Topic 5
Potential Overthrow of The Monarchy
military defeat and the desertion of commanders to the enemy created tension and fear that Paris could be captured
the royal family and Louis were suspected of not being committed to a French victory and Louis actions were seen as hostile to the revolution
in this tense atmosphere, Louis’s political opponents were increasingly determined to overthrow the monarchy
Military Crisis
when was was declared, 12,000 officers had emigrated
a combination of desertion and revolutionary propaganda destroyed the discipline of the regular army, while the volunteers were poorly trained
Marie Antoinette sent details of military plans to the Austrians
Royal Vetoes
there was opposition from refractory priests and counter-revolutinaries who wanted to restore the authority of the Catholic Church and monarchy
27th May, the Assembly passed a law for the deportation of refractory priests
another law disbanded the King’s guard to protect the government from a coup
Louis refused to approve these laws and he vetoed them on 19th June
Rise of the Sans-Culottes
leaders of the Paris sections responded to these vetoes by holding a journee on 20th June to put pressure on Louis
the journee did not achieve its desire and Louis didn’t withdraw his veto
the large number of demonstrators and the Assembly’s inability to protect the King showed the growing power of the sections
11th July, the assembly declared a state of emergency by issuing la patrie en danger
The Federes
the federes were militant revoliutionaries and republicans
they were patriotic and only had 500 members but were a powerful, radical pressure group calling for the removal of Louis
the Girondins changed their attitude of opposing Louis and tried to prevent a rising - they warned Louis that there was going to be a violent uprising and offered to prevent it if Louis would recall the Girondin ministers
Louis rejected their offer
Robespierre was cooperating with the central committee of the federes and in July he put in these proposals:
abandonment of the 1791 constitution
overthrow of the monarchy
establishing a national convention to replace the legislative assembly
a purge of royalist departmental authorities
The Brunswick Manifesto
a manifesto issued by a commander of the Austro-Prussian army was published in August:
to ensure the welfare of France
to restore the liberty of Louis and his family
that Paris set Louis free without delay
if the Tuileries Palace was attacked and the royal family harmed, the Austro-Prussian army would take vengenace on the citizens
Frenchmen were infuriated by foreign intervention in internal affairs
many who had previously supported the monarchy now turned against it
3rd August, the Mayor of Paris demanded to the Assembly on behalf of 47/48 sections the abolition of the monarchy
the assembly refused and this persuaded many that an uprising was necessary
Attack on the Tuileries
9th August, sans-culottes expelled the city council and set up a revolutionary commune
10th August, several thousand men from the national guard and federes marched on the Tuileries
the national guardsmen who were defending the Tuileries joined the crowd and marched on with them
600 swiss guards, 90 federes and 300 Parisians were killed or wounded
this rising was as much a rejection of the Assembly as it was Louis
the rebels invaded the Assembly and forced it to recognise the new revolutionary commune and it now controlled Paris but only Paris
Proclamation of the Republic
following the overthrow of Louis, the Girondin were left in charge
Louis was suspended from exercising powers
the Convention met and September 1792, the monarchy in France was abolished and a republic proclaimed
in the elections to the convention, all 24 members for Paris were Jacobins and supporters of the Commune
The Trial of Louis XVI
the Jacobins