FRENCH REV Flashcards
1st Estate
The clergy, both high and low. The clergy occupied the highest position in society and was known as the First Estate.
• Its members varied tremendously in type- there was a huge difference, in terms of wealth and power, between humble parish priests, monks and nuns and the bishops and archbishops and cardinals (who came from the ranks of the nobility).
• Not all members of the first estate were rich. Clerics were very influential in France, the Catholic Church governed the daily lives of most people, and it controlled education and provided care for the sick.
Privileges: They could only be prosecuted in their own church courts, they could not be asked to perform military service or house troops or provide money for royal troops, and they also had various financial privileges and were not required to pay the taille (the main direct tax).
2nd estate
The nobility, including the royal family, which owned around a fifth of the land in France.
• The nobility was divided, and not all were exceptionally wealthy. The first group was the ancient nobility, whose status came from their birth. They were known as the nobility of the sword as they were originally the only men allowed to carry a sword.
• The other group was made up of those whose noble status derived from the work they did and was known as the nobility of the robe. Nobility might be acquired through performance of a particular job, such as judge, given in return for money, as a reward for outstanding military service, or, more often, as a ‘perk’ accompanying a particular governmental office.
• Venal offices were those that could be purchased and they provided a useful source of income for the crown during the 18th Century. The numbers of the second estate had grown considerably during this century.
Privileges: the right to wear a sword, display their coat of arms and take precedence at public ceremonies helped reinforce their belief in a natural superiority. They had a right to be heard in a high court and be beheaded rather than hung; they were exempt from the corvee (forced labour on the roads) and the taille (direct tax) and gabelle (salt tax) and had a lower rate of assessment in other direct taxes.
3rd estate
A mixed group of those who were neither clerics nor nobility.
• The largest proportion, comprising 80-90% of the population, was peasantry. Peasants worked the land of others but there were some peasants with small holdings of their own.
• At the top there were the richer, land-owning peasantry and the tenant farmers of large estates and the bourgeoisie, who relied on their skill as professionals (doctors, lawyers, teachers etc).
• At the very top of the bourgeoisie, they identified more with the second estate and many tried to join through the purchase of office. The lower bourgeoisie had fewer opportunities for advancement.
Privileges: Few, they were required to pay direct taxes, such as the taille and the vingtieme, and capitation and indirect taxes, such as the gabelle, the aides on drink and tobacco as well as their tithe to the church. The third estate was also required to do unpaid labour service to maintain the roads, although wealthier citizens could buy their way out.
enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a “movement of criticism” which emphasised the importance of human reason guiding society.
what did enlightenment thinkers believe
That men could control their own destiny
• That change was necessary to destroy the inequalities of the ancient regime
• Questioned the power of the church
• Believed that more could be done to improve the daily lives of ordinary people
• Challenged the King’s role as God’s representative
• Believed that rulers should use their power more effectively to benefit their subjects
• Promoted the importance of using reason and common sense to promote human progress, wealth and happiness on earth
• Developed the idea that government was based on a ‘contract’ between the king and his subjects, with obligations on both sides
• Believed that anything that wasn’t shown to be useful to humanity or promote human happiness wasn’t justifiable
• Believed in the improvement of social conditions for fellow men
how did enlightenment ideas spread
French architecture, furniture and fashion dominated continental taste and all educated Europe adopted the French language as its primary tongue. It was the language spoken in courts Europe wide with the exception of England and Spain. New developments in France were, therefore, rapidly discussed and absorbed elsewhere.
• The proliferation of journals, newspapers and books generated a circulation Europe wide. In 1787, 70,000 copies of newspapers were being regularly sold with a subscription of over half a million. Over 1/3 of Louis’ subjects were literate (high rate) although not all could afford newspapers. However, this was eased by the development of subscription libraries, reading rooms and literary societies which encouraged reading of Enlightenment ideas and discussions.
• Due to the dissolution of the Jesuits, who had dominated the higher education of the Catholic elite since the late 16th Century, rational thought, in the form of the natural sciences in a course called ‘Philosophy’ was being taught.
• The 7 years war, 1756-63, greatly fuelled public discussion and the impact of the enlightenment. The American War of Independence led to journals and books regarding the revolt as well as translations documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, being read by Frenchmen as French soldiers returned from the war in 1783 and informed others. America reflected critically on French society and politics.
• By the last quarter of the 18th Century, there were some signs that the ideas of the Enlightenment were beginning to take effect in France. The numbers taking up careers in the church and the number of religious books and pamphlets published declined.
Voltaire
Great wit and crusader against injustice and intolerance
• Jesuit educated at the college of Louis-le-grand
• Pursued legal training before becoming a writer.
