Short Term Causes of the French Revolution Flashcards
What was ‘The Assembly of Notables’ supposed to do?
The Assembly of Notables was a council composed of clergymen and nobles formed an assembly to respond during a time of crisis and be the crown’s advisor. They were called upon to solve the Financial Crisis in France.
Why was France in a Financial Crisis?
The Financial Crisis was caused as France had funded many expensive wars, but also continued to have issues and inefficiencies in Tax Collection. This would be made more severe by poor harvests, extravagant spending by the King and interest payments. The Assembly of Notables was unable to effectively solve the issues and so the French Finance ministers Calonne and Brienne attempted some reforms to address the issue, which also failed.
What is the difference between the ‘Assembly of Notables’ and the ‘Estates General’?
Due to the Financial Crisis in France in 1789 the King called a meeting of the Estates General, last called upon in 1614, which would include members of all Three Estates in France. This is different to the Assembly of Notables, as that only included members of the First and Second Estate.
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
After the failure of the Estates General due to unfair voting practices the Third Estate declared themselves Independent and would instead pass their own laws as the ‘National Assembly’. This was seen as dangerous by the King and the Nobles who tried to stop them from meeting by locking the doors to the main hall. In response, the National Assembly met on a Tennis Court in 1789 and swore an oath to never disband until they had secured more rights and freedoms in France.
Was the Bastille Important?
The ‘Storming of the Bastille’ on July 14th was an important event in the French Revolution.
This was important because it showed the popular support of Revolutionary Ideas amongst the people of France.
Furthermore, the fact that many of the King’s Soldiers supported the crowd showed that the power of the King was weakening.
This moment United people opposed to the King and create a New France.
It was this moment that the Revolution had truly begun and was a true people’s movement.
OR
The ‘Storming of the Bastille’ on July 14th was not an important event in the French Revolution. The story of the Bastille is a National Myth for the people of France as it is easier to rally support against a ‘tyrant’ than to adequately explain the complex political and financial crisis the country was in. By using the symbol of the Bastille, the National Assembly could deflect the ‘mob’ from paying them attention and possibly opposing them. The Bastille was used simply to distract the uneducated masses and appease their need to feel important and involved in the movement. The Revolution had truly begun with the Tennis Court Oath of June 20th 1789 and the Revolution was not directed by ‘the people’ but instead by more educated and wealthy members of the Bourgeoisies.
