ThinkRankThe French Revolution
Overview
This chapter explains why the French Revolution began, how it unfolded, and how it reshaped ideas of citizenship, rights, and nationhood in Europe. It traces the crisis of the Old Regime, the collapse of royal authority, and the creation of new political ideals that later influenced Europe and the world.
Learning Objectives
- Identify economic, social, and political causes of the revolution
- Explain key events from 1789 to the rise of Napoleon
- Understand how revolutionary ideas spread across Europe
Key Concepts
Estates System and Inequality
French society was divided into the First (clergy), Second (nobility), and Third Estate (commoners). The Third Estate paid most taxes and carried feudal dues, creating deep resentment and a demand for political representation.
Popular Uprising and End of Feudal Privileges
Food shortages and rising bread prices triggered unrest. The storming of the Bastille and the Great Fear in the countryside pushed the National Assembly to abolish feudal privileges in August 1789.
Financial Crisis of the Monarchy
Costly wars and royal spending pushed France into debt. The government’s attempts to raise taxes exposed the unfair estate system and forced the king to call the Estates-General.
Enlightenment Ideas
Thinkers like Rousseau and Voltaire questioned divine-right monarchy and promoted liberty and equality, shaping revolutionary thinking.
Declaration of Rights and New Political Order
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty. It challenged the idea of hereditary privilege and placed the nation above the king.
Constitutional Monarchy
The constitution of 1791 limited the king’s powers and established an elected legislature, marking a shift from absolute monarchy to constitutional rule.
Reign of Terror
Under the Jacobins and Robespierre, the revolution entered a radical phase. Suspected opponents were executed, and the state used violence to enforce revolutionary ideals.
Napoleonic Reforms
Napoleon stabilized France and spread revolutionary principles through the Civil Code. Legal equality and administrative reforms survived even after republican rule ended.
Key Terms
Examples
Storming of the Bastille (1789)
The Bastille represented royal tyranny. Its fall became a symbol of popular power and the beginning of revolutionary change.
Abolition of Feudal Dues
The National Assembly’s August decrees ended feudal privileges, changing the legal relationship between peasants and landlords.
Napoleonic Civil Code
The Civil Code standardized laws, upheld equality before law, and influenced legal systems across Europe.
Quick Check
- Why did bread prices matter so much in 1789?
- What were the main ideas in the Declaration of Rights?
- How did Napoleon change the revolution’s outcomes?