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Causes of the French Revolution

Page history last edited by Robert W. Maloy 2 weeks, 2 days ago

     

The image shows a Deck of Cards Dating Back to the French Revolution Where Kings Have Been Replaced With Wise Men

(Solo, Plato, Cato, & Brutus) and Queens With Virtues (Justice, Union, Prudence, & Force)

 

external image FrenchRevolutionaryCardDeck.jpgFocus Question: What were the important causes of the French Revolution?

 

Topics on the Page

 

Overview

  • Women's March on Versailles

 

  • Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès

 

  • Learning Activities    

  

The Rise of Enlightenment Thought

  • Rousseau
  • Montesquieu
  • Voltaire 
 

Influence of American Revolution (Nationalism and Rising Debt)

 

Economic Bankruptcy and Growing Class Division

 

https://www.internationalschoolhistory.com/matu-2---the-french-revolution.html

Image from International School History

 

Governmental Corruption and Incompetence 

 

Political and Social Inequalities

 

CROSS-LINKS

 

AP World History Key Concept 5.3

 

Events of the French Revolution

 

Effects of the French Revolution

 

 

OVERVIEW


 Click to view Liberty, Equality, Fraternity , an interactive website on the French Revolution from George Mason University.

For a timeline, see The French Revolution, 1789-1795

Click to read Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King (1789)

 

 Constitution of 1793

 

 Women's Roles in the French Revolution

 

 In revolutionary organizations and political clubs, women took an active role in organizing rallies, debating political theories, and promoting social and political change. Women's participation in these initiatives mobilized public support for the revolution and aided in its accomplishment.

 

Women's writings, speeches, and activism were vital in influencing public opinion and disseminating revolutionary propaganda. They advocated revolutionary ideas, denounced the monarchy, and mobilized support for the cause through newspapers, pamphlets, and public events.

 

The working-class Sans-Culottes movement's female members were crucial to the popular uprisings and revolutionary upheavals that defined the revolution. They took part in riots, rallies, and protests, frequently taking the lead in opposing aristocrats and counter-revolutionaries who were seen as the revolution's adversaries. 

Submitted by Olivia Rakocy (March 2024)

 

 

  Women's March on Versailles, October 5, 1789

 

  • Click here for more on the Women's March on Versailles

 

  • Here is a Podcast from "Stuff You Missed in History Class" on the Women's March on Versailles

 


Stanislas Maillard Describes the Women's March to Versailles (October 5, 1789)

 

Four Women of the French Revolution: Germaine de Stael; Olympe de Gouges, Pauline Leon; Théroigne de Méricourt

 

 

Thomas Alexandre Dumas

Read an article about Thomas Alexandre Dumas who was French general of color who was considered to be Napoleon's Rival:

http://scihi.org/general-thomas-alexandre-dumas-napoleons-black-devil/

 

Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, 1830

Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, 1830

Biography of Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès, an openly gay French statesman; thought to have played a pivotal role in decriminalizing homosexuality in France

To view two lectures on the French Revolution and Napoleon, see the Open Yale University course lessons:

 

 

  Ted-Ed video on the causes of the French Revolution

 

A two Part Video series about the French Revolution by Oversimplified:

Part 1: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRZcXIODNU

Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQmjXM4VK2U

 

 

 

 

 


Songs and Films on the French Revolution

  • Includes the text of La Marseillaise and clips from the movies Danton (1982), La Marseillaise (1938), and A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

 

- Les Miserable Musical and Movie

 

This play, and later directed movie shows some of the social, economic, and political hardships that occurred before the French Revolution. Showing snip-its would be a great way to encompass something that students might already know in the curriculum. 

 



external image Red_apple.jpg Learning Activities

 

 

  • Click here for a lesson plan on the politics of the French Revolution and the effects it had on other revolutions

 

 

 

  • This link contains a list of many primary source images from the time of the French Revolution.


external image 200px-Paperback_book_black_gal.svg.pngFor a Young Adult historical fiction book, see Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (2011).

 

 

Here is a nice "cartoon" student friendly video that summarizes the main causes of the Revolution, and even touches upon some of the later aspects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBn7iWzrKoI&t=1s

 

A) Enlightenment Thought

 

  • Questioning of traditional powers such as religion and monarchy- power to the citizens
  • a universe governed by natural law rather than random chaos

 

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1753
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1753

 

Several philosophies came out of the Enlightenment that inspired French political thought on the eve of the revolution. Perhaps most important was the idea that reason and logic should be applied to human affairs. 

 

  • When citizens began thinking about ways to improve their social and governmental systems, they often rejected traditional ideas of Absolutist monarchs ruling by Divine Right.

 

    • Generally, the new philosophies called for human rights, liberty, freedom, equal protection under the law, popular sovereignty, and rule only by consent of the governed (for men only)

 

    • In addition, the focus of the French Revolution showcased a greater emphasis on the secular domain at the expense of religious institutions.


Some Enlightenment philosophers whose ideas likely influenced the French Revolution include John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire.

