History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett
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History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett |
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Updated as of 2 October 05 Today in History: On October 2, 1780, Major John Andrι, a British spy associated with Benedict Arnold, was executed on this day in history. Quote of the Day: "In my view we are much worse off now than when we went into Iraq. This is not a partisan position. I voted for these guys." A senior figure at a military-sponsored think tank as told to James Fallows in "Bush's Lost Year" in The Atlantic Monthly (Oct. 2004) Take the Ann Coulter Quiz Where are you politically? Take the Neocon Quiz and find out. "History is Far too Important to be left to History Professors" Teaching isn't such a novel idea
Bibliography:
History of Disease Contemporary Terrorist Organizations Map of Islamic Terrorist Cells in the U.S.A.
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The Background to the French RevolutionModern World CivilizationSpring 2009 Mao on RevolutionThe Three Estates of FranceOverview of the Revolutions Origins A financial crisis caused the French Revolution just like a financial crisis caused the American Revolution. It would be the loans made to the Americans that drove the French government into near bankruptcy. By this time, the government was into debt to the tune of 1.5 million livre.The French and the American Revolution Saw Ben Franklin as the essence of the Enlightenment. Thought America would become a utopia. Questioned the Old Regime. Raised the social differences to a new level. Consequently, the Revolution would be more violent than usual.The Immediate Cause of the Revolution The immediate cause of the Revolution was financial. Louis XVI attempted to resolve the crisis. He did this by calling for an Assembly of Notables. When this failed, he had to call for the Estates General which had not meet since 1614. When it did, it dismantled the Old Regime.The Cause of Frances Economic Woes Decades of fiscal mismanagement. Privileged sectors would not pay their fair share of taxes. Middle class resentment of unfair taxation. The Third Estate felt they did not receive a fair share of the benefits of society. Ideas of the philosophes found a home among the middle class.Louis XVIs Luck He was earnest and pious. But he was also irresolute and stubborn. He worked under the handicap of being married to Marie Antionette. Who was frivolous, an Austrian, and flirtatious. The French called her the Austrian Hussy.The State of France on the Eve of the Revolution The ship of state was slowly sinking. The Intendants kept the ship barely afloat. The whole legal system needed reform. The method of selection of office holders needed to be reformed too. Since it was based on Venality, the purchase of the position. Office holders did not share the concept of the publics trust.The Parlements Louis XV attacked them, particularly the Parlement of Paris. The parlements were courts, the most important was located in Paris. The last act of Louis XV was to suppress them. The first act of Louis XVI was to restore the system. Most French saw the Parlements as a check on Royal Absolutism.The Church as The First Estate Made up approximately 1 percent of the population (about 100,000). They controlled extensive properties. They operated the schools. Maintained the bureau of vital statistics. Aided the poor.Division of the Church The lower clergy came from the Third Estate. The parish priests were hard working and resented the wealth and privilege of their superiors. Bishops and abbots maintained their links with the Second Estate. Some took their responsibilities seriously, others did not. Many turned over the responsibilities to their subordinates and went to Versailles to be near the king.Complaints from the Third Estate Many resented the wealth of the Church. They complained about the tax exempt status of the Church. Many coveted the properties of the Church. Tax payers hated the Tithe. The Church did offer a Free Gift to the state once a year in lieu of taxes. The peasants were loyal, but the bourgeoisie adopted the attitudes of the Philosophes.The Second Estate: The Nobility The Second Estate numbered about 400,000 or about 2 percent of the population. They too were exempt from taxation. The monopolized positions in the army, navy, church, and state bureaucracy. But they were not a single monolithic class. They had graduations too.The Second Estate At the top were the hereditary nobility, either the princes of the blood or those that could trace their lineage to the High Middle Ages. Those were called the Nobles of the Sword. Everyone else was a vulgar upstart in their eyes. Below them were the Nobles of the Robe. High officials who purchased their titles and could pass it down the family line. Below them were the Hobereaux.Nobles of the Robe They were justices in the Parlements. Other officials fell into this category too. At first the position was purchased, but the title was then handed down in the family . Over time the distinction between the two groups was blurred. In many ways, the Nobles of the Robe had more influence than the Sword.Hobereaux These people were not well-off. They lived off the laborers of their peasants. They could not afford to live at Versailles. They had to collect the feudal dues that were owed them. They feared falling into the bourgeoisie more than anything else. They were hated and during the Great Fear the libraries were burned, especially the records.Status of the Nobility in France Nobles of the Robe entered business. Nobles of the Sword entered the armed forces. Some even fought in the American Revolution such as Marquis de Lafayette.The Composition of the Third Estate The largest group were the peasants. The workers/peasants/sans culottes. The urban elite, businessmen, lawyers, bankers, etc. better known as the Bourgeoisie.The Peasants The bulk of the French were peasants. About 98% were in this category. The status of the peasants was much better in France than the rest of the continent. Serfdom was nearly dead in France, except in Lorraine and the French Comte [Burgundy]. 