HISTORIAN QUOTES + STATS

AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

"The first shot of the war, will drive the State into bankruptcy"

-Turgot

91% of funds to finance the war where loans

this debt consumed 50% of all revenue by 1788

Cost France an estimated 1.3 billion 

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

"In many ways, the peasants bore the burden of taxation, and this made them extremely resentful

-Dylan Ree

peasants gave up ~ 80% of their produce in order to pay rent, dues and taxes (1744-1781)

ENLIGHTENMENT

"The ideas of the philsophies where eagerly adsorbed by an eager public, both aristocratic and common

-George Rude

ESTATES GENERAL

"The calling of the Estates-General facilitated the expression of tensions at every level of French society" - Peter McPhee

TENNIS COURT OATH

"The Tennis Court Oath... had crystallised revolutionary public opinion in Paris" - Francois Furet

599/600 deputies took the oath

by 1788 the average worker was spending ¾ fo their income on bread and by 1789 the figure had risen to 80%

THE GREAT FEAR OF RUAL FRANCE

The Great Fear "allowed the peasants to realise their strength" - George Lefebvre

STORMING OF THE BASTILLE

The storming of the bastille "was the climax of the popular movement" - William Doyle

200 casulties form conflic

crowd released 7 prisoners 

18,000 soldiers sent to paris on kings orders 

FLIGHT TO VARENNES

‘Louis abdicating the throne’ - champ de mars petition

TRIAL OF THE KING

citizen Louis capet “ violated the sovreignty of the people”

EUROPEAN WAR

enemy troops were on french soil - P.Mc.Phee

UPRISINGS IN THE VENDEE REGION

the real crisis of the 1793 was a phenomenon…yet to be invented, inflation - s.scherma

80,000 joined catholic and royal army

30,000 soldiers led to the vendee to counter rebel forces of 20-40,000

70% of all deaths in the Terror occured here

LAW OF 22 PRAIRIAL YEAR II

unleashed the so called ‘great terror’ P.Mc.Phee

RISE OF THE THERMIDORIANS

never again would a powerful group within a committee be able to assert dominance over the government - Anderson

CORONATION OF TSAR NICHOLAS II

bride in black

WITTE’S REFORMS

‘architect of russia’s industrialisation’ - P.Mc.Phee

iron + steel rose form 9-76 million pounds in 1 yr 

cotton rose 2/3rds

BLOODY SUNDAY

‘1905 revolution had destroyed the peoples loyalty to their ‘little father’ the tsar’ - S.Smith

150,000 protesters marched to winter palace

200 killed

400,000 protesters on strike

FUNDAMENTAL LAWS

supreme autocratic power belongs to the Tsar

WW1

“we live in a volcano” - unknown soldier

400 men lost in the battle of tannenburg and masurian lakes (august + september 1914)

4. million soldiers losyt in 12 mths (killed or captured)

1/3rd did not have a rifle

FEBUARY REVOLUTION

they are shooting at our mothers and sisters - soldier

‘hooligan movement’ - Tsarina 

costs increased 300% from prewar - wage sonly increased 100%

Petrograd only recieved 1/3 of food and fuel requirements

250,000 protesters began to strike  

DUAL AUTHORITY

the provisional government had “ authority but no power” and the soviet ahd “power but no authority - Kerensky

JULY DAYS

power can no longer be taken peacefully - Lenin

EXPULSIONS OF THE GIRONDINS

the revolution, like Saturn began successively devouring its children - Griondin deputy

29 executed - most committed suiside 

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

the machine gun became for them the principle instrument of political persuasion - R.Pipes’

Bolshevisk got 24% of seats - SR’s won 52

Closed assembly with 5000 pro-bolshevisk soldiers 

RED TERROR

the CHEKA became an organ of terror - S.Fitzpatrick

GRAIN REQUISITIONING

brigands beating and torturing peasants until the required amount of grain was handed over - O.Figes 

15,000 grain requisitioning agents killed by peasants

TENTH PARTY CONGRESS BAN ON FRACTIONS

The party was to be run as a dictatorship - R.Pipes

INTRO TO THE NEP

‘strategic retreat “ “temporary breathing space” Lenin

grain + industry rose 100%

electricity 300%

grain rec replaced with 10% tax 

CIVIL WAR - RED ARMY

the bolsheviks were the lesser evil - S.Fitzpatrick

75,000 tsarist officers enlisted by Trotsky

4 million conscripts deserted 

won 2:1 to the whites 

TREATY BREST LITOVIK

lost its ‘bread basket’ - 40% of food, 34% population

NEW DECREE”S

passed 116 reforms in first 2mths

CONSITUTENT ASSEMBLY

Bolshevisk got 24% of seats - SR’s won 52

Closed assembly with 5000 pro-bolshevisk soldiers 

WAR COMMUNISM

15,000 grain requisitioning agents killed by peasants

petrograd = >1000 calories per day 

harvests dropped 40% , only 37% of pre-war levels 

50% people relied on illigal bag trade for calories 

industrial output fell 75%

KRONSTADT REVOLT 

50,000 soldiers ended the revolt 

‘reddest of the red’ - trotsky 

POTEMKIN MUTINY TRIGGERED ODESSA MASSACRES

2000 pro-mutineers protesters killed

APRIL THESIS

established the bolshevisk as a credible alternative source of leadership , recreuited 360,000 members 

KORNILOV AFFAIR 

15,000 anti-gov  troops atatcked petrograd

FEDERALIST REVOLTS

60/83 departments revolted from April 1793

WOMENS MARCH TO VERSAILLE

30,000 ppl

CHAMP DE MARS

50 ppl killed

INVASION OF TUILERIES - 20th JUNE 1792

8000 demonstators marched to the hotel de ville

SEPTEMBER MASSACRES

60,000 enloisted to fight after verdun fell

1200 prisoners killed ~ 200 preists 

CAHIER DE DORLEANCE

25,000 cahier de dorleance drawn up

90% mentioned supporting liberal ideas 

40% supported voting by head 

TAXES 

peasants gave up ~ 80% of their produce in order to pay rent, dues and taxes (1744-1781)

TSAR ABDICATION

he was a patriot above all else” - O.Figes

Economics of the terror

British ships on the ports blocking food inwards

Less men to Labor on farms due to mandatory conscription

Many federalist revolts occured in agricultural areas

125g meat Every 10 days in Paris

Law of maximum - price control on food to protect poor against inflated food prices

When abolished it made things worse + poor harvest of 1794 ‘arguably the worst harvest of the century’ Mc Phee

Army had priority of civilian population of food - long severe winter + shortages of horses and wagon due to army

Paris became severe - assignat declined furtheer due tot he previous inflation - printing more money

Aug - dec 1794 assignat fell further 10% of face value

March 1795 meat rose 300% and butter 100%, assignat was 8% of face value

April 1795 food prices where 750% higher than they had been in