 

 

Montesquieu believed in retaining the monarchy and many privileges of the nobility. His ideas focused on a limited and checked monarch, rather than an absolutist one. These ideas were influential among the earlier and more moderate revolutionaries. This hinted at a constitutional monarchy. 

 

  • Just like their counterparts in America, the French Revolution used Locke's idea of every man's right to life, liberty, and property.

 

    • The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man states, "The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imperceptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression."

 

 

Rousseau's ideas about the Social Contract, whereby rulers rule only with the consent of the governed, were perhaps the most influential ideas in the Revolution's later phases, where it was clear the monarchs were not interested in limiting their power.

 

    • Rousseau's idea gave the people near complete popular sovereignty to make decisions regarding their own government; a very radical idea at the time. Edmund Burke, a contemporary English statesman and political philosopher (and opponent of the Revolution) wrote in 1790 that Rousseau was the chief ideologue of the French Revolution.

 

      • He also was a sharp critic of the Catholic Church and all religious authority, ideas echoed in many French Revolutionaries' rejection of Church authority.

 

 

Voltaire prized freedom, he did believe in a kind of "enlightened despotism", whereby a powerful monarch expressed the values of reason of science.

  • This idea was very influential on Napoleon Bonaparte at the conclusion and in the aftermath of the Revolution.



Click here for a History Today article about the influence of these Enlightenment philosophers on the French Revolution

Mapping the Republic of Letters shows the web of Enlightenment Thought. An article on the same.

 


Click here for a Prezi presentation on Enlightenment influence on the French Revolution

 

Here is a short video explaining the main ideas of enlightenment thought.

Click here for an interesting article on ideology and the French Revolution.

 

 

 

B) Influence of the American Revolution


The American Revolution preceded the French Revolution by about 12 years, and its events and rhetoric certainly did inspire many in France.

 

  • Like the French, American colonists were also inspired by Enlightenment anti-monarchist ideals, particularly English philosopher John Locke. 

 

    • The commonality between the revolutions' goals and ideals can be seen by comparing the American Declaration of Independence (1776) with the French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). 

 

      • They contain many similar declarations, such as all men being born free, and having the right to life and liberty. Thomas Jefferson, primary author of the American Declaration, had been in France himself for parts of the Revolution, and saw the events as a continual forwarding of the American Revolutionary philosophy (see article below).


The French had participated in the American Revolution, fighting on the side of the colonists. 

 

  • At some points they gave significant and decisive aid, particularly in naval battles. French participation may have made more French citizens think more about the ideals espoused by many American Revolutionaries, but their participation was still heavily supported by the French monarchy. 

 

    • France wanted to see a failure in the English overseas empire, particularly in the wake of their defeat to England in the Seven Years' War.


Perhaps ironically, French aid to the Americans contributed to the financial downfall of the French monarchy. 

 

  • Helping the colonists took a heavy toll on an already depleted government budget, and the colonists' triumph brought little back to France beyond spite at the English failure.

 

  • As J.M. Roberts says in his History of Europe, "The cost of France's participation in the American Revolutionary War against her old rival had made a crushing addition to the monarchy's financial burdens. For no important gain except the humiliation of the British, France had added yet another layer to the huge and accumulating debt piled up by efforts of its rulers since the 1630s to build and maintain European supremacy." (Roberts pg. 349) 

 

  • The French government's perpetual lack of funds and eventual bankruptcy certainly did not help the monarchy's cause in the face of upcoming events.



Thomas Jefferson and the French Revolution An article documenting Jefferson's experiences and impressions of the French Revolution.


  • Click here for an AP World History presentation comparing the American and French Revolutions.

 

  • PBS lesson plan on the influence of the American Revolution on the French Revolution.

 

The Palace of Versailles in 1722, shortly after Louis XIV's death.  Extravagant projects like this depleted the French government's financial resources
The Palace of Versailles in 1722, shortly after Louis XIV's death.

 

C) Economic Troubles and the Rise of the Middle Class


Louis XIV had left France with a tremendous amount of debt, due in part to his lavish personal expenses. 

 

  • The tremendous money spent on public works projects that benefited only the monarch himself, like the Palace of Versailles, were justified by the "Absolutist" ruling philosophy, yet extremely draining to the French nation. 

 

  • Lavish expenses from the monarchs continued under Louis XV and Louis XVI, and it was further compounded by the Seven Years' War and French aid to the American Revolutionary War (see above). King Louis XVI tried to enact a law that would have made nobility have to pay tax but it was struck down. 

 

    • This left France in tremendous debt, but the tax burden to pay this debt fell entirely on the middle and lower classes, who did not feel responsible for it. 

 

    • The middle class at this time, made up of merchants and others who had risen above the level of peasant, was growing in number and in education, making them a much more powerful force than they had been in the past. With both the nobility and the Church exempt from taxation, they felt their shouldering of the tax burden was very unfair.


This placed a recipe for class tension at the forefront. 

  • The lower and middle classes, not the upper classes (and certainly not the nobles/monarchs) had to bear a large tax burden which they felt was largely the result of upper class incompetence.

