French Revolution

**Help for my Spring Sport Kiddos**

I had this college professor that SWORE the French Revolution started all because of one simple thing – potatoes. Yeah, giggle to yourself. It seems a little weird, but she made a good point (that took her about 45 minutes to make). But she swore potatoes were the reasons behind the crazies of the French Revolution.

It all started when people began growing potatoes. They were really excited about these potatoes – it was something new to eat. And then the poor harvests began. This caused people to go from happy potato eating people to starving poor people. French peasants during this time worked hard from dawn until dusk barely getting food and making ends meet. They became very hangry. During the hangry times, The Great Fear began as peasants began terrorizing the upper estates.

They were also not so happy about the estate system. This was the social classes that they were living in.The First Estate consisted of the Catholic priests and clergy, this estate paid very little taxes but collected tithes. The Second Estate consisted of the nobility and aristocrats, who paid no taxes (but lived off the collected taxes) and controlled most of the government. Lastly we had the Third Estate. This estate was filled with mostly peasants and farmers and educated townspeople. This is where most of the French population is located.

It's pretty safe to say that the Third Estate were not the happiest campers about their estate system. They weren't happy before, but the loss of potatoes made it much worse. But they began looking at the ideas of the Enlightenment (John Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau) and thinking they should have more rights. The American Revolution added more fuel to the fire by showing the French people that there can be a successful revolution. 

Tensions were made even worse with France's terrible economy. The French government faced massive debts due to decades of lavish spending, expensive wars, & poor economic planning. By 1789, half the budget went towards interest on the national debt, 25% of people were unemployed, and the excessive spending by King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette angered French citizens. 

By 1789, France was out of money and faced financial crisis. Louis XVI called an emergency meeting of the Estates-General where members from all 3 classes could advise the king. During the Estates-General, the First & Second Estates voted to increase taxes on the Third Estate. The First & Second Estates decided to vote by order (1 vote per estate) rather than by head (by person). These decisions angered the members of the Third Estate who believed their rights were being violated. The Third Estate formed a new National Assembly to make laws for the French people. In 1789, the National Assembly swore to a Tennis Court Oath, promising a new constitution & limitations on the king’s power.

The National Assembly wrote their revolutionary ideals in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which said:“Men are born free and equal in rights”Rights include “liberty, property, security, & resistance to oppression”It guaranteed freedom of speech, &freedom of religion, & equal justice

Meanwhile, the economic crisis continued. Citizens were without food & faced starvation. Angry protesters in Paris demanded new reforms. Women marched on Versailles demanding bread. (Supposedly this is when Marie Antoinette said her famous "let them eat cake" line). When rumors circulated that the king was going to send his army to Paris, citizens attacked the prison Bastille to seize weapons to defend themselves. The storming of the Bastille in 1789 represented the beginning of the French Revolution.

In 1791, Louis XVI finally agreed to a new constitution that limited his power & created a limited monarchy. But, Louis XVI failed to work with the National Assembly & France’ problems continued. Fearing the spread of France’s revolutionary ideas, Austria & Prussia assembled armies to restore France’s absolute monarchy.

In 1792, radicals took control of France & made important decisions:War was declared against Austria & Prussia and 300,000 French soldiers were drafted into a national army in order to defend France. The French monarchy was overthrown & democratic republic was created called the National Convention. In 1793, King Louis XVI was arrested, convicted of treason, & executed by guillotine.

 

 

  

The radical leaders of the National Convention feared that “enemies of the revolution” would try to overthrow the new republic. In 1793, radical Maximilien Robespierre slowly gained control of the National Convention. From 1793 to 1794, Robespierre executed 40,000 “traitors” during an era known as the Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror ended when French citizens turned on Robespierre & executed him.

The revolution came to an end in 1795, but France was in chaos. The economic crisis had not been solved & people faced starvation. England, Holland, Spain joined Austria & Prussia in the war against France. The National Convention was replaced by France’s third government in six years called the Directory. The Directory proved to be ineffective & corrupt.

In 1799, a French military general named Napoleon Bonaparte led a coup d'état & seized power in France . As emperor of France, Napoleon introduced needed reforms, defeated foreign armies, & conquered a massive French empire.

So, maybe I didn't blame everything on potatoes quite as good as my professor, but still somehow she would blame it all on potatoes.