france Flashcards
what was the 7 year war?
1756 - 1763 aka UK and France divorce over the America
=> very financially draining
what year did King Louis XVI come to power?
1774
what was the American war of independence?
1776 - 1783. king Louis supported the American in their war against Britain.
=> big cost => never paid it back => worsen economy in France
how long was necker in office?
1777 - 1781 (1789) he was fired and then elected
what was the important document that Necker publish?
compte rendu. published a book on the king’s spending . The people thought france was doing well economically because of it (they were not even remotely okay)
when was the Estate General called?
May 1789
when was the tennis court oath?
20th June 1789. National Assembly swear to never disband until they got a revolution.
after they got mistakenly lock out of their meeting room
why was the estate general called?
- Financial Crisis
- Need for Tax Reforms
- Failed Reforms
- Parliement forced him to
what tax is the Gabelle?
Salt tax
what was the name of the Tax on goods entering a town?
Octrois
how much % of the population did the 3rd estate make up?
99% of the population. All had to paid taxes to the monarchy, produce nearly half of France wealth and paid nearly all of the taxes
how much % of the population did the second estate make up?
0.4% of population
Owned 33% of land
Exempted from paying for some taxes
Very wealthy!!
Titles & positions was brought using their money (venality - a system where positions can be brought and pass down to descendants)
The government was fulled with incompetent and corrupted individuals
Sided against the King, wanted to keep French society as it is
what was the enlightenment?
philosophical evolution. people start questioning the role of the government, like Rousse and John Locke
what was the cahiers?
book of grievances.
=> made people think change was going to happen
why did the estate general failed?
- two estate dress too fancy
- took a long time to figure out
- hadn’t been held in a 150 years
- disagreement on how to vote
- king Louis (literally wasn’t even there)
- Cahiers raise unrealistic expectation
what was the National Assembly?
The Third Estate were fed up + declared that they were the National Assembly, since they represented most of the nation.
the king did not respond to this news for several days
Following the advice of Jacques Necker, Louis scheduled a séance royale (‘royal session’)
what did king Louis do in the royal session?
Louis rejected Necker’s advice about voting by head as he saw the oath as an attack on him.
Louis did not use the new term National Assembly but continued to use Estates General and that the EG should continue to meet separately.
At the end of the session, members of the Third Estate refused to leave as an act of defiance.
24th June- Third Estate joined by 151 clergy
what was the Bastille?
14th July 1789 storming the Bastille
=> symbol of oppression in france
=> people frustrated with the government
=> fear of invasion
=> necker being fired
=> need for gun powder
=>parliament get dismissed
=>fear of the assembly being dissolved
==> stuck the head of the governor on a pike
what was the great fear?
happen around the same time as the Bastille
First, it showed the peasantry could mobilise to defend itself against an aristocratic counter-revolution.
Second, it eradicated or crippled many aspects of an already weakening seigneurial system.
Third, the Great Fear sent a clear message to members of the National Constituent Assembly about the depth of peasant hatred toward feudal dues.
what was the august decree and the orgy of self sacrifice?
August 4th 1789 the National Assembly moved to abolish seigneurialism
the deputies of the Assembly rose one by one to surrender their privileges and feudal rights.
Inflated with liberal idealism and overcome by the moment, many deputies went further than they had originally intended.
what did the National Assembly agree on after the august decree?
- grant the king a veto (which he immediately use to deny the august decree)
- ## vote to make a legislative assembly
what caused the march to versailles?
5-6th October 1789: (shortage of food) mob (women) march to Versailles to kill the queen (it fine they just moved to Paris)
people assume they were being starved into submission
Rumours of royal bodyguards and officers insulting the national assembly, the revolutionary symbol of the tricolour cockade
the king manage ti calm people down by pulling up and agreeing to go to Paris with them (vive le roi “long live the king”) also had to withdraw his veto
what caused a divide early on in the revolution?
RELIGION.
and the war on the horizon
Vendee and the Juring and none during priest
what were Civil constitution of the clergy?
juring and non during priest, swear to the country instead of the vatican
The tithe was abolished
All Church property was nationalized. Revenue from the sale of church lands was used to underwrite newly issued paper bonds called assignats
All religious orders were dissolved unless they could prove they contributed to the community e.g. provided for the sick
In February 1790, the Assembly ruled that monastic vows were no longer legally binding
It reduced the number of bishoprics from 135 to 83.
No recognition of any bishop appointed by the Pope but not approved by the French state
