the end of the ancien régime p1
Storyboard Text
- we have a problem...
- we demand to see credentials !
- In 1788 Louis XVI was forced to summon the Estates-General due to the political and financial problems in France. The Paris parlement decided that the voting would be by estate or order, favouring the first two estates, and giving the bourgeoisie very little political power.
- it is time for a change.
- In 1789 the bourgeoisie demanded twice the number of deputies and voting by head instead of order. This form of voting would give them a majority, as many First Estate members were parish priests who were likely to support the demands of the Third Estate. In December 1788 the King’s council agreed to double the number of Third Estate, however the voting was still done by order.
- the tennis court oath
- Each estate made a list of grievances/ suggestions for reform called cahiers. The cahiers of all three estates were against absolute royal power and wanted the King’s powers to be limited by an elected assembly. The main disagreement between the Third Estate and the other estates was voting by head. The Third Estate insisted that any elects should have their credentials verified collectively by all three estates. The nobles rejected the demand [188 votes to 46], as did the clergy [133 to 114], however the Third Estate refused to meet until their demand was met. This resulted in the government going inactive for weeks.
- am i going to have to get my troops involved?
- On June 10th 1789 the Third Estate announced that they would be verifying the deputie’s credentials whether the other estates were or not. Many priests joined the estate and on the 17th they voted [490 to 90] to call themselves the National Assembly. On the 19th the Clergy voted to join the National Assembly, who claimed they had a right to manage affairs and decide taxation as they represented most of the nation.
- On the 23rd of June Louis XVI held a Royal Session known as a ‘séance royale’ attended by all three estates. This meant that the hall in which the National Assembly meetings had been held was closed and so the Third Estate had their meeting on a tennis court nearby. Here everyone in the Assembly bar one voted not to disperse until they had given France a constitution. This was known as the Tennis Court Oath.
- When the ‘séance royale’ met Louis XVI declared the creation of the National Assembly void. He did agree to some reforms eg. Lettres de cachet would be abolished, however the Third Estate weren’t satisfied. From the 24th-25th of June 151 clergy and 47 nobles joined the Third Estate. The King gave way and reversed his decision on the 23rd and allowed the Third Estate to vote by head. Louis was considering using military force to dissolve the National Assembly, which caused alarm in the capital. By late June nearly 4000 loyal troops were stationed around Paris.
Over 30 Million Storyboards Created