The Estates General The Estates General

- Proceedings were set by a 300 year old precedent (3rd estate was treated very poorly) - Necker is reinstated 5th May, 1789

1. France Causes Flashcards by Amelia Finis

Tensions in the Ancien Regime

The American War of Independence

Involvement caused the loss of money and resources (over 1 billion livres)
Compte Rendu (1776), made by Jacques Necker, full and frank account of France’s financial situation yet overstimated revenue and omitted significant expenses such as war costs
Lafayette (went on to be involved in EG and Notables)

1175-1783

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

Royalty

Louis XVI
- Religious
- indecisive

Marie Antoinette
- Austrian
- Driven to keep the monarchy
- Unpopular

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

Taxes

Taille (land tax)
Tithe (harvest > local clergy, abolished in Civil Constution)

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

Economy

poor farming practices
internal customs barriers
loss of colonies during 7 years war

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

The First Estate

Church (did not pay taxes)

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

The Second Estate

Nobility
- noblesse d’epee (nobility of the sword, military service)
- noblesse de robe (nobility of the robe, through purchase of venal office^)
- noblesse de court (birth right, served in the courts)

^venal offices collected taxes

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Tensions in the Ancien Regime

The Third Estate

Bourgoisie
- wealthiest (upper middle)
Urban Workers
- working class (middle)
Peasants (suffered from:)
- unemployment
- exclusion from guilds (unions)
- prostitution
- poor economy

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

Bankruptcy

Calonne’s Plan
- tax all landowners
- provincial tax assemblies
- abolition of internal customs borders
- abolition of the corvee^

1786

^compulsory unpaid labour for the feudal lord

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

The Assembly of Notables

Included Brienne and Lafayette
Brought together in the hopes of supporting Calonne’s plan
Nobles refused to give up privileges unless they were told the full scope of the economic downturn
Calonne was dismissed, Brienne instated as financial minister (later proposed many reforms which were rejected and an Estates-General was announced)

1787

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

Day of Tiles

Parlement members were arrested
Townsfolk were ready to shower guards in tiles, soldiers fired against orders
clergy join protest

1788

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

Harvest Crisis

agricultural practices were still medieval in nature and the size of harvests often determined the reliability of the entire next year for peasants
caused by a series of droughts, hails, and a long, harsh winter in 1788 while prices of grain rose due to low produce rates
this cycle of harvest failures, food shortages and price rises pushed Parisian workers to the brink of despair

1788-1789

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

The Reveillon Riots

Réveillon addressed his local electoral committee and lamented the rising costs of production, particularly increasing wages. (his statements were taken out of context)
workers stormed Reveillon’s mansion in Bastille
the riots were crushed by French guards

April, 1789

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

Cahiers de Doleances

opportunity to submit complaints
most were conservative (Cahier of the Third Estate of Paris outlined that all men were equal)
most agreed on tax equality + no customs borders

Spring 1789

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The Debt Crisis and Aristocratic Revolt

The Pamphlet War

What is the Third Estate?
- Abbe Sieyes
- removal of privilege
- division was bad
- third Estate would be self-sustainable

January 1789

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The Estates General

Proceedings were set by a 300 year old precedent (3rd estate was treated very poorly)
Necker is reinstated

5th May, 1789

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The Estates General

(National) Constituent Assembly

third estate becomes ‘the commons’
members of the clergy join
direct attack on louis’ authority, demonstrated his chronic indecision (no decision about voting by number or head of estate

17th June 1789 - 1st October 1791

The Estates General

Tennis Court Oath

vow for a constitution
first formal act of disobediance against the monarchy

June 21, 1789

The Estates General

Royal Session

The king delivers a conciliatory speech to the Three Estates and calls on them to return to their separate chambers. He also proposes a reform package to share the taxation burden. The king’s demands to disassemble the National assembly are ignored
Concessions included
- equal taxation would be considered
- new taxes would be levied with the consent of the Estates-General
- to not censor the media
- count by head, not estate
- abolish privileged taxation

