1329927072 the french revolution-1

7/30/2019 1329927072 the French Revolution-1

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The French Revolution

In this unit we will attempt to answer two key questions.

Inquiry question 1: Why was there a revolution?

Inquiry question 2: Why was the revolution radicalised?
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Why was there a revolution?


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Long term causes


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Louis XVI: portrait of a kingIn an absolute monarchy, the king is the

ultimate source of all authority. In France there

had only been three kings in the century

before the revolution. In a dynamic age of

ideas, government was static. So it was very

important to have a charismatic and decisive

leader.

Unlike his grandfather, Louis lacked thesequalities. Sometimes he seemed to lack

confidence because he was very short

sighted. He took only limited interest in court

ceremony which was central to the system of

government he inherited. Louis was studious,

and spoke English well. Despite censorship,many unpleasant rumours were spread about

Louis and his wife. His wife Marie Antoinette

was thought to be frivolous and possibly

unfaithful to her husband. Neither was able to

alter this bad impression.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Ludvig_XVI_av_Frankrike_portr%C3%A4tterad_av_AF_Callet.jpg


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The splendour of Versailles

For a hundred years, French kings lived in the palace ofVersailles. The palace had been made to be magnificent

in order to impress people (particularly foreigners) with

the power of France. But its luxury caused some

resentment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Versaillespanoraama2.jpg


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Versailles: the gardens

Versailles had 50

fountains like this

one

The Queens Hamlet. This is the

Queens farm hidden in the grounds

at Versailles. For the queen it waslike a playground where she could

play at being a peasant. It offered

her an escape from the luxury and

magnificence of court life. The

people did not know about this farm.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Marie_Antoinette_amusement_at_Versailles.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Chateau-de-versailles-Rotonde.jpg


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Marie Antoinette: the reality

This picture shows theQueen dressed as apeasant she wouldhave dressed this wayat The QueensHamlet. This was howMarie Antoinettewanted to be.

Q. Do you think people

would have respectedthe Queen more orless if they had knownthis side of her?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Marie_Antoinette_%C3%A0_la_paysan.jpg


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Versailles: inside

This is theQueens

bedroom. It was

usual for

powerful people

to stay in bed

while people

came to ask

favours. People

would stand

beyond the rail.

In the corner is

a hidden door

where the

Queen escaped

when the mob
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/Versailles_Queen%27s_Chamber.jpg


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The power and character of the king

Read p100-101

SHP and p18-19

Citizens Minds.

1) Describe in detailthe powerof the

king.

2) Complete this table

(use half a page in

your book.)

Strengths Weaknesses

Louis XVI

Marie

Antoinette

The Characterof the king and queen


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Lafayette the image and the man

Look at these two images of Lafayette: how did Lafayette see himself?
http://fusilier.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/la_fayette.jp


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Money Troubles: war

and tax farming.

France had fought a series of

expensive wars. The government

owed more and more money, and

had to find a new way to pay its

debt. Taxation did not work well

because much of the money was

taken by local officials who had paidthe government for the right to do

this. This was called tax farming.

Extension: read p28-9 Citizens

Minds
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/The_Victory_of_Montcalms_Troops_at_Carillon_by_Henry_Alexander_Ogden.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Bataille-Cardinaux.jpg


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Poverty

While the king and his nobles lived at

Versailles, many people were poor.Peasants made up about 85% of the

population: when harvests failed, many

people in the country and in the towns

risked starvation.

Look at sources FR1,2 or 3. Look at

p108-9 in Societies in Change. Make a

list of reasons for poverty in C18th

France.

Extension: p14-17 Citizens Minds


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The Three Estates: a static societyJust as government was static, so

society did not allow people toadvance. Moreover, the poorestpeople had the greatest tax burden,while others had privileges over thepeasantry.

(1)Read p10-13 Citizens minds, andanswer the Think questions on p13.

(2) In the contemporary print (right)the king is seated at the front. Whoare the other characters?

Extension: The caption refers to the

people what is interesting aboutthis? (Clue: compare it to We thepeople the phrase which opensthe U.S. Constitution.)

The People Under The Ancien Regime


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The Three Estates: points of viewWhoever has something, he will be

given more; and whoever does not, he

will lose even the little he has." (From

the Christian Bible.)

