French Revolution: Enlightenment & Louis XVI

• The Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries focused on reason, individualism and skepticism.
• John Locke advocated for governments protecting natural rights: life, liberty, and property.
• Voltaire championed freedom of speech and religious tolerance.
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau promoted the concept of the "general will" and government by consent.
• Enlightenment ideas encouraged revolutionaries to challenge absolute monarchies and church power.

Louis XVI and the Monarchy

• Louis XVI and his family tried to escape to Varennes in 1791.
• The escape attempt damaged his authority and increased calls for a republic
• The Divine Right of Kings asserted that monarchs ruled by God's will and had absolute power.
• The French Revolution sought to replace this with popular sovereignty.
• Louis XVI was an absolute monarch with complete control over France.
• His rule was criticized as oppressive and sparked demands for popular governance.

Estates-General and National Assembly

• The Estates-General was a French representative assembly of the clergy, nobility, and common people.
• Louis XVI convened the Estates-General in 1789 to address France's financial crisis.
• Disagreements arose, and the Third Estate demanded greater influence.
• The Third Estate formed the National Assembly in June 1789, claiming to represent the people.
• They pledged to create a new constitution.

Key Figures

• Louis XIV said "I am the state," reflecting absolute power.
• His lavish lifestyle at Versailles symbolized the monarchy's excess.
• Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette of Austria for political reasons.
• Marie Antoinette was criticized for her extravagance.
• Maximilien Robespierre led the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.

Key Events

• The 1791 Constitution shifted France to a constitutional monarchy with a Legislative Assembly.
• Louis XVI's reluctance to embrace change caused dissatisfaction.
• The Tennis Court Oath was a commitment to create a new constitution.
• Louis XVI was executed in 1793, ending the monarchy.
• France declared war on Austria in 1792.
• Marie Antoinette was executed.
• Robespierre was executed in 1794, ending the Reign of Terror.
• Revolutionaries stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789, symbolizing popular power.
• Napoleon declared himself emperor in 1804, ending the revolution.

Old Regime and Social Structure

• The Old Regime divided France into three estates.
• The First Estate was the clergy.
• The Second Estate was the nobility.
• The Third Estate comprised 98% of the population, burdened with taxes and limited power.

Palace of Versailles

• Versailles symbolized Louis XIV's absolute power.
• It served as a royal residence and political center.
• The palace's excess angered the common people.

Reign of Terror and Committee of Public Safety

• The Committee of Public Safety was created in 1793 to protect the revolution.
• During the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), thousands were executed.

Declaration of Rights

• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was a key document.
• It emphasized liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Later Instability

• The Directory was established in 1795.
• It was a weak, corrupt, five-member executive body which led to Napoleon's rise.
• The Women's March on Versailles in October 1789 demanded bread and reforms.