 

  • The picture was compounded by France's rising population, stagnant agricultural production, and weather-related famines in the late 1780s, all of which left many without a reliable or affordable food source. All of these economic burdens pushed people to be ready to fight for change. 

 

    • 80% of the lower class lived in rural areas where most worked as tenants for the nobility or rich members of the third estate.

 

- on top of this, there were bad harvests following this economic depression which led to the increase in food prices. This enraged the Third Estate because their livelihood was at stake while the upper two Estates were living the lavish life. 

 

Here is a video that shows the ferocity of the poor women who participated in the Women's March: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8yTjF1oB8k


The French Revolution: An economic crisis

Click here for a lesson plan that gives students an understanding of how the lower classes felt leading up to the French Revolution

 

Portrait of Louis XVI, 1788


Portrait of Louis XVI, 1788

 

D) Government Corruption and Incompetence


A major problem in France was government corruption, particularly by its "Absolutist" monarchs. 

  • Louis XIV, French King from 1643 to 1715, is often considered the archetypal Absolutist Monarch. These monarchs held literally absolute power; whatever they said became government policy. 

 

    • They generally saw their authority as coming directly from the Christian God, and saw their mission in ruling as reflecting the wishes of God. Louis XIV was succeeded by his son Louis XV, and then his grandson Louis XVI was king in the era of the French Revolution.


While these monarchs claimed to be ruling directly from God, citizens questioned whether the decisions they made were truly in France’s best interests. 

  • Louis XIV in particular was known for spending huge amounts of public money on lavish public works projects which only benefited himself. 

 

  • The Palace of Versailles, built from the 1660s to the 1710s and meant to house Louis XIV and future kings, is the most commonly cited example.

 

    • It was built in four installments, all of which cost huge sums of money, and yet offered no benefit to anyone outside the royal family. 

 

    • People were fed up with their tax dollars being spent inefficiently. They were also upset that they had no say over the decisions that affected their lives. The Monarch couldn’t help the people of France through their economic crises and hunger was rampant.


Blog post on Marie Antoinette's "let them eat cake". Rather informal, but a fun read.

E) Political and Social Inequalities


France still practiced feudalism in the 18th century.

  • The nobles and clergy enjoyed special privileges like not having to pay taxes.

 

  • The common people did not have power and freedom in politics. They worked hard and had to pay heavy taxes. 

 

    • The nobles and clergy made up the First and Second Estates in the Estates General. 
    • The common people {i.e. the middle class (bourgeoisie), peasants and artisans} made up the Third Estate. 

 

  • The nobles and clergy could outvote the common people easily by a two-one margin. In any event, the Estates General (a parliamentary meeting of all three Estates to decide government matters through a simple vote) was rarely called as the King of France was an absolute monarch. The common people became discontented with the privileged classes.

 


In France, which was a major result of the French Revolution?

  1. the king was restored to unlimited power
  2. the clergy dominated government
  3. the middle class gained political influence
  4. the tax burden was carried by the lower class


Correct answer: 3

F) Bankruptcy of the Government


Louis XIV had spent too much money. His successors did not cut down expenses.


The Palace of Versailles is one example of Louis XIV's extravagant spending. It started as a hunting lodge, but underwent renovations and additions to make it the 700 room palace. It has been estimated that the cost of the palace was over 2 billion dollars in today's terms. To read more about the extravagant Versailles, click here.

Chateau de Versailles
Website of the modern Palace of Versailles, as a tourist attraction. Gives many useful pictures and links dedicated to the Palace's history.

Louis XVI also failed to improve the financial situation. He dismissed ministers who tried to introduce financial reforms. By 1789, the government was bankrupt.

G) Outbreak of revolution 1789


When Louis XVI finally called the Estates General to solve financial difficulties, the Third Estate did not agree with the unfair system of the Estates General. They formed the National Assembly to make a constitution. People were afraid that the king would suppress the National Assembly.

 

Here is a link to an english translation of the Assembly's proclamation: http://www.emersonkent.com/historic_documents/proclamation_national_assembly_1789.htm

 

They were also discontented that the king dismissed Necker, the popular Finance Minister. The hungry Parisians, who suffered from bad harvest, burst out their anger by attacking the Bastille prison ( freeing seven political prisoners and seizing a cache of weapons and ammunition).

 

The Fall of Bastille started the French Revolution, then it spread out to other parts of France.

 

Here is a link to a primary source: sketch and floor plan of the prison. http://www.emersonkent.com/source_documents/bastille_ground_plan.htm

For more causes of the Revolution click here

 

  • Click here for images and essays on depictions of the revolutionary crowd.

 

 

 

 

 

Other Sources:

 

Here is a great lesson plan from Ohio State University that encompasses most of the French Revolution. 

https://hti.osu.edu/history-lesson-plans/european-history/french-revolution 

 

- In this lesson plan, students are spokesmen for both sides, they analyze documents, and many key terms and figure should be understood by the end of the lesson. 

 

Here is a GREAT!!!!! resource: it contains many primary source documents and links. Feel free to explore

https://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/France:_1789_-_1871

 

 

 

 

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