Q. Imagine you are a bishop. You are

part of the First Estate. Your family are

nobles part of the Second Estate.How could you use this religious text to

justify the situation in this picture?

Remember: the poor had much more

limited expectations than poor people

have today. People born poor generallyexpected to stay poor. They were used

to a hierarchical society: the less they

had, the more they might worry about

losing it if they rebelled. The poor were

told their reward would be in Heaven

if they were obedient on Earth.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Troisordres.jpg


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What was in peoples minds?

In C18th France, leadingthinkers like Voltaire,Rousseau, Montesquieu andDiderot looked at society in a

new way. They wereindependent minded, andinstead of agreeing withearlier ideas, offered anoriginal approach. They were

called the philosophes.Their ideas influenced someof the nobility and bettereducated members of theThird Estate. We will look at

each philosophe in turn.


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Four Philosophes

Voltaire criticised the

1st Estate. He argued

that the Church

prevented free speech

and was intolerant. He

condemned

persecution, usingsatire.

Rousseau argued that society

could make people act badly.

In order to be free, we must

impose the general will.

Montesquieu claimed that the

powers of government should

be shared.

Diderot wanted to see a more

tolerant, better educated society.

He worked with other philosophes

to produce the worlds first

encyclopaedia.
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Lafayette and the Duke of Orleans

Two men who read and admired

the Philosophes were Lafayetteand the Duke of Orleans. Bothwere very wealthy nobles, butwere part of a youngergeneration reflecting the ideasof their time. They were restlessand keen to put their talents touse.

Lafayette had been a leadingcommander in the AmericanWar of Independence. He didnot want to go back to the life ofa courtier.

The Duke of Orleans hostedrevolutionary speakers speakingto assembled crowds at hispalace in the centre of Paris.

Lafayette was

a marquis,but we do not

remember

him using his

title. Why do

you think this

is?

Philip the Duke

of Orleansadopted a new

name during the

revolution: Philip

equal citizen.

Why do you think

he did this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Philippe_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans_en_grand-maitre_du_GOF.jpg


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Short term causes


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1789 Meeting of the Estates

GeneralTo solve the governments money shortage, the king called a meeting of theEstates General. There were representatives of all three Estates (see the

picture below.) The Estates General had not met for over 150 years.

Read p23 Citizens Minds

Q Why was the Third

Estate worried aboutvoting?

Now look at the second

half of p36 and p37, and

answer the two questions

on p37.


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The Tennis Court Oath

When the representatives ofthe Third Estate were locked

out of their meeting room,

they met on a nearby tennis

court. Here they made a

solemn promise to stay

together until they had a newconstitution. This was a

direct challenge to the

authority of the king.

The representatives were locked out because their room was being prepared

for a meeting of all three estates. At this meeting Louis was going to agree to

many of their demands.

Over the next few weeks, members of the First and then the Second Estates

came to join the Third Estate. Now the Third Estate were setting the agenda.
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The Storming of the Bastille

News spread that the kingwas preparing to restore his

authority in Paris using large

numbers of soldiers. The

king also dismissed a

popular finance minister

Necker. The people hadhoped Necker could solve

the financial crisis. Now they

grew afraid. They decided to

arm themselves.

Read p57-9 Citizens Minds, and answer the question on p59.

Extension: read the extracts from Carlyle on p53 and 54, following the

instruction on p53. Then
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Prise_de_la_Bastille.jpg


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Eyewitness account: the king comes to Paris to accept the changes to the

government.

Read SOURCE FR4

Q1. Find a quote which shows

the attitudes of the people tothe king.

Q2. Find a quote which shows

the king lacked confidence.

The American leader Thomas

Jefferson was visiting Paris at this

time. He kept a diary, and it hassurvived. We can read about what

he saw with his own eyes.

Look carefully at this modern sign in

Paris.

Q. Although it is written in French, see

what Jefferson was doing in Paris in

1789 (and what he later became.)

Extension: This modern statue of Jefferson is also in Paris. Why

do you think a statue of Jefferson is here?


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Picture source: The Awakening of the Third Estate.

This contemporaryprint is called The

Awakening of theThird Estate.

1) Describe what ishappening.

2) Who might havemade this image?

3) Look at the

background: whendo you think thisprint was made?


