History 2950 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Maximilien Robespierre, Secret Police, Formal System
Document Summary
Dr. garcia: preconditions of the french revolution, the events/progress of the revolution itself, the legacy of the revolution. France loses most of its north american colonies (new france) to britain and. France signs an alliance with the american colonials in 1778. France finances the war effort via loans. France bankrolls the american colonials while bankrupting itself. Legal authority came from the people not from the king alone. Criticism of religion, esp. of the catholic church. Bring down the esteem of the old order and the catholic church. Criticism of the old ways of doing things. July 1788: massive hail storm destroys harvest in paris. Previous meeting of the estates-general was in 1614. Done again because otherwise the french crown would run out of money. Clergy and nobles could always outvote the commons. Louis is kind of forced to approve of the national assembly. Had conceded a great deal of his power. Symbolic of the people overthrowing the king.
