French Revolution:Revolution Brings Reform & Terror

Objectives:

1. Understand the actions of the National Assembly 1790-1791; Declaration of the Rights of Man & decision to take over the Church in France

2. Summarize the positions of the 3 factions of the Legislative Assembly that tried to govern France

3. Describe the events of the Reign of Terror under the National Convention & the Jacobin leader, Robespierre

4. Explain the aftermath of the Reign of Terror

National Assembly (2:04)

I. The National AssemblyA. The Declaration of the Rights of Man

(Aug. 27, 1789)1. equality of all men

2. political rights (life, liberty, property, etc.)

3. free speech/religion

4. official motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”

B. The National Assembly takes control of the Catholic Church in France (1790)

1. needs way to raise revenue w/o raising taxes

2. confiscates Church lands

3. places clergy under govt. control

4. turns devout peasants against the revolution mainly an urban revolution of workers and bourgeosie

C. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette caught while trying to flee the country (June, 1791)

1. returned to Paris under house arrest

Legislative Assembly takes Charge (1:27)

II. The Legislative Assembly Forms/Fractures

A. The Constitution of 1791 is ratified and creates a constitutional monarchy in France

B. The new government is known as the Legislative Assembly

C. Immediately the L.A. splits into 3 factions over differences about how far the revolution should go

1. Conservatives (Emigres & Royalists) bring the King back to his rightful position of authority

2. Sans-Culotes (Jacobins & Radicals) get rid of King and create a democratic republic (like the U.S)

3. Moderates middle-of- the- roaders who feel that France should keep its constitutional monarchy as created by the 1791 Constitution

x_____________________________________________________________________xLeft Wing Centrist Right Wing

(Radicals) (Moderates) (Conservatives)

D. France declared war on Austria (1792)1. Austria tried to have Louis XVI reinstated on throne (see

revolution as a threat to their own power)

2. France wants to try to export revolution to other countries

3. Austria threatens to destroy Paris if Royal family harmeda. angers Parisian mobs storm palace & place Louis &

family in prison

b. September Massacres Parisian mob takes nobility prisoners out of prisons and massacres over 1,000

E. Legislative Assembly resigns, dissolves the Constitution of 1791, & deposes the king

1. calls for election of new government the Jacobins win

III. The National Convention and the “Reign of Terror”

A. The radical element of Leg. Assembly wins election (Sept. 1792) calls itself the National Convention

B. The Jacobins1. most radical faction in Paris remove king & est.

a republic

2. Leaders :

a. Jean Paul Marat – editor of Paris’s radical newspaper

b. Georges Danton – gifted orator & popular with lower classes

c. Maximilien Robespierre – leader of the Committee of Public Safety (charged with ferreting out the enemies of the revolution)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Marat

http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danton

http://home.intekom.com/southafricanhistoryonline/pages/classroom/

pages/projects/grade8/lesson2/04-events-02.htm

The Terror (3:41)

C. The Reign of Terror (1793-1794)1. Thousands of French citizens were executed on the

guillotine during this period

2. Fanatical paranoia led Robespierre to oversee a “witch hunt”a. playing cards not allowed to have Jacks, Queens, etc. due to

its connection with royalty

b. devoted to the logic/reason of the Enlightenment, churches were closed & govt. was reformed along “more reasonable” lines

c. excesses included a young man who was executed for cutting down a “liberty tree”

d. Marie Antoinette was put to death for treason in 1793 & finally, Danton was beheaded for betraying his revolutionary ideals

e. Estimated that as many as 40,000 may have been killed during this time (85% poor or urban middle-class)

3. The “Terror” comes to an enda. July 28, 1794 – Robespierre was condemned & beheaded

himself for treason the”Terror” was finally over

http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~tt27/REV.html

The Directory and Napoleon’s Rise to Power (1:45)

IV. The Directory A. French opinion swings back to the right

1. weary of the excesses of the radicals

2. wanted stability

B. Form the Directory in 17951. moderate govt. that placed power in the hands

of the upper middle class

2. 2 house legislature w/ 5 man executive council (Directors)

3. very weak type of government

The Directory

• The Directory actually began to put into place many of the reforms the revolution started out to accomplish, but the Directory was very weak, and the power lied in the hands of the military

• A coup was put into place by one of the Directors, along with a rising military star named Napoleon.