Latin American and French Revolutions

• The French and Latin American Revolutions occurred between 1789-1826.

French Revolution Influences and Causes

• The French Revolution (1789-1799) was triggered when French citizens overthrew King Louis XVI's absolute monarchy.
• The Enlightenment (1715-1789) and the American Revolution served as inspiration.
• Enlightenment thinkers promoted reason, logic, observation, experimentation, freedom of speech, separation of powers, natural rights, democracy, republicanism, and consent of the governed.
• The American Revolution (1776-1783) saw 13 British colonies revolt for independence, protesting with the slogan "No taxation without representation."
• The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
• Documents like the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689), along with the Glorious Revolution (1688), influenced the French to demand limits on government power.

Social Hierarchy (ranking) of the Three Estates

• France was divided into the Three Estates: the Clergy (Catholic Church officials) and Nobility (wealthy upper class) formed the 1st and 2nd Estates.
• The top two estates comprised only 2-3% of France's population, owning over 30% of the land, receiving privileges and paying minimal taxes.
• The Third Estate consisted of 97% of France's population, including the Bourgeoisie (wealthy middle class), peasants, and city workers, owning just 70% of the land and paying higher taxes due to an unfair system.
• Most French peasants suffered under feudalism and serfdom since the 1400s.
• The Bastille, the king's state prison, was mainly filled with 3rd Estate members.
• King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette spent lavishly at the Palace of Versailles.
• By 1780, the French treasury faced bankruptcy due to the overspending of Louis and the nobility, leading to inflation and unemployment.
• A severe harvest in 1789 caused bread prices to soar, leading to riots and demands for food.

Estates General Meeting

• King Louis XVI called the Estates General on May 5, 1789.
• This was a meeting with representatives from all Three Estates, for the first time in 163 years.
• The meeting was chaotic as the top two Estates outvoted the Third Estate.
• Representatives of the Third Estate formed the National Assembly.
• The Third Estate met at the Tennis Court, and vowed unity and proclaimed themselves as the true representatives of France with the Tennis Court Oath on June 20, 1789.
• The Oath marked the first act of defiance against King Louis, initiating the French Revolution.
• On July 14, a mob of working-class citizens stormed the Bastille, over powering the guards, freeing prisoners, and stealing weapons, initiating class warfare across France.
• During the Great Fear from July 20-August 6, peasants burned debt receipts.
• The king agreed to reforms, leading to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on August 26.
• The declaration abolished feudalism and privileges, declared equality, placed the Catholic Church under state control and promised a fair tax structure.
• The National Assembly turned into the National Convention in 1792.
• The First French Republic was established on September 22, 1792.
• All Frenchmen over 25 could vote, and the monarchy was stripped of power.
• A radical political party the Jacobins, abused their power with the motto “Liberté, égalité, Fraternité", and dechristianized France.
• The Jacobins created the Cult of Reason and the Supreme Being, and a new calendar.
• Maximilien Robespierre led the Jacobins and formed the Committee of Public Safety to arrest enemies.
• During the Reign of Terror (August 1793 - July 1794), over 40,000 were executed, including the king and queen in 1793.
• Robespierre himself was guillotined on July 28, 1794, ending the Reign of Terror.

Post-Reign of Terror through Napoleon

• The Directory, a coalition government, ruled France from 1795-1799, weakened by weak leadership and the French Revolutionary Wars.
• Napoleon Bonaparte seized control in 1799 through a coup d'état.
• Napoleon crowned himself Emperor to restore stability, stabilized the economy, fixed infrastructure, and created the Napoleonic Code based on Enlightenment ideals.
• Napoleon conquered much of Europe by 1812, facing resistance from Great Britain and Russia.
• The French Empire (1804-1815) ended after Napoleon underestimated the harsh winter geography of Russia in 1812.
• Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) in Belgium, exiled, and died in 1821.
• Napoleon's legacy includes stability, the Napoleonic Code, inspiring nationalism and widespread destruction.

Latin American Revolutions

• By the late 1700s, European nations controlled Latin America as colonies.
• The Latin American Revolutions (1791-1826) were inspired by the American & French Revolutions, as well as the Enlightenment.
• Haiti, led by Toussaint Louverture, was the first independent nation in the Caribbean in 1804.
• Napoleon's conquest of Spain inspired Latin Americans to rebel.
• Simon Bolivar united Latin Americans to fight European armies and hated the oppression.
• Bolivar and Louverture inspired nationalists like José de San Martin.
• New, independent nations formed in Latin America.
• In the second Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), peasants rose up against dictator Porfirio Diaz.
• Francisco "Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata overthrew Diaz.
• The Mexican Constitution of 1917 granted land and voting reforms.

Test your knowledge of the Latin American and French Revolutions, exploring the influence of Enlightenment ideas, key figures like Simón Bolívar, and the social and political factors that shaped these transformative events. Understand the causes, goals, and outcomes of these revolutions.