2. France and the Old Regime
 Before the revolution France operated on a
system known as the Old Regime.
 In this system there is an absolute
monarch and three social class: clergy (first
estate), nobility (second estate), and
everyone else (third estate). How you are
treated depends on what estate you are in.
 People have no say in the government
unless the king asks for it (which is rare).

3. Population Breakdown

4. Tax Break Down
Where the government's money comes
from
First Estate
Second Estate
Third Estate

5. Enlightenment Ideas
Enlightenment Ideas
were spreading and
people began to
question some of the
long standing ideas
they had lived by.
People heard words
such as
equality, liberty, and
democracy. They
began discuss these
ideas.

6. American Revolution
People saw the success
of the American
revolution. Many of
the ideas put forth in
the American
declaration of
independence were
Enlightenment ideas.
It was very inspiring to
people to see these
ideas put into action.

7. France’s Economy
France used to be very wealthy, but lately there were a
lot of problems with their economy.
There were several causes for this struggle:
1. Heavy taxes to countries who tried to do business
with France.
2. The cost of living rose for everyone.
3. Bad weather in the 1780’s resulted in food
shortages.
4. The price for bread doubled in 1789 and many
people faced starvation.
5. France’s King, Louis XVI and his wife Marie
Antoinette were very extravagant and spent lots of
money. Bankers refused to lend him anymore
money and he was in deep trouble.

8. Louis XVI
Louis was not a
particularly strong
leader and was often
indecisive. He wasn’t
very interested in
leading the country.
He let his advisers
decide most things
while he spent time
hunting, playing with
locks and spending
more money that
France didn’t have.

9. Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was an
Austria princess who
was married to Louis at
the age of 14 (Louis was
15). France and Austria
were long time enemies.
Many people disliked
her because of her
Austrian background.
She was also disliked by
the general population
of France for her
spending. She got the
nickname “Madame
Deficit.”

10. Impending Doom
Louis put off dealing with the money issue
until France was facing bankruptcy.
Louis knew he needed to raise money so he
tried to tax the Second Estate. The
Second Estate protested wildly and
insisted the Louis call together a meeting of
the Estates – General an assembly of
representatives from all three of the
estates to decide what to do on the issue.
The Estates – General had not met in 175
years.

11. The Meeting
In the past the clergy (First
Estate) and nobility (Second
Estate) always voted together
and won because of the way
the voting system worked –
one representative for each
estate.
The representatives from the
Third Estate were
bourgeoisie or educated
members of the middle class.
They knew about
Enlightenment ideas and said
this way of voting was unfair.

12. National Assembly
The Third Estate decided they would form there
own group and called themselves the National
Assembly. The goal of the National
Assembly was to pass laws and reforms in
the name of the French people.
Three days later when the National Assembly
found themselves locked out of a meeting hall
they broke into a local tennis court and took a
pledge to keep meeting until they had created a
new constitution for France. This became
known as the Tennis Court Oath.

13. Storming the Bastille
 Louis was scared so he
hired Swiss Guards to
protect him (he didn’t
trust his soldiers).
 People saw the Swiss
Guards and thought
Louis was going to attack
them. On July 14, 1789
angry citizens stormed
the Bastille, a prison in
Paris, to get gunpowder
and supplies to fight
back.

14. Great Fear
 After the invasion of the
Bastille a wave of
senseless panic
known as the Great
Fear spread through out
France.
 In October 1789
approximately 60,000
Parisian women rioted
over the rising price of
bread. The women
marched to Versailles
and broke into the
palace.
 They took the king and
queen as prisoners.