The Constitutional Monarchy + Reforms of the National Assembly

What was Louis’ response to the fall of the Bastille?

He tried to act in sympathy with the revolutionaries, but there were doubts about what this would mean in practice

Example of Louis demonstrating support for the revolution

He passed measures such as the National Guard having a greater role in guarding his person

What was the impact of the Girondins beginning to dominate the Legislative Assembly upon its election?

Readiness to wage war against counter-revolution increased

When was the Cordelier Club established?

April 1790

What was the stance of the Cordelier Club?

• They called for democracy

• And supported direct action

When was the Flight to Varennes?

June 20th 1791

What was the Flight to Varennes?

It was an attempt by Louis to initiate counter-revolution

What was the Flight to Varennes triggered by?

The new reforms which attacked the church

When was the Champ de Mars Massacre?

July 17th 1791

How large was the crowd at the Champ de Mars Massacre and what did they call for?

• 50,000 - made up of the poorer sections of the Paris population, they were peaceful and unarmed

• They called for the overthrow of the monarchy

When did Louis accept the new constitution?

September 1791

When did the National Convention meet for the first time after the overthrow of the monarchy?

September 1792

When was the Decree of Fraternity issued?

November 1792

What did the Decree of Fraternity state?

That France would support other countries in overthrow of their monarchy

When was feudalism completely abolished?

July 1793

What economic reforms took place in August 1689?

Free trade in grain was introduced and price controls were removed

When was church land nationalised?

November 1789

Why was church land nationalised?

• To make money for the government which was facing a financial crisis, before the tax system could be reformed

• To decrease the power of the catholic church

What percentage of church land was sold by 1799?

25%

What percentage of church land was bought by peasants and what percentage was bought by Bourgeoisie?

52% was bought by peasants

48% was bought by bourgeoisie

When were Civil Rights given to protestants and what was the impact of this?

The end of 1791, it was one of the reforms to the church which generated more resistance

When was the concept of ‘Active Citizens’ introduced?

December 1789

Who could vote for electors?

4.2 million men over 25 who paid the equivalent of 3 days wages in tax

Who could stand to be an elector?

500,000 men over 25 who paid the equivalent of 10 days labour in tax

What percentage of Frenchmen could participate in some sort of vote?

61%

What lead to an administrative revolution?

The election of representative bodies to preside over Cantons, which peasants dominated in many areas

When was the Gabelle abolished and why, and what followed?

• It was abolished due to violence in Picardy

• Even though the old taxation system was supposed to stay in place until 1791

• Most other unpopular direct and indirect taxes were abolished within a year

When was the guillotine introduced as the universal method of execution?

March 1791

When was Le Chaplier’s Law introduced?

June 1791

What lead to the introduction of Le Chaplier’s Law?

80,000 Parisian workers threatened to strike for higher wages

What was the impact of Le Chaplier’s Law?

Workers organisations, trade unions and strikes were banned

When were Civil Rights extended to jews?

September 1791

What new structure was France divided into?

83 departments subdivided into districts and communes

Two examples of the initial roles of the elected councils which ran cantons?

1. To asses and collect taxes

2. To control law and order and the National Guard

Two powers which were given to the local elected councils later

1. To oversee the clergy taking the oath to the Civil Constitution - this meant many officials in strongly catholic areas resigned, leaving them with no effective government

2. To identify political suspects

How many sections was Paris split into?

48

Two major indirect changes in the tax system

1. Tax farming was abolished

2. The government monopoly on the production, distribution and sale of tobacco was ended

What were the three main aspects of the new taxation sytstem?

1. A blanket land tax with no exemptions

2. A tax on commercial profits

3. A tax on movable goods

What was the impact of the new taxation system?

1. It was based on property assessment from the time of the ancien regime as it was too costly to re-survey, so regional inequality remained

2. It was much fairer in terms of being in relation to income, and the tax burden fell on the producer rather than the consumer

Why were guilds abolished?

They restricted entry into certain trades

For what two reasons did support of the poor decrease?

1. Since the abolition of the tithe and the sale of church lands, the church could no longer afford to pay for the upkeep of the poor

2. An assessment was carried out into the number of beggars, and with an estimated figure of 2 million, the assembly decided it was too big a problem to deal with

When were internal tariffs abolished and what was the intended impact of this?

October 1790, it was intended to allow a national market to develop

What three main aspects of the ancien regime legal system were removed?

1. Regional inequality

2. Different types of law court

3. Letres de Cachet

Two examples of legal system changes which attempted to increase fairness

1. Torture and mutilation were abolished

2. Judges were elected

What part of the new legal system was copied from the English system?

Law courts operated with a jury system

Three examples of reforms which the Church didn’t oppose

1. The sale of church land, as it meant the clergy received high salaries

2. The abolition of tithes, annates and pluralism

3. The shutting of non-charitable monastic orders

What legislative body was introduced under the new constitution

The legislative assembly

An example of two powers Louis retained and two he didn’t

He retained…

1. A veto

2. The ability to support his own ministers

He lost…

1. The ability to use the veto in matters of the constitution or finance

2. The ability to declare war without consent from the legislative assembly

When was it decided by the National Assembly that Clergy must swear allegiance to the Civil Constitution?

December 27th 1790

What was the impact of the Champ de Mars Massacre?

• Martial law was introduced and 50 in the crowd were killed

• Support for the assembly from the provinces poured in

• The moderates had won against popular violence, and the Feuillants were more determined than ever to make an agreement with the king