• Was a realist- he saw that equality was just an ideal
• One of the great works of the Enlightenment was his ‘Understanding of Inequality’
• Voltaire claims equality is unachievable because the poor will always lose as they do not have the money or resources to win against the rich and powerful
montesquieu
Born 1689
• Became a baron when his uncle died in 1716
• Member of the Bordeaux and French academies of science
• The ‘Persian Letters’ criticised the lifestyle and liberties of the wealthy French and the church. He attacks the nobility. He uses irony and satire. Montesquieu describes the noble in a disgusting manner to show his ridiculous pomposity.
• Montesquieu’s ‘The Spirit of the Laws’ outlines his ideas on governance of republics/ monarchical states and empires. He points out the difficulties in governing territories of these sizes. He therefore criticises the governance or France, in many ways suggesting it should be firmer.
Rousseau
- Born in Geneva, Switzerland
- Fled to France aged 16
- Age 30 became a philosophe of the Enlightenment
- His philosophy contained idealistic AND realistic elements
- He identified a lack of representation in society
- He concentrated on the relationship between man and society
- Rousseau’s ‘Emile’ discusses the role of women in society and the level and form of education they should therefore attain. He accepts that women and men are similar in terms of their basic organs. Women should be weak and passive and men should be strong and active. The main function of a woman is to please man, men are dependent on women and women are dependent on men. He says, however, that men could subsist without women.
- Rousseau’s ‘The Social Contract’ showed Rousseau’s belief that all men could achieve true morality by joining a social contract and living under laws that they themselves made. Such a law would be applicable to all estates and applied with full force. He suggests the social contract would adopt a more egalitarian approach to benefit the public. He establishes that the function of the government is essentially to bridge the gap between the sovereign and the subjects.
diderot
Medical and theological teachings on women: men are the superior sex; women are only needed to uphold the human race.
• Legal status of women in marriage: in civilised societies authority is given to men as they have ‘greater strength of mind and body’. Women should be subordinate to their husbands. Although a woman can execute authority in a marriage between two people of equal status.
• Morality and equality of men and women: women don’t have the right temperament for education. Men have imposed laws which increase their strength and women have exercised power by making themselves harder to obtain.
• Juridical status of women: women are more nubile and develop earlier, too fragile for certain tasks unlike men.
Finance/FP in france
By the time the revolution was about to begin Louis XVI was facing bankruptcy.
• France was regarded as a large and prosperous nation. Its agriculture was thriving as small-scale industry was growing.
• International trade had also expanded and overseas trade in wine and luxury goods was flourishing, with established colonial and European trading links.
• France fought a number of financially ruining wars in the 18th century- the wars of the Spanish (1701-13), Polish (1733-35), Austrian (1740-48) had occupied the first half of the century.
7 years war
- The 7 years war (1756-63) against Great Britain in the colonies had proved expensive and disastrous.
- France allied with the Austrians but lost a series of crushing defeats in India and North America. The Peace of Paris (1763) was when Britain took control of French parts of Canada and India, West Africa and a number of islands in the West Indies.
economic conditions of france
The wars were funded by borrowing and so every time the crown took out a loan it faced future repayment debts.
• To try to meet costs, the king and ministers had tried to squeeze the maximum amount from existing taxation and also introduced a number of temporary taxes.
• One that was particularly resented was the Vingtieme, which was a levy on income paid by all except the clergy. It was introduced in 1749 and was still being levied in 1780.
• Whilst France was comparatively well off, its money was locked up by its system of government, the organisation of society and the attitudes of the ancient regime. Those in the first and second estates were largely exempt from taxation and it was the overriding ambition of the most successful merchants and traders to amass enough wealth to buy office in order to do the same- there was a resistance to taxation which made it difficult for the government to fund the wars and repayment debts. Those with the greatest wealth and who had the greatest means of paying taxes were not contributing to the country’s economic welfare.
• The pattern of land distribution, with tiny peasant holdings, meant that there was limited investment in land and that therefore productivity was relatively low- no mass production. The economy was largely rural and a bad harvest could therefore send prices rocketing and hit industry and trade.
A failure to modernise the ancient regime to meet the costs of France’s foreign policy, coupled with a run of poor harvests helps to explain the timing of the revolution
A failure to modernise the ancient regime to meet the costs of France’s foreign policy, coupled with a run of poor harvests helps to explain the timing of the revolution
bad harvests
The 1770s and 80s had been dominated by bad harvests.
• There was a scarcity of food, particularly in the 80s, a shortage of grain and consequently the rising price of bread (rose by 89% in 1789 from 9 sous to 14-15 sous) which led to starvation.
• The population was steadily increasing and so food prices began to rise out of proportion to income.
