The Revolution in Politics

Background to the Revolution: The origins of the French Revolution include the following factors: 1) Poor monarchyKing Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette; 2) The nobility demanded power; 3) New political ideas derived from the enlightenment; 4) Financial problems- didnt tax wealthy as should have, and investment in US Rev War. Legal Orders and Social Change: 3 estates: Clergy, Nobility, Everyone else. Everyone else included the Bourgeoisie, who were the upper middle class. The Crisis of Political Legitimacy: Louis XV was enraged by the Parlement of Paris when it checked his power to levy taxes. Rene de Maupeou abolished the existing Parlement of Paris, exiled the members and taxed privileged groups. This started the ciriticism of the French government, royal despotism. Louis XVI inherited this government. The Impact of the American Revolution: France financed a large portion of the American Revolution. It was similar to the French Revolution because of the struggle over taxes. Financial Crisis: An Assembly of Notables was assembled to advise the king of France in 1788/89. Along with the help the nobles provided they demanded that control over government spending should be given to the provincial assemblies. The King didnt agree- the notables rebelled- the King established more taxes- the Parlement of Paris voided the taxes- Finally Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General. Revolution in Metropole and Colony (1789-1791) The Formation of the National Assemby The Estates General met in 1789 for the first time since 1614. There was a general agreement that royal absolutism should give way to a constitutional monarchy in which laws and taxes would require the consent of the Estates General. The problem with the layout of the Estates General was that each estate had an equal vote, despite the third estate representing the vast majority of France. The National Assembly was formed in June 17, 1789. They pledged by the Tennis Court Oath to not disband the National Assembly until a New Constitution was written. The Revolt of the Poor and the Oppressed The economy plummeted. Bread prices soared. Demand for manufactured goods collapsed and thousands were thrown out of work. 25% of the citys people were unemployed.

The people feared that the aristocratic landowners and grain speculators would control everything. Rumors began that the Kings army would soon seize control of the city- the people took action. On July 14, 1789, crowds of people stormed the Bastille in Paris in search of weapons and ammunition. Marquis de Lafayette was voted commander of the citys armed forces. This uprising saved the National Assembly. This also led to peasents all thorugout France to rise up against their Lords. This then led to the Great Fear. On August 4th 1789, the delegates at Versailles legally abolished the privileges of the nobles. A Limited Monarchy Declaration of the Rights of Man- men are born and remain free and equal in rights and mankinds natural rights are liberty, property, and resistance to opposition. And that every man is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty. The economic crisis continues and aristocrats fled the country. On October 5-6 a crowd of Parisian women close to 7,000 marched from Paris to Versailles and demanded action. We want bread! The women bring the Royal Family to Paris on October 6, 1789. The National Assembly pushed through with a constitutional monarchy (desacralization)- King accepted it in July 1790. The king remained the head of state but now the lawmaking power was given to the National Assembly. Women gained more rights including the right to seek divorce, inheritance rights, etc. The National Assembly also granted religious freedom to Jews and Protestants. Nationalized the Catholic Churchs property and used it as collateral to guarantee a new paper currency, the assignats. They then sold the property in an attempt to put the states finances on solid footing. Pope Pius VI condemned the French government and constitution. Election system to run catholic church. Active citizens would pay taxes to have rights. World War and Republican France (1791-1799) Foreign Reactions and the Beginning of War Edmund Burke defended the aristocrats and wrote a book called Reflections on the Revolution in France. Thomas Paine rooted for France and said other countries should follow suit. Reform would only lead to tyranny and chaos. Flight to Varennes in June 1791- the King and Queen felt threatened so they fled the country. They were arrested and returned to Paris. Austria and Prussia issued the Declaration of Pillnitz in August 1791. The legislative assembly reacted with fury against the Delaration of Pillnitz. The Declaration incited war so the assembly incited war back. In April of 1792, France declared war on Francis II. Prussia and Austria joined forced and defeated the French military. On August 20, 1792 the Legislative Assembly imprisoned the King. The Second Revolution The imprisonment of the King led to the September Massacres. In September 1792, the new popularly elected National Convention proclaimed France a republic. King Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793 on the newly invented guillotine. The sans-culottes, without breeches, demanded radical political action to guarantee their bread. February 1793, France declares war on Britain, Holland, and Spain. Committee of Public Safety was formed headed by Robespierre in April-June 1793.