3 out of every 4 Frenchmen held land. But despite those numbers, most lived in poverty.What was the Problem for the Peasants? Backward farming methods. Overpopulation in rural France. Shortage of quality land. Farmers still used the three field system. Scientific farming methods was lacking. 3/4s of land holding French peasants controlled less than 1/3 of the land. Average land holding was too small. Consequently, some became Brigands.Peasant Grievances in France Inflation -- prices rose faster than the prices he received for his grain. Taxes -- Tithe, Taille, and the Gabelle. The Corvee was disliked too.The Workers or Sans Culottes France had few factories. But each French town/city had wage earners. The urban proletariat felt the pain of inflation and rising prices, especially bread and wine.The Bourgeoisie Never felt the pain and suffering of the other groups. They resented the abuses of the nobility. They resented the taxes they had to pay. They opposed the restrictions on trade, ie., internal taxes and guild privileges. They particularly hated the snubs from the nobles. They wanted political rights that corresponding to their status.The Economic Situation in 1788 The French debt tripled between 1774-89. Now the debt rose to 4.5 Million Livre. Much of the debt was interest. Louis XVI appointed Turgot as chief minister in 1774 to get the debt in order. Turgot sympathized with the physiocrats.Turgots Plan Economy in governmental operations. Curtail the guild monopolies. Lifted restrictions on internal transportation. Replaced the corvee with a tax on nobles and commoners alike.Fall of Turgot The nobles rebelled and approached the Queen. The Queens influence led to Turgots fall. Turgots advice to Louis XVI: Remember sire, that it was weakness which brought the head of Charles I to the block. Louis XVI didnt listen to Turgot, and borrowed more money. Then in 1786 the bankers stopped loaning money.After Turgot The Third Estate demanded tax relief. Louis XVI turned to Calonne, who became the Finance minister. He thought the best method was to return to the reforms of Turgot. In order to accomplish this he had the king summon the Assembly of Notables. But they would not agree. The king dismissed both Calonne and the Assembly.The Kings Response He unilaterally leveled a uniform tax on land regardless of the status of the property owner. The clergy cut off their free gift. The Parlement of Paris declared it to be unconstitutional. They said only the Estates General could do that. The King retreated and called for the Estates GeneralMeeting of the Estates General It was assumed that the First and Second Estates would vote as one. The selection process occurred during a mounting economic and social crisis. Unemployed peasants moved to the cities. Grain shipments were reduced because of the weather. By the Spring of 1789, prices went through the roof.Fear and Loathing in Paris Bread and wine prices doubled. The economic crisis led to begging. Soon violence occurred through out the poor sections of the cities.The Meeting of the Estates General The body was selected and voted by order. Some in the Third Estates called vote by head. Pamphlets were written supporting that argument. One author asked, What is the Third Estate? The answer was everything.The Crisis at the Estates General A crisis developed on June 17, 1789. The leaders were Mirabau and Sieyes. The Third Estate proclaimed itself as the National Assembly. The Third Estate the other Estates to come and sit with them. A majority of the First Estate, mostly parish priests, agreed. The Nobility did not.The Tennis Court Oath The King barred the meeting. Instead, they went to an Indoor Tennis Court and swore that they would not leave until France had a Constitution. This happened on June 20, 1789. The king gave in and ordered them to meet with the Third Estate. The Revolution was on.Porn and the Fall of the Monarchy Many writers of the Enlightenment received pensions or sinecures from the government to write. Many a young writer arrived in Paris to become another Rousseau or Voltaire. Instead they had their faith shattered because of the corruption of the system. The only way for them to live was by either writing porn or being police spies.What did the People Read?Les Liaisons Dangereuses was one such bookThe Themes often Attacked the Privileged ClassesA Case Study Porn allowed them to keep their writing passion alive. They often directed their venom against the aristocracy. It was precisely this training that helped jump start the Revolution. One such fellow was Jean Paul Marat, hero of the Revolution.Voltaire on the UpstartsMessage of the Avant-Garde Writers in Pre-Revolutionary France Used sexual senationalism as a social message that the aristocracy has degenerated themselves to the point that it was impossible to reproduce. The Great Nobles were either impotent or deviant. The wives of the forced to seek satisfaction from their servants since came from the more virile class. Veneral disease and incest had extinguished the last spark of humanity from the Les Grands.
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