On June 17, 1789 the National Assembly came into creation which represented the
Third Estate.

Three days later, Louis XVI tried to lock the members of the National Assembly out of their
meeting place. The members of the National Assembly met in a nearby tennis court and swore
not to leave until they had written a new constitution for France. This became known as the
Tennis Court Oath. This enraged the king and he sent soldiers into Paris. The citizens realized
they needed more than just shovels and rakes to fight the soldiers. They decided to steal the
weapons needed to defend themselves. On July 14, 1789, a crowd fearing that the king was
going to undo all of their efforts to reform the government, stormed the Bastille, which was a
medieval fortress-turned-prison, in search of weapons. They peasants were sick of paying the
huge taxes demanded by King Louis XVI and his advisors. The military guards protecting the
Bastille surrendered to the crowd but only after killing many of the protesters. In response,
members of the crowd hacked the prison guards to death. This event became known as the
Storming of the Bastille and marked the start of the French Revolution.

1. Define the following terms:

a. National Assembly:

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Members representing the third estate proclaiming themselves a legislature with the right to
make new laws.
b. Tennis Court Oath:
The members of the National Assembly met in a nearby tennis court and swore not to leave
until they had written a new constitution for France
c. Bastille:
a medieval fortress-turned-prison
d. Storming of the Bastille:
peasants were sick of paying the huge taxes demanded by King Louis XVI and his advisors so In
response, members of the crowd hacked the prison guards to death and stormed the prison

2. Why did many French people storm the Bastille? Do you think that their choice was
justified? Why or why not?
practical: they needed weapons and gunpowder
Symbolic: challenge the king's power

August 26, 1789: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen was adopted by the National Assembly on August
26, 1789. The Declaration was prepared by the Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in the American

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Revolutionary War, in collaboration with future American President Thomas Jefferson, and Honoré
Gabriel Riqueti (the Comte de Mirabeau). The document identifies the natural rights that its writers
believed were granted to all people and it became a foundational document for the French Revolution.
Excerpt from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen:

1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon
the general good.
2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible [in law]
rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
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…
9. As all persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty...
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.
Source: Declaration of the Rights of Man the Citizen, 1789.

7. What rights are identified in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen?

● Liberty
● Property
● Security
● resistance to oppression
● freedom of speech, writing, and print.

8. Which Enlightenment philosopher’s ideas are reflected in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen?

John Locke's ideas of natural rights, beccaria, voltaire

9. Why do you think it was so important to the National Assembly to create a document like the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and Citizen?

I think it was important so the citizens and people knew their rights and what they were entitled to. They also
wanted to set the goals for the revolution

September 3, 1791: The Constitution of 1791

The Constitution of 1791 was the first constitution written during the French Revolution. It would create
a limited constitutional monarchy. The king could remain on the throne, but an elected assembly would
make the laws. He had a limit as to how much he could spend and was granted veto powers. The king
publicly agreed to the Constitution, but secretly asked other countries to invade France and overthrow
the revolutionaries. As the Constitution was being finalized, the king and his family, who feared for their
safety, secretly fled from the Tuileries Palace on June 21, 1791 at midnight. The king dressed in a plain

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coat and wig, but was caught in Varennes on June 23, 1791. The king and his family were taken back to
Paris where their fate would be decided. The king’s attempt to escape Paris caused a dramatic rise in
distrust of the monarchy and compromised the newly passed Constitution of 1791.

Excerpt from the Constitution of 1791

3. The legislative power is delegated to a National Assembly, composed of temporary representatives
freely elected by the people, to be exercised by it, with the sanction [approval] of the King, in the
manner hereinafter determined.

4. The government is monarchical; the executive power is delegated to the King, to be exercised,
under his authority, by ministers and other responsible agents in the manner hereinafter determined.

5. The judicial power is delegated to judges who are elected at stated times by the people.

12. Which Enlightenment philosopher most influenced this document? What is this idea called?

Montesquieu’s ideas of separation of power

13. When the National Assembly creates a law, who has the power to approve it?

The king

14. According to the Constitution of 1791, what role does the King have in the government?

Executive power

THE REIGN OF TERROR

Directions: Read the passage below, excerpted from During the Reign of Terror: Journal of my Life
During the French Revolution by Grace Dalrymple Elliott. Elliot was a Scottish-born socialite-turned-spy
who was arrested during the Reign of Terror for her royalist sympathies. After reading the passage,
answer the questions that follow.

