Responses to the French Revolution in Britain Flashcards
What were the causes of the French Revolution?
- Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
- Inherited problems
- The Estates System
- Taxation and money
- The Enlightenment
- Bad luck
How did Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette contribute towards the FR?
- France had an absolute monarchy so Louis had control
- BUT Louis lacked charisma and leadership skills
- Marie was a foreigner = seen as suspicious
- Marie was targeted for profligate spending and sexual deviancy
- they became scapegoats for more issues than they could control
What was the controversy surrounding Marie’s excessive spending?
- it was only supposedly
How did inherited problems contribute to the FR?
- Seven Year War and American war of Independence = poor financial system
- outdated taxation system where the rich avoided taxes
- stagnant economy: slow trade, slow agricultural and industrial revolution
- estates system
How did the estates system contribute to the FR?
- society split into 3 groups: nobility, clergy and everyone else
- majorly unrepresentative
- clergy and nobility refused reform
How did taxation and money contribute to the FR?
- wealthiest avoided taxes = burden upon the lower class
- economic reform blocked by parliament due to Louis’ lack of leadership skills
- France was on the brink of bankruptcy
- inflation
How did the Enlightenment contribute to the FR?
- literacy levels increasing = ideas of liberty, equality, constitutional monarchy, separation of Church and State
- inspired the motto of the Revolution
What was the motto of the FR?
‘liberté, egalité and fraternité’
How did bad luck contribute to the FR?
- 1741-1785: cost of living increased by 62%
- 1788-1789: bad harvests
What did the bad harvests cause?
- increasing bread prices
- increasing inflation
- drop in wages
Who was Thomas Paine?
a supporter of the FR
What was Thomas Paine’s book?
The Rights of Man
What was the consequence of his book being published? What did Paine do?
- he was charged with seditious libel
- fled to France
What was Paine’s belief about the French regime? What did this cause him to think?
- the French regime was rotten to the core = revolution the only solution
What did Paine think about the destruction caused by Revolution?
- what mattered was what revolution built not what they tore down
- destruction was for a greater cause
What did Paine believe revolution promised?
- a “new era to the human race”
- equality for all
What did Paine think all people should do?
- must throw off the old government to reveal mans natural state of equality
What was Paine’s response to the Revolution?
- the chaos was caused by a misunderstanding of the principles but their aims were still right