History - The French Revolution

Estates General / National Assembly → May, 1789

• First and second estate figured they would dominate the estates general as they had in the past b/c each estate met seperately (1st and 2nd estates alwayd out vote the 3rd estate 2-1)

• The king allowed the old rulers to apply rather than allowing each delegate a vote which would have given the 3rd estate a majority

• After weeks the 3rd estate transformed itself to the national assembly

• The new national assembly took the famous tennis court oath, June 20, 1789 → vowing to not disband until they had a constitution

• Abolished absolute monarchy → started beginning of a representative democracy

Storming of the Bastille, July 14, 1789

• Louis XIV appeared to try to make peace with the 3rd estates and yielded to many of their demands

  • Meanwhile he was attempting to move foreign mercenaries into Paris → he could no longer trust his own troops

  • In reaction to these troops the people of Paris stormed the Bastille a french prison / fortless locking powder and weapons

  • This forced Louis to give up plans of reinforcing Paris with foreign troops

• It reduced the kings power and strengthened the national assembly

• Became symbolic act of the revolution → July 14, 1789 is comparable to July 4 in the US great fear late summer 1789

• Rebellion spilled out of Paris

• Rumors fed the interest of the peasants and 3rd estate

  • Rumors started - the nobles were hoarding food and hiring soldiers to subdue the peasants

  • Peasants reacted violently in many cases raiding manor houses of the nobles and destroying property and tax records

March on Versailles (October, 1759)

• Women outraged by the rising price of bread marched 12 mins to Louis XIVs palace at Versailles

• They killed 3 guards and demanded the king and his family remain virtual prisoners for the remainfer of their lives

• Some nobles and members of the 1st estate began the “switch” sides when the Great Fear swept through France

Reforms Adopted by the National Assembly

• Liberty, equality, tratenity (brotherhood)

• Adopted the declaration of rights of man and of the citizens (August 26,1789) → contained many of the ideals of the revolution / enlightenment. Inspired by the declaration of independence and US constitution

• Limited monarchy → after 2 years of debate adopted the constitution of 1791 → king held on to executive power to enforce laws but on elected lawmaking assembly would make the laws

• Abolished Frances traditional feudal provinces and divided france into 83 new departments each governed by elected councils

Catholic Church Put Under State Control

• Including church lands → some of which were sold to pay off national debt

• Church officials were to be elected and paid as state officials

• This alarmed many of the more conservative French peasants

• These changes “drove a wedge” between the peasants and other members so of the 3rd estate

• Reforms adopted by Nat. Assembly Cont.

  • Peasants would now often oppose further revolutionary changes

• The king approved these measure/reforms reluctantly

  • He attempted to escape and was captured

  • Now seen by many as a traitor

• In Sept. of 1791 the National Assembly stepped down and the newly elected Legistlative Assembly took power

Legislative Assembly (Sept. 1791)

• Split into factions - divided government

  • Conservatives (right) who opposed more changes in government

  • Radicals (left) those who wanted more sweeping changes

  • Moderate (centrists/center) wanted some reforms but not as many as the radical

French Plague

• Monarchies around Europe were frightened of the revolution spreading and began to mobilize against France (austria in particular)

• Marie Antoinette’s brother, emperor of austria, threatened to intervene in the revolution → this led the legislative assembly to declare war on austria

Paris Commune (Spring, 1792) Going Radical

• Food shortages defeats in war led Paris radicals to take control of Paris → became a commune a popularly run city council

  • This led to a Parisian mob storming Tuilleres (royal palace in paris) an imprisoning the kinga nd queen and an attack on the legislative assembly

• This threat also led to the legislative assembly abandoning the idea of a limited monarchy and dissolving itself to allow a new legislative to be elected

National Convention (Sept. 1792)

Radical Government

• The Jacobin Club (a radical political group) took control of the national convention → very radical → led by Danton and Marat.

  • Abolished the monarchy and excecuted the king (Jan 21st 1793) and Queen (months later)

  • Gave all adult male citizens the right to vote

• Committee of public safety - April, July 1793 Committee of 12 members formed to prepare france for war and to root out internal enemies (enemies within the french population) of the revolution - a de facto government

  • Some regions/towns of France openly rebelled against the national convention

Maximilian Robespierre

Gained control of the committee of public safety and had almost dictatorial powers → abused his powers to kill off rivals to his power (danton)

Reign of Terror

Period of great tension and chaos where up to 40,000 people were killed or executed in approx. 12-18 months (14,000 of which by guillotine)

• Revolutionary armies brought rebellious area under control

• Most executions occurred in regions that had rebelled

• Robespierre attempts to create a “republic of virtue” and tries churches, changed the calendar

• Eventually Paris turned on Robespierre and he was guillotined himself - Juky 28th, 1794

Nww Citizen Army

Used conscription (draft) to increase the size of France’s army

• By summer of 1794 huge army had defeasted most rivals even conquering the austrian netherlands

Directory

(Moderate) Established in Nov. 1795 - new government established after the reign of terror → much more moderate government (becomes corrupt quickly)

Moderate or Radical?

National Assembly - Moderate

Legislative Assembly - Moderate

National Convention - Radical

Committee of Public Safety - Radical

Directory - Moderate