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 The Terror gained ground so fast, that the prison was soon filled
with unfortunate royalists, and we were then deprived of every
comfort[...] We had for constant food boiled haricots [green
beans], sometimes hot and sometimes cold; when hot they
were dressed with rancid butter, when cold with common oil;
we had also bad eggs...Sometimes we had what was called soup
and bouilli, but we were always sick after eating it. Some of the
prisoners thought that it was human flesh which was given to
us…

No creature who had not been in such a situation can imagine

what I suffered. I prayed fervently for death. Though I was in a
miserable dirty truckle-bed, yet I thought that anything was
better than perishing by the hands of the executioner, and being
made a show for the horrid crowds which followed the poor
victims to the scaffold. Grace Dalrymple Elliot

1. Why was Grace Dalyrmple Elliot imprisoned?

She was a spy who was arrested during the Reign of Terror for her royalist sympathies

2. What were the conditions like for Elliot in prison? Cite two details from the text.
She was fed rotten food that made her sick and she was forced to sleep in a dirty bed

3. Based on the text, infer what likely happened to many royalist prisoners during the
Reign of Terror. Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.
They were killed and treated extremely poorly

March 1793: Robespierre leads Committee of Public Safety and the Reign of
Terror begins

The Committee of Public Safety was set up in

1793 to defend France against internal and
external enemies. The original leaders of the
Committee of Public Safety were replaced with
more radical revolutionaries who were willing to
defend the revolution at any cost. One of the
most well-known new leaders was Maximilien
Robespierre who led the Reign of Terror.

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 The Reign of Terror was a period from 1793 until
1794 when the Committee of Public Safety
suspended rights guaranteed in the new
constitution leading to wide-scale repression. The
freedom of the press, previously an important
aspect of the revolution, was taken away. The
influence of the Catholic Church was attacked.
Spies were sent throughout the country to find
“enemies of the revolution.” During this time,
those suspected of being an enemy of the
revolution were executed by guillotine.

Executions During the Reign of Terror

The text at the bottom of the engraving reads

(translated): “Robespierre, after having all the French
guillotined, beheads the executioner with his own
hand.”

1. Why did the Committee of Public Safety form?

The Committee of Public Safety was set up in 1793 to defend France against
internal and external enemies
2. Who led the Reign of Terror?

Maximilien Robespierre led the Reign of Terror

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 3. According to the pie chart, which groups suffered the most during the Reign of Terror? Based on what you’ve
learned about the goals of the French Revolution, is this impact surprising? Why or why not?

Majority of the 3rd estate was the group that suffered the most by execution
which is not surprising because they have no way to protect themselves

July 1794: Robespierre is executed and the Reign of Terror ends

In Paris, while some members of the upper classes were acquitted, the Tribunal sentenced 2,750 others
to death. In the countryside, slow, frustrating trials were replaced with ruthless commissions that killed
an estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people. Many of these people were guillotined. In July 1794, fearing for
their own safety, some members of the National Convention turned on Robespierre. His execution on
July 28, 1794 marked the end of the radical phase of the revolution. French public opinion shifted
dramatically after Robespierre’s death; people of all classes had grown weary of the violence.
TIMETABLE, 1794
… July 27: The Convention ordered the arrest of Robespierre and his friends. They were taken to
Luxembourg. The jailer refused to lock them up. They left and went to the Town Hall to plan their
next move. They could have beaten the Convention, but the Paris Commune did not help in time.
They were declared to be outlaws and arrested again.

July 28 (early morning): The Convention made Robespierre and his friends outlaws and arrested
them at the Town Hall. Now either Robespierre was shot, or he shot himself. He was wounded.

July 28: Robespierre and 21 friends went to the guillotine…

Source: Jane Shuter, ed., Helen Williams and the French Revolution, Raintree Steck-Vaughn (adapted)

1. Why was Robespierre overthrown and executed?

People became scared for their own lives

2. What was the impact of Robespierre’s death?

It ends the period of the most violent part of the revolution

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