Much more radical and extreme then its American counterpart
Revolutionaries named old French society ancien régime ("the old order")
Wanted to replace everything that existed within the status quo
Replace with Political and Social Structure based on Enlightenment
Estates General
France started to have finical problems
In the 1780's about half the french royal government's went to paying off war debts (American Revolution)
Another quarter went to the French Armed Forces
King Louis XVI couldn't take more money from the peasantry, so he tried to increase taxes on the French nobility
Aristocrats protested his efforts by making him use the Estates General
The Estates General was an assembly that represented the entire population through groups known as estates
There were three estates before the revolution one that represented,
the Roman-Catholic clergy that consisted of 100,000 (1)
the french nobility that consisted of 400,000 (2)
the rest of the population that consisted of 24,000,000 (3)
The Estates General was founded in 1303, but had not met since 1614
In May of 1789 King Louis, called a meeting of the Estates General to discuss tax changes
The third estate demanded sweeping political and social reform
The other two estates blocked any reform that would happen
Revolution
The siege of Bastille in 1789
The National Assembly
On the 17th of June, 1789 after fruitless debate members of the third estate seceded from the Estates General
They met at a private location and declared themselves the National Assembly, "the true representatives of the people"
They would not leave until they created a new Constitution
Word reached Paris nearby and in July a Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille in search of weapons and ammunition
The Bastille surrendered, but was beaten to death by the attackers
News of the event sparked insurrections in cities throughout France
Now supported by the majority, the National Assembly took on a platform of sweeping social and political change
The Assembly releases the Declaration of the Right of Man and the Citizen which declares Enlightenment ideas like popular sovereignty and individual rights
The National Assembly reconfigured French society from 1789 to 1791
Built on a platform of "liberty, equality, and fraternity"
Abolished the feudal system of lords and serfs
Took church property, relinquished first estate and declared clergy as civilians, as long requiring clergy to take an oath to the state
Made constitution that made the king the primary executive official but deprived him of legislative authority
France was made a constitutional monarchy where men of property had the right to vote for legislators
The Convention
Austria and Prussia invaded France to support the monarch and restore the ancien régime
Revolution leaders responded by created the Convention, a legislative body elected by universal male suffrage, abolishing the monarch and proclaiming France a republic
The Convention instituted the levée en masse that drafted people and resources for use in the war against the invaders
Searched out enemies in France, and made use of the guillotine
In 1793, King Louis XVI and his wife are executed after being found guilty of treason
The radical Jacobin party dominated the Convention in 1793-94
They believed that France needed complete reconstruction
They used a campaign of terror to promote their agenda
The Jacobin's wanted to end the influence of Christianity by closing churches and forcing priests to take wives
They promoted a new "cult of reason" as a secular alternative
Replaced 7 day weeks with 10 day units that recognized no day for religious observance
Started new calendar that began with the start of the French revolution
They increased rights for women
From 1793-94 they executed 40,000 people and imprisoned 300,000
Those who died included fellow radicals that the Jacobins did not want around
A group of conservative men then came to power and rule France through a new institution the Directory(1795-99)
They tried to find a middle ground between anien régime and revolution
Power is taken over by Napoleon and the Directory is abolished in November 1799
Nationalism in Post-Napoleon Europe
People that supported nationalism demanded loyalty and solidarity fro the people of a state, which usually ended up hurting and oppressing the minorities in that state. The nationalist group in Italy known as Young Italy promoted independence from Austrian and Spanish rule. This group inspired other nationalist groups in Ireland, Switzerland, and Hungary.
Synthesis
The rise of radical ideas from the Jacobins is like the radical ideas of socialism proposed by the national socialists (Nazis) before World War 2 in Germany. Most other countries used a mix of capitalism and socialism, while Germany decided to go all out socialist. This radical political philosophy that gained power is just like when the Jacobins gained power during the peak of the French Revolution.
Self- Created
https://quizlet.com/_30zs0c
Sources
"French Revolutionary Wars 1792-1802." French Revolutionary Wars 1792-1802. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2017. "Louis XVI." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 29 Dec. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2017. Getty Images. "How Long Did the French Revolution Last?" Reference. Reference, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2017. Jean-Pierre Houël. "File:Prise De La Bastille.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.