French

Revolution
Ellie Kozemchak & Maria Nunning
What Was The
French Revolution?
The period of political change that took
place in France. It started in 1789 and
ended in 1799.
 Table Of Contents
01 02

The Cause The Involved

What caused the Who played a vital
revolution? role in the revolution?

03 04 05
05
The Importance The Outcome The Events
What should we learn Why was the revolution
What significant
from this revolution? started and what was the
events occurred?
outcome?
1
The
Cause
What caused the
revolution? Why were the
people unhappy?
1) American Revolution
- After assisting the Americans in the
American Revolution, the government was
on the edge of bankruptcy

- The American Revolution inspired the French

Revolution to take place, giving hope to some
that a country can overturn their oppressors
2) Incompetent Monarchy
People became upset when the monarchy
Could not properly adapt to the political and
Public pressure constantly exerted

King Louis inherited several financial problems

which ultimately led to the people’s hatred
and want of his downfall
3) Economic Crisis
The country went broke in 1789 because France spent
more than its annual revenue

Mounting debt

Tried to raise taxation, which angered the

people
4) Food Shortage
France was one of the most populated countries
In Europe, having many people to feed

Crop failures shook France, leaving people

starved and upset; riots took place
2
The
Involved
Who were the aggressors?
What important people
were there and what role
did they have?
The
Aggressors

The French people! They were very

upset about the financial crisis of
their country and wanted to make a
change.
Important People
Marquis de Lafayette
A nobleman who took part in the
American Revolution. Lafayette organized
the National Guard to protect the people
from the King’s attack
King Louis XVI
The French king from 1772 - 1792
He was deposed during the French
Revolution and was executed in 1792. He
inherited debt problem from his
grandfather
Marie-Antoinette
Married King Louis XVI. In the
commonor’s eyes, she was the prime
example of royalty’s excessive riches and
extravagance
Napoleon
A general in the French Army. He overthrew the
directory and crowned himself emperor. He was
an ambitious and skilled military strategist
3
The
Importance
Why is this revolution
important to remember?
What can we learn?
What Can We Learn?
Liberty, a sense of justice, and and unity is
Important in running a successful country

Imcompetent leaders = unsuccessful country

Inequalities occur because of the imbalance

Of political and economic power

Political upheavial always spreads and

Influences other countries (American
Revolution influences and inspires
French Revolution)
Why Is This
Revolution Important
to Remember?
Every event in history is important to
remember! We can learn from the
successes and failures of those before us
to learn never to repeat mistakes that can
be easily repeated
4
The
Outcome
What was the outcome of
the revolution?
What did people want?

In order to achieve this

People wanted a change change, they attempted
of leadership which to overthrow the current
meant overthrowing the king along with the
monarchy. concept of monarchy.
What did people
want to happen?
● Peasants wanted to be able to acquire the full
rights of landowners.
● People wanted to be able to use different
ideas such as those of Montesquieu, Voltaire,
and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
● The biggest part was that the French people
were seeing that other countries/colonies
were revolting and putting in a Democratic
government in place of a king and queen.
What actually happened?
● Because of the French Revolution, Napoleon
came to power. Throughout the revolution he
had been slowly coming up the military ranks.
● Peasants were able to achieve landowner
rights, and no longer devoted to the
landowner of the land they worked on.
● French Catholic Church lost most of its
power.
● People began to feel a bigger sense of unity
between them and their country.
5
The
Events
What were some
significant events of this
revolution?
 The Storming of the
Bastille - July 14 1789
● Causes
○ Foreign soldiers arrived for the National
Constituent Assembly in Versailles
○ Jacques Necker who was considered a
representative of the common people was
dismissed
● Effects
○ People stormed the Bastille fortress, and succeeded
when the troops surrendered to the mob
○ This was seen as a sign of the monarchy’s power, so
it’s fall was very exciting to the people
○ King Louis XVI withdrew the royal troops from the
French capital and recalled Jacques Necker
Declaration of the Rights
of Man and of the Citizen
- August 26, 1789
● Assembly published this as a charter
of human liberties that contained
the same principles that inspired the
whole revolution
● Basic Principle : “Men are born and
remain free and equal in rights.”
● France was proclaimed a
constitutional monarchy
● King Louis XVI was forced to swear
an oath to the constitution , and
doing any actions against this would
result in being removed from the
throne
Women’s March on Versailles -
October 5, 1789 ● Bad harvests increased price of
flour, which increased price of
bread
○ Bread was the staple food of
most French
● Many were hungry because of
this, a group of protesters, mainly
women, developed
● They then marched from Paris to
the Palace of Versailles unhappy
that the royal family lived
comfortably while they starved
● Killed several guards on the way
into the palace
● King finally gave in to their wants
Execution of King Louis
XVI - January 21, 1793
● France was under attack by the
Austrian army and King Louis
XVI tried to flee the country.
● French people viewed him as a
traitor, so Parisians laid siege
on Tuileries.
● He was charged with treason
and found guilty.
● He was driven through the
streets of Paris and decapitated
by a guillotine.
Abolition of Feudalism -
November 9-10 1799
● Constituent Assembly abolished the whole
feudal system.
● Peasants now got their land free and didn’t
have to pay taxes to the Church.
○ This was very good for the general
population of France.
● Because of this meeting, nobles, clergy,
towns, provinces, companies and cities all
lost the special privileges they may have had.
It seemed more equal for everyone.
The Tennis Court
Oath - June 20 1789
● The Estates General was the general
assembly of France.
● Nation was facing a great financial crisis,
and each estate had only one vote.
● King Louis XVI had ordered the close of the
place where the Estates General were
meeting.
○ They had to move to an indoor tennis
court (hence the name).
● Third Estate, which was the general
population of France decided to form their
own National Assembly since they were
normally overruled.
 Works Cited
● Anirudh, et al. “French Revolution Effects.” Learnodo Newtonic, 14 July 2019,
https://learnodo-newtonic.com/french-revolution-effects.
● Anirudh, et al. “French Revolution Events Dates.” Learnodo Newtonic, 14 July 2019,
https://learnodo-newtonic.com/french-revolution-events-dates.
● “French Revolution Key People.” Sparknotes, SparkNotes,
https://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/key-people/.
● “French Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.,
https://www.britannica.com/event/French-Revolution.
● History.com Editors. “French Revolution.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009,
https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution#section_8.
● “Ingredients for Revolution.” Https://Www.oerproject.com/,
https://www.oerproject.com/OER-Materials/OER-Media/PDFs/Origins/Era6/Ingredients-for-Revolution.
● “Monarchy Abolished in France.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Feb. 2010,
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/monarchy-abolished-in-france.
● “Monarchy Falls.” LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY: EXPLORING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,
https://revolution.chnm.org/exhibits/show/liberty--equality--fraternity/monarchy-falls.
● “Origins and Impacts of Nationalism.” Https://Www.oerproject.com/,
https://www.oerproject.com/OER-Materials/OER-Media/PDFs/Origins/Era6/Origins-and-Impacts-of-Nationalism.
Thanks For
Watching!