The French Revolution: Causes & Early Stages (1789-1791)
Core Concepts
Delve into the origins of the French Revolution, from the social structure of the Ancien Régime and economic turmoil to the storming of the Bastille and the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
The French Revolution: Causes & Early Stages (1789-1791)
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Describe the three estates of the Ancien Régime in pre-revolutionary France.
1st Estate: Clergy (paid no taxes). 2nd Estate: Nobility (held top jobs, paid few taxes). 3rd Estate: Everyone else, from peasants to wealthy bourgeoisie (about 97% of the population, paid all the taxes).
What was the main economic cause of the French Revolution?
Severe national debt, caused by extravagant royal spending, expensive wars (including support for the American Revolution), and an unjust tax system where the wealthiest estates were exempt. This led to food shortages and high bread prices.
Why did King Louis XVI call the Estates-General in 1789?
He called the assembly for the first time in 175 years to address France's financial crisis. His goal was to get approval for new taxes on the First and Second Estates, a move they strongly resisted.
What was the Tennis Court Oath?
After being locked out of the Estates-General meeting, members of the Third Estate gathered at a nearby tennis court and swore an oath not to disband until they had drafted a new constitution for France. It was a pivotal act of defiance.
What event on July 14, 1789, is considered the symbolic start of the French Revolution?
The storming of the Bastille. A Parisian mob attacked the medieval fortress and prison to seize weapons and gunpowder. It represented a direct assault on the king's authority and became a symbol of the people's power.
What was the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen"?
A foundational document issued in August 1789 by the National Assembly. Inspired by Enlightenment ideals, it declared that all men were born free and equal in rights, including liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
What was the "Great Fear" (Grande Peur) of 1789?
A period of panic and peasant revolts in the countryside. Fearing retaliation from the nobility for the events in Paris, peasants attacked manor houses and destroyed records of feudal obligations.
How did the Women's March on Versailles in October 1789 change the course of the revolution?
Thousands of Parisian women marched to Versailles to protest the high price of bread. They forced the royal family (King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette) to relocate to Paris, making them prisoners of the revolution.
What type of government did the Constitution of 1791 establish in France?
A constitutional monarchy. It limited the king's power and created a new Legislative Assembly to make laws, effectively ending the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.
