The French Revolution and Napoleon- Patterns of Civilization

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Unit Two The French Revolution and Napoleon

I. The French Monarchy in Crisis

1789 to 1815

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Economy

What is meant by a country’s economy?

What happens when a country’s economy is prospering?

Define: Economy

The production, distribution, and consumption of goods

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Economy

Goods

Production

Distribution

Consumption

Products

Making Something

Who receives the products and how much they receive

What kind of products are purchased

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Notes: Unit Two The French Revolution and Napoleon

I. The French Monarchy in Crisis

A. Overview of France: 1700’s

- richest, most powerful nation in Europe

- strong army and navy

- philosophers led the Enlightenment

- influential in fashions, art and clothes

- but was suffering a growing economic crises made difficult by the traditional political/social system

B. The Old Regime (Anciem Regime)

1. Structure

- Monarch has absolute power

- centralized power in royal ‘bureaucracy’

- work to preserve royal authority and social structure

- people divided into three estates (classes)

- first: clergy; second: nobility; third: commoners

2. Estates

a. First Estate: Clergy

- noble and common

- higher clergy lived in luxury and criticized by parish priests

- ran churches/schools

- kept birth/death records

- cared for the poor

- collected the tithe (a tax on income)

- church owned huge amounts of land and paid no tax

b. Second Estate: Nobility

- less than 2% of population

- great wealth and privileges

- exempt from most taxes

- rich or poor, most defended traditional privileges

- made peasants pay feudal taxes

- sought to strengthen political power

c. Third Estate: Commoners

- 98% of population

- included the bourgeoisie (middle class), peasants, city workers

- bourgeoisie resented the privileges of first/second estates

- believed in equality and social justice

- called for tax reform

- peasants better off than elsewhere but not by much

- no serfdom but still had old feudal dues

- had to do unpaid service for landlords/monarch

- heavy taxes, church tithe, rents

- city workers

- suffered from inflation because food prices rose

- resented privileges of first/second estates

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Images

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