23rd June, 1789

The Road to Revolution

The Storming of the Bastille

Bastille was a prison, symbolic of monarchial hold over France
Necker is dismissed (again) on Jully 11th, he’d gained popularity by subsidising the cost of bread, and his dismissal made the people angry
Revolts started, National Guard formed
Significance:
people have the power through unity
gave people renewed hope in the revolution
Louis became vacant and nobility fled

14th July 1789

The Road to Revolution

The Great Fear

peasants heard rumours that Versailles nobles were going to punish villages
soldiers were being redeployed from the capitol

July - August 1789

The Road to Revolution

Night of Patriotic Delirium

National Assembly ordered a committee to establish order
Nobles gave up their status’, resulting in the abolition of the tithe and equal taxation

AOS 1

Louis XVI

indecision led to many of the negative effects of the revolution, is not entirely to blame overall

AOS 1

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette did try to influence political events and was supported by a circle of sympathisers and used her influence to ensure that people she liked were given court positions.
- She strongly disliked Calonne and pressured for his removal from the Assembly of Notables as well as advocated for Brienne to be promoted.
She did not stand passively against the revolution and pressured Louis to act to prevent demands of reform during the Estates-General.

AOS 1

Joseph Sieyes

plishedWhat is the Third Estate?
The success ofWhat is the Third Estate?made Sieyès a popular figure and earned him a place at theEstates-General. Though not a prominent leader, Sieyès worked vigorously behind the scenes at Versailles. He raised the motion forming the National Assembly, led the drafting of the Tennis Court Oath

# AOS 1 Marquis de Lafayette

- assited in gaining independence in the US, became a national hero in France and brought revolutionary ideals back - appointed to the Assembly of Notables where he argued for an Estates-General - In 1789, he crossed the floor and joined the National Assembly and became its vice-president - Became commander-in-chief of the National Guard (which placed him in an awkward place in terms of the revolution)

# AOS 1 Jacques Necker

- appointed to King Louis’ financial advisory team and remained director of finances until (1776-1781) - won favour as he financed the support for the American Revolutionary War by borrowing money rather than raising taxes and he intended to balance the cost on the interest on loans by reforming the French financial system. - produced the Compte Rendu, knowing that publicity would make it easier to get loans, however this put him in hot water as it lied about the true cost of participating in the American War. - He was dismissed in 1781 because of unpopularity with the court and royal ministers. - Necker kept himself in the public eye by publishing letters that stirred up public opinion that both supported his reforms and attacked Calonne’s.

# Ideas that Challenged the Existing Order Attacks on Feudalism and Enlightenment Ideas

Montesquieu - wanted separate powers and believed that slavery was unjustified - challenged absolute divine monarchy. He believed that power should be divided among the king and his body. Voltaire - primarily targeted religion - believed that the clergy was corrupt - believed in freedom of speech Rousseau - believed that the modern society was corrupt, civilisation was a source of evil - wanted a democracy

# Ideas that Challenged the Existing Order Critique of Privilege

There was a major divide between the three Estates of society: economically, socially and politically. With the Third Estate being the class with least amount of privilege it resulted in many revolts and uprisings as they wanted equal rights.

# Ideas that Challenged the Existing Order Critique of Absolute Authority

It did not allow for people outside of the autocracy to voice their opinions and did not allow for other parties to come into rule. it meant that all decisions were made by one person and one person only.

# Ideas that Challenged the Existing Order Attack on the Church

During a two-year period known as the Reign of Terror, the episodes of anti-clericalism grew more violent than any in modern European history. The new revolutionary authorities suppressed the Church, abolished the Catholic monarchy, nationalized Church property, exiled 30,000 priests, and killed hundreds more. This was due to peasants needing to pay taxes to the church called Tithes.

# Ideas that Challenged the Existing Order Claims to Popular Sovereignty and Equality

A corollary of popular sovereignty is that if a government fails or mistreats its people, the people have the right to replace it (The Social Contract). Popular sovereignty is the idea that "governments derive their authority from the consent and support of people, not from God.” People did not want this as it was total authoritarian, and they instead wanted equality and a class-less society.