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The Declaration of the Rights of Man

Here you can see how the

Declaration is made to look likethe Ten Commandments. An

angel points towards an eye in a

triangle with rays of light coming

from it. This symbol (which was

also used at the time of the

American Revolution ongovernment seals) represents G-

d. G-d is not represented as a

person but by this abstract

design. This is not to avoid

idolatry. It is a presentation of G-d

as a supreme being (notnecessarily Christian.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Declaration_of_Human_Rights.jpg


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Providing for the PoorWhen the National Assembly

sold off Church lands, theChurch could no longer provideany help to the poor. Half theChurch land was bought by

peasants many owning landfor the first time. But poorerpeasants were excluded. Twoyears later the National

Assembly set up a committeeto examine the problem, butthere was no money available.This may have had adestabilizing effect on society.


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The Womens March on VersaillesThere had been some plans for a

march on Versailles, but the direct

cause was a banquet given by the

king for his guards. It was feared

that these guards would be used

against the people. And while the

guards had their banquet, the

people were starving.The women began to march simply

to get bread, but as their numbers

grew, they decided to force the king

to live closer to his people to

appreciate their suffering.

When she heard the people had no

bread, the Queen is supposed to

have said: let them eat cake!

Q If this is true, what does it

suggest about the Queen?

(It is probably not true.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Women%27s_March_on_Versailles01.jpg


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The mob surrounds VersaillesLafayette presents

the king and queento the mob below.The situation wasvery tense: thequeen had almostbeen killed andseveral guards had

been torn topieces. Lafayettetried to calm thingsdown. The king andqueen agreed to beescorted to Paris:the base of the

revolution.Q. Imagine you wereLafayette. Howwould you havehandled this trickysituation?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/La_Fayette_and_Marie_Antoinette_6th_october_1789.jpg


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Return of the Royal Family after the flight to Varennes

In 1791 the king and queen tried to escape the country. At the last moment

they were recognised and brought back to Paris. The consequence of this

was to make the king look weak and untrustworthy.

Q Look at the two pictures of the king being brought back. Do you

think they were made for different groups of people?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Duplessi-Bertaux_-_Arrivee_de_Louis_Seize_a_Paris.pnghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Retour_Varennes_1791.jpg


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Celebration of the Constitutional Monarchy

(Bastille Day): a mass rally

Here you can see thegrand celebration

involving many

spectators in a

building like a

stadium. Unlike the

grandeur of Versailles,this magnificence is

created by the huge

gathering of people.

This idea would be

copied by future

leaders.

Q. Describe how you

think the spectators

would have felt on this

day.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Federation.jpg


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Jacobins v GirondinsThis is where the Jacobin

club met. The Jacobins

found their support amongthe sans culottes.

Robespierre and other

Jacobins were good at

manipulating the feelings

of urban tradesmen,

encouraging them to bepolitically active. The

Jacobins believed what

they were doing was very

important for the good of

the ordinary people.

A sans culottes

with a tricolour.

In 1792 the Jacobins were able to take over the

National Assembly and begin a reign of terror.

Girondins who opposed their measures were

executed.

M t d t i ti t J bi l d
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Sans-culotte.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JacobinClubDoor.jpg


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Marat: doctor, scientist, Jacobin leaderMarat had been a

doctor and a scientist

before the Revolution.

He was one of many

men excited by the

chance to support the

poor. He supported the

Jacobins. In this

picture he is beingcarried in a triumph.

The text reads:

Immortal defender of

the people and their

rights, Marat brings

down powerful peopleand the throne, and

builds our rights on the

throne of kings

Q. How does this text

show Marat was a

Jacobin?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Triomphe_de_Marat4.jpg


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Marats death and legacyMarat was stabbed inhis bath by a womanwho sympathised withthe Girondin. Here hisdeath in a bathtub hasbeen made to seemheroic.

Marat used theexpressions friend ofthe people and enemyof the people. In TheTerror people woulddefend themselves asfriends of the peopleand be condemnedbecause they wereenemies of thepeople.