Total War and the Terror In July 1794, The Committee of Public Safety along with the sans-culottes established a planned economy. Rather than letting supply and demand influence prices the government set maxiumum prices from the key products. Reign of Terror (1793-1794) used revolutionary terror to control the enemies of the state. Close to forty thousand French men and women were executed, another 300,000 were arrested. The Termidorian Reaction and the Directory (1794-1799) The period after the execution of Robespierre in 1794. A reaction after the violence of the Reign of Terror. The National Convention abolished many economic controls. The working poor were devastated because the prices of goods soared. The Napoleonic Era (1799-1815) Napoleons Rule of France Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica. He became a Lt. in the French artillery. Won brilliant victories in Italy in 1796 and 1797. Napoleon joined up with revolutionaries and on November 9, 1799, they ousted the Directors. Napoleon was named first consul of the republic and a new constitution consolidating his position was approved in December of 1799. Napoleon was now the ruler of France. Pope Pius VII signed the Concordat of 1801. The pope gained the right for French Catholics to practice their religion freely, but Napoleon gained political powerhis government now nominated bishops, paid the clergy and exerted great influence over the church of France. Napoleon also imprisoned many political deserters. Napoleons Expansion of Europe Napoleon tried to make peace with Austria and Britain. Austria rejected. Napoleon defeated them. In the Treaty of Luneville (1801) Austria accepted the peace. France gained territory. Britain agreed to the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. France remained in control of Holland and the Netherlands. Napoleon tried to restrict British trade with all of Europe. He was proclaimed Emperor in 1804. Austria, Russia and Sweden joined forces to form the 3rd coalition against France. Napoleon defeated them at the Battle of Austerlitz, December 1805. Napoleon was then the protector of German states. Prussia declared war on Napoleon, he defeated them. The War of Haitian Independence Toussaint L Ouverture was the independent ruler of the western province of SaintDomingue. His controlled the whole island of Hispanola by early 1800s. he created a constitution in Haiti. Napoleon took over Haiti and imprisoned L ouverture. The Grand Empire and its End The Grand Empire included France, a number of dependent satellite kingdoms ruled by members of his family, and the independent and allied states of Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Because of his demand for high taxes and men for his army, he started to look like a tyrant. Spain revolted. Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. Napoleons army was cut to pieces because of the Russian winter and the Russian army. 370,000 died and 200,000 were taken prisoner.

Austria, Britain and Prussia deserted Napoleon after this and joined up with Russia. All four pledged allegiance to defeat napoleon. On April 4, 1814 Napoleon gave up his throne. He was exiled to Elba, he was still emperor. Napoleon tried a revival against Louis XVIII and escaped Elba in 1815. Napoleon took command. At the end of the, Hundred Days the allies crushed Napoleons forces at Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon was imprisoned on St. Helena. Congress of Vienna in 1814. Simon Bolivar was the reason for Venezuelan independence.

The Industrial Revolution in Europe

Open Field System: A system of village farming developed by peasants where the land was divided into several large fields, which were in turn cut into strips. Common Field System: The shared use of agricultural land; it was abolished with the enclosure movement. Enclosure: The Enclosure Acts authorized the fencing of open fields in a given village and the division of the common lands in proportion to ones property in the open fields. Many peasents who had small holdings had to sell out to pay their share of the expenses. The Glorious Revolution: William III and Mary II (1688-1689); There will be no King with absolute power- Parliament and monarchs shared rights- declaration of rights The Industrial Revolution: More equipment/Dirty conditions. The Agricultural Revolution: More than ample job availability, more based on skill. The Cottage System (Putting-out): The family business was put out of business because of the industrial revolution. Spinning Jenny- cotton- James Hargreaves Water frame: used waterpower to spin coarse, strong thread in factories- Richard Arkwright Steam engine: Invented by Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen. The Crystal Palace: a palace made entirely of glass and iron. Luddites: anti-machine because people were being driven out by the machines. They would destroy the machines. Proletarianization: The transformation of small peasant farmers into landless rural wage owners. Class consciousness: conflicting classes existe because many people came to believe they exisited and developed an appropriate sense of class feeling. Factory act 1833- Limited the factory workday for children between 9-13 yrs old. Made it 8 hours. 14-18; 12 hours.

Iron law of wages: the wage would just be high enough to keep the population from starving because of population growth. David ricardo Thomas Malthus: the father of economics- the growth of population was a growing threat to human progress. Combination Acts: unions are illegal. Laissez Faire: unrestricted private enterprise and no government interference is best Charles Dickens: Hard Times- wrote about conditions in Coke Tow- tale of an industrial town that appealed to public. Oliver Goldsmith- The Deserted Village a nostalgia for old life Mines Act: 1842 The act that prohibited underground work for all women and boys under 10. The Grand National Consolidated Trade Union: Organized by Robert Owen in 1834- largest national unions.