• There was a decline in the manufacturing industry and a further increase in urban and rural unemployment. It was therefore harder for the government to collect taxes and so more loans were taken out.
revolt of nobles
Disturbances spread throughout France- riots broke out in some provincial capitals where parliaments met, the 7th June brought the ‘Day of Tiles’ in Grenoble where 4 were killed and 30 injured.
On the 16th August payments from the treasury were suspended and Brienne resigned, recommending the recall of Necker. Necker returned, proclaiming that the Estates-General would meet in May 1789 and he agreed to do nothing until then.
sieyes
Sieyes was an intellectual who became a priest
• He became a spokesperson for the third estate 1788-89
• He attacked the royal and noble privileges by writing pamphlets and joining the third estate in the E-G
• He was instrumental in setting up the National Assembly
ropesbierre
He trained as a lawyer and was educated in a Jesuit college in Paris
• He had a burning desire to fight for freedom and equality and was elected as a Third Estate deputy.
• He made his mark as a speaker in the National Assembly and became the leader of the Jacobins, who dominated the National Convention
• He supported the execution of Louis
mirabeau
Although of noble birth, he sympathised with the third estate and was elected one of its deputies
• He was a great speaker and a natural leader of the National Assembly
• He worked with the constituent assembly to convince all parties that a limited monarchy was needed.
• Despite his prominence in the assembly, he enjoyed the confidence of the king, whom he secretly advised.
Sieyes, Robes, Mirabeau
These figures were all spokespeople, deputies or representatives of the third estate and they therefore played a major role in furthering its aims and in the National Assembly. Sieyes, Mirabeau and Mounier were all of the 1st and 2nd estates and for them to represent the third estate and denounce their higher social standing would have been a blow for the nobility and supporters of the ancient regime and a huge gain for the third estate as it showed that people from all estates recognised the need for change.
storming of bastille
Economic crisis gave the circumstances for extreme action
o Poor harvests
o War costs
o High bread prices
o Starvation
o Industry fell
o In 1789 88% of Paris workers’ wage was spent on bread
• Reveillon riots 28th April 1789
o Complaints regarding wages being too high
o Strikes/riots against these complaints by workers etc
o Troops opened fire
• Protestors encouraged by pamphleteers, journalists and orators
• Palais Royale and the Duc D’Orleans (June 1789)
o Against the king, political aspirations, led the rebels
o 47 nobles joined the national assembly led by him
• Dismissal of Necker (12th July)
o Bruteuil replaced Necker- monarchist/conservative
o Necker was popular- unpopular decision
• Revolutionary rhetoric- Desmoulins
o Very important figure- journalist
o Reacts to Necker’s dismissal and encourages the rebels to take up arms
• Attack on custom posts and barricades formed 12th-13th July
o 40/54 custom posts attacked around Paris
• Establishment of the Commune- 13th July
o A sort of council of high ranking nobility who were sympathetic to the rebels- organised the revolt
o Aimed to prevent the damage of personal property
o National Guard established by the commune, like a police force. Citizens army/militia against Louis
sans-c
Were so named because they went without knee breeches, traditional dress of the nobility
• Addressed everyone as ‘citizen’
• Perceived the word ‘aristocrat’ to be a term of abuse
• Wore red caps with the tricolore motif
• The term ‘Sans Culottes’ did not come into use until 1792, when there was a more organised group of Parisian workers formed
• Defenders and driving force of the revolution at least until 1794
Social make up of the Sans Culottes
• Mainly working class
• Mixture of craftsmen, traders, clerks, wage earners, journey men and labourers
• Some middle class professionals, factory owners, wine merchants
• Women were also prevalent
what did the sans c want
- In 1789 bound by the distrust and dislike for the aristocracy
- Believed in the ideology that all men were equal
- In 1789 they wanted Louis to wake up to the plight of his people- they were starving
- None of the working class or lower echelons of the third estate could afford bread
- Wanted protection from the abuses of the free market- price controls on bread
- Wanted some form of constitutional monarchy
- By 1791 were calling for a republic
- Tax on the rich
fall of bastille
14th July the crowds went to the hotel des invalids which acted as a weapons store. 8,000 seized 28,000 muskets and 20 cannons but they couldn’t find enough gun powder
• Thought they could find gunpowder in the Bastille
• The crowds and some of the national guard and representatives went to negotiate the handover of gunpowder
• However, the crowd grew impatient and some pushed into the courtyard and firing began
• Full scale assault took place
• The governor, Marquis de Launey was captured and decapitated and his head paraded on a pole
• It was stormed for ammunition, not to release inmates
• Royal troops just stood by, the king had lost control
• 17th July, Louis resigned himself to making an appearance in Paris and as a symbol of his acceptance of the changes he wore the revolutionary cockade in his hat and reinstated Necker.