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The Ancient Greek Historian Thucydides writes about twisting language

Words had to change their ordinary meaning and to take that which

was now given them. Reckless audacity came to be considered the

courage of a loyal ally; prudent hesitation, specious cowardice;

moderation was held to be a cloak for unmanliness; ability to see all

sides of a question, inaptness to act on any. Frantic violence became

the attribute of manliness; cautious plotting, a justifiable means of self-defence. The advocate of extreme measures was always trustworthy;

his opponent a man to be suspected. To succeed in a plot was to have

a shrewd head, to divine a plot a still shrewder; but to try to provide

against having to do either was to break up your party and to be afraid

of your adversaries. Book III, 3.82-[4]


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The 10thAugust The Massacre of

the Swiss Guard"Could [Louis XVI] imagine...that the mob,

not content with venting their fury on the

Chateau, would massacre not only the

Swiss Guard, men of the people who had

remained at their posts, but even the

luckless servants in the kitchens of the

Palace? The horrors committed on this 10th

of August were such as no human mind

could possibly have conceived."

900 Swiss guards were brutally killed, many

tortured, some roasted, mutilated,

decapitated, with their limbs distributedthroughout Paris. Children played ball in the

streets with the heads of the brave Swiss,

and the steps of the Tuileries ran with blood,

like some gruesome altar of human sacrifice.

People dipped bread into the blood of the

victims.

Read these two modern

accounts of what happened on

the 10th August.

Imagine you are one of themoderate revolutionaries (the

Girondin.) Write a speech to the

mob persuading them to avoid

further bloodshed.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Jacques_Bertaux_-_Prise_du_palais_des_Tuileries_-_1793_.jpg


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Execution of Louis XVI: visual

sourceLook carefully at thiscontemporary cartoon(and its caption) ofLouis saying farewellto his family beforebeing executed.

Q Is this a sympatheticor hostile view of theroyal family? Give as

much evidence aspossible for youranswer.

Contemporary English cartoon by James Gilray


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Execution of Louis XVI: written source

On January 20, 1793, the National Convention condemned Louis XVI todeath, his execution scheduled for the next day. Louis spent that eveningsaying goodbye to his wife and children. The following day dawned cold andwet. Louis arose at five. At eight o'clock a guard of 1,200 horsemen arrivedto escort the former king on a two-hour carriage ride to his place ofexecution. Accompanying Louis, at his invitation, was a priest, Henry EssexEdgeworth, an Englishman living in France. Edgeworth recorded the event

and we join his narrative as he and the fated King enter the carriage tobegin their journey

Q1. Read Edgeworths eyewitness account of the execution of the king. IsEdgeworth sympathetic to the king? Find as much evidence as possible foryour answer.

Q2. Source comparison. Now compare these two sources. Which do youthink is more reliable, and why?


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Execution of Louis XVI: visual sourceLouis was

executed in thecentre of Paris.

Opposite the

guillotine (left)

you can see a

massive

pedestal. Here astatue of Louis

grandfather Louis

X1V once stood.

It had been

pulled down by

therevolutionaries.

Q. Why do you

think this place

was chosen for

the execution?

Marie Antoinette
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/LouisXVIExecutionBig.jpg


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Marie Antoinette

before and afterQ Compare these two images of the

queen. How are they different?

The Queen in the 1780s The Queen on her way to execution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jacques-Louis_David_-_Marie_Antoinette_on_the_Way_to_the_Guillotine.jpg


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Robespierre: architect of The Terror

To punish the oppressors

of humanity is clemency;

to forgive them is

barbarity.

The secret of freedom lies in

educating people, whereas

the secret of tyranny is in

keeping them ignorant.

Q. Do you agree with Robespierre?

Although Robespierre

was in charge of thecountry when so

many were

condemned to death,

he had earlier voted to

abolish the death

penalty.

Extension: see

section 5 Citizens

Minds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Robespierre_IMG_2303.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Robespierre.jpg


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Victim of the Terror: Condorcet

Condorcet was one of many brilliant

men who lost their lives at this time.

He spent much of his time in hiding

but was eventually thrown into

prison. He was suspected of

sympathising with the Girondins.

Even during this time he was able to

write a book full of hope for the future

of humanity.

He died in mysterious circumstancesin prison. A friend may have given

him poison to avoid execution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolas_de_Condorcet.PNG


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The GuillotineThe Guillotine was used

in the French Revolution

to execute people whom

the government

condemned. It became asymbol of the Terror.

