The Revolution
Revolution in America
l Little indication of forthcoming revolution in mid-18th century
l 13 colonies regarded themselves as British subjects
l Long cultural and personal connections with England
l Mutually profitable military and economic relationship
French and Indian War, 1754-1763
l Expensive, extensive
l Overlapped with Seven Years’ War (1756-1763)
– Conflict in Europe, India
– British victory ensured global dominance, North American prosperity
Increased Taxation in 1760s
l Bills come due from the Seven Years’ War
l Tax burden falls to the colonies
– Sugar Act (1764)
– Stamp Act (1765)
– Quartering Act (1765) (Housing British Troops)
– Tea Act (1773)
The Declaration of Independence
l British products boycotted, officials attacked
l Protests
– Boston Tea Party (1773), tea dumped into Boston harbor in protest against Tea Act
– “no taxation without representation”
l Continental Congress formed (1774), coordinates colonists’ resistance to British policies
– July 4, 1776, adopts Declaration of Independence
– Influence of Locke: retention of individual rights, sovereignty based on consent of the ruled
Revolutionary War
l Colonies:
– Logistic advantage
– Popular support
– Support of British rivals
– George Washington (1732-1799) provides imaginative military leadership
l Britain:
– Strong central government
– Navy, army
– Loyalist population
The American Revolution
Building an Independent State
l War-weariness sets in by 1780
l British forces surrounded at Yorktown, Virginia
– Surrender in October 1781
l Military conflict ceases, treaty at Peace of Paris, 1783
– Recognition of American independence
l 1787 Constitution of the United States drafted
– Political and legal equality for men of property
The French Monarchy:1775-1793
Let Them Eat Cake!
l She Never said it!
l Nicknamed:
– Madame Deficit
– The Austrian Whore
Conditions Present Prior to Revolution
l People from ALL social classes are discontented
l People feel restricted by society, religion, economy, or government
l People are hopeful about the future
l Growing conflict among social classes
Socio-Economic Data: 1789
the Eve of Revolution
Land ownership by Social Category
Clergy Nobility Bourgeoisie Peasantry
Land owned 6-10% 20-25% 30% 40-45%
Each group as 2% 1.5% 8.4% 82-87%
A % of the total
population
More Pre-Revolutionary Conditions
l Government doesn’t respond to the needs of people
l Government is unable to get enough support from any group to save itself
l Government cannot organize its finances and is either bankrupt or trying to tax heavily and unjustly
l In 1787 the urban poor spent 50% of their income on food, by 1788 that had risen to 80%!
Louis asks, “where is the tax money?”
The Estates
l First Estate: the Roman Catholic Church
l Second Estate: Rich nobles, wealth was based on land ownership
l Third Estate: Everyone else.
– Bourgeoisie: Educated merchants and artisans
– Workers: cooks, servants, drivers, butlers generally the urban poor
– Peasants: (80%) This class was the least content and the least well fed
Financial Problems in France:1789
l Urban Commoner’s Budget
– Food 80%
– Rent 25%
– Tithe 10%
– Taxes 35%
– Clothing 20%
______
TOTAL 170%
l King’s Budget
– Interest 50%
– Army 25%
– Versailles 25%
– Coronation 10%
– Loans 25%
– Administration 25%
______
TOTAL 160%
The Palace at Versailles
Lettres de Cachet
l The king could warrant prison or death in a signed letter under his seal.
l A carte-blanche warrant.
l 80,000 issued under Louis XV
The Three Estates
The Estates General
l An assembly of all three estates
l Called for the first time in 175 years
l Needed approval for tax reform
l One vote per estate. Who do you believe was always outvoted?
Estates General 1789
The Third Estate Awakens
l Commoners present themselves as “representatives of the nation”
l Proclaim themselves the National Assembly of France-first deliberate act of revolution
l pass laws and reforms in the name of the French people
l Break into an indoor tennis court in Versailles and pledge to stay until there is a new constitution.
The Tennis Court Oath
Storming of the Bastille
l Louis tried to placate the 3rd Estate
l Ordered nobles and clergy to join NA
l Gathered Swiss mercenaries
l In Paris rumors spread that foreign troops were coming to kill the French
July 14, 1789
l Mobs stormed the Bastille to get weapons
l Crowed overwhelmed the kings soldiers
l Became a symbolic moment of the revolution and is still celebrated today.
The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt
l Rumors spread that the nobility was hiring thugs
l Peasants went on the defense but found nothing
l Began attacking and burning
l 6,000 women marched to Versailles and demanded the king and queen come to Paris.
Women March on Versailles
The Assembly Tries to Reform France
l Adopted the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen
– Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and resistance to oppression
– Did not apply to women
l State took control of the Catholic Church
– Controlled church lands: sold to pay off debts
– Church officials to be elected
l Louis Attempts to escape: Seals his fate
Clergy Lands Taken Over
Conflicting Goals and Revolutionary Divisions
l NA created a constitutional monarchy, king would still have some power
l Created a Legislative Assembly
– Split into three groups
– Radicals (left) Moderates (middle) Conservatives (right)
– Each had different goals for government
l Food shortages and gov. debt remained
War and Extreme Measures
l France began war with Austria and Prussia and further impoverished the people
l September massacres
l Legislative Assembly gave up on monarchy
New Radicals
l Men and women joined political clubs
– Sans Coulottes
– Jacobins
• Wanted to remove the king and establish a republic
• Wanted to “rid France of internal enemies”
l Louis XVI tried for treason and convicted
– Guillotine
– Used to kill thousands
The Liberty Cap: Bonne Rouge
The Reign of Terror
l Maximilien Robespierre gathered power and tried to wipe out France’s history as a monarchy
l Households were swept clean of anything having to do with the monarchy
l Remade the calendar, however more scientific, it included no Sundays
l Created the Committee of Public Safety
Reign of Terror
l Committee of Public Safety decided who was a public enemy
l Tried in the morning guillotined in the evening
l Robspierre governed France as a dictator
l Almost 3,00 were executed in Paris, estimates put the death toll at 40,000
l 85% of the victims were people who had been supporters of the revolution
End of the Terror
l Members of the National Convention turned on Robespierre
l French public opinion turned to the right
l Moderates formed a 5 man committee to rule the country; the Directory
l The Directory appointed Napoleon Bonaparte to lead French armies.