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From the Assembly of Notables to the Bastille, 1787 to 89
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Attempts to fix France's finances backfired. Within two years the king had lost control and Paris was in revolt.
Reform fails, 1787 to 88
Finance minister Calonne proposed a new land tax that the privileged would pay. The Assembly of Notables (1787) refused.
Brienne, his successor, also failed. The courts (parlements) said only an Estates General could agree new taxes.
Louis called the Estates General for May 1789.
Brienne, his successor, also failed. The courts (parlements) said only an Estates General could agree new taxes.
Louis called the Estates General for May 1789.
The Estates General and the National Assembly
The Third Estate wanted voting by head, not by estate, so it could not be outvoted 2 to 1.
In June 1789 it declared itself the National Assembly.
Locked out of its hall, it met at a tennis court and swore the Tennis Court Oath (20 June 1789): not to separate until France had a constitution.
In June 1789 it declared itself the National Assembly.
Locked out of its hall, it met at a tennis court and swore the Tennis Court Oath (20 June 1789): not to separate until France had a constitution.
Revolution in Paris and the countryside
Fearing troops would crush the Assembly, Parisians stormed the Bastille fortress on 14 July 1789 to seize gunpowder.
In the countryside, the Great Fear (Grande Peur) saw peasants attack nobles' houses and burn records of feudal dues.
In August 1789 the Assembly abolished feudal privileges and issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
In the countryside, the Great Fear (Grande Peur) saw peasants attack nobles' houses and burn records of feudal dues.
In August 1789 the Assembly abolished feudal privileges and issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
Why did the voting system at the Estates General matter so much?
- Voting by estate gave the clergy and nobles two votes to the Third Estate's one.
- The Third Estate represented most people but would always lose.
- Its demand for voting by head led to the creation of the National Assembly.
Answer: Voting by estate meant the privileged could always outvote the Third Estate.
Calonne and Brienne failed to reform taxes; the Notables refused. The Estates General (May 1789) split over voting. The Third Estate became the National Assembly and swore the Tennis Court Oath (20 June). The Bastille fell on 14 July; the Great Fear swept the countryside.
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