The guillotine was a quick

and easy way to kill

people and looked

frightening. Because of its

size it could be seen by a

large crowd. Executions

took place in front of huge

crowds.

Debate: should people be

allowed to watchexecutions? (Should they

be public?)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Guillotinemodels.jpg


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Victims of the guillotine 1: Madame

RolandThese two pictures of

Madame Roland show

clearly how people could

express their political

ideas through their

clothing. Describe thedifferences between the

two pictures, and explain

which you think was

painted first.

Madame Roland was an influential Girondin. She was one of many whom the

government put on trial and condemned to death. Just before she died she said

a line which has been remembered:

O Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name!

Q Can you explain what Madame Roland meant?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/MadameRoland.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Madame_Roland.png


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Women in the French Revolution

Extension: see section 6 of Citizens Minds

Excesses of the French Revolution Satirical Print


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Excesses of the French Revolution - Satirical Print

This satirical print is designed

like a coat of arms. A coat of

arms is like a logo for a

noble family: ordinarypeople would not have one.

This print shows a coat of arms

for the Jacobins.

Look at the image and find

examples of:1. The red cap of the

Jacobins.

2. The bishops mitre (hat) and

Bible being trampled on.

3. The world burning.

4. Images of death.

Q1. What impression does this

give of the Terror?

Q2. Is this print sympathetic or

hostile to the Jacobins?

Explain your answer.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Cruikshank_-_The_Radical%27s_Arms.png


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The Civil Constitution of the Clergy

In 1790 the governmenthad made the Frenchclergy (priests, monks,nuns, bishops) accept thatthe government should beobeyed even if the Popedisagree. This was one

cause of the counterrevolution in the Vendee(see next slide.)

The French governmentwas becoming more andmore powerful because it

controlled its people moredirectly.

This helped to makeFrance the most powerfulcountry in Europe in theyears to come.

This commemorative plate shows a memberof the clergy swearing to obey the

government.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Je_jure_de_maintenir_la_constitution.jpg


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The First Estate enjoy new freedoms satirical print

The National

Assembly abolished

religious orders, just

as they had sold off

church land to pay the

countrys debts. Onthis print it says How

happy this day is

which gives you

[monks and nuns] the

same rights of Nature

that we [the people]have.

Q. What does

satirical mean?

St b C th d l b


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Strasbourg Cathedral becomes a

Temple of ReasonChurches were sometimes converted as part ofthe attack on Christianity during the Terror. Here a

church has been changed into a temple for

worshipping Reason. Slide 24 of this power point

shows the place of G-d taken by an eye from

which light shines out. This was a time when

people were rethinking their beliefs about G-d.

In the front left of this picture you can see a man

wearing a revolutionary hat.

Imagine you were giving a speech in this temple:

what would you say about using our reason?

On the next two slides you can see images of a

festival of the supreme being. Although the

revolution was hostile to Christianity, there was

still a type of worship. These festivals were

closely controlled by the government.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Temple_of_Reason_Strasbourg_1793-1794.jpg


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The Festival of the Supreme Being

The Festival of the Supreme Being II
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/F%C3%AAte_de_l%27Etre_supr%C3%AAme_1.jpg


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The Festival of the Supreme Being II

Did th R l ti k F
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/F%C3%AAte_de_l%27Etre_supr%C3%AAme_2.jpg


53/55

Did the Revolution make France a

Fairer Country?

See p120-121 Societies in Change.

The French Revolutionary Army and the levee en


54/55

The French Revolutionary Army and the levee en

masse

An infantryman all

men between 18 and

25 were required to

fight. This was the

levee en masse.

Moreau: when he hadto retreat, he was able

to protect his men and

take many prisoners

Massena:

the greatest

name of mymilitary

empire

(Napoleon.)

Massena

helped

conquerItaly.

Napoleon:

the most

famous

militarycommander

ever?

Debate: should we

have conscription?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1801_Antoine-Jean_Gros_-_Bonaparte_on_the_Bridge_at_Arcole.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Jean-Victor_Moreau.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fusilier_R%C3%A9volution_fran%C3%A7aise.jpg


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The Execution of Robespierre
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Execution_robespierre%2C_saint_just....jpg

1329927072 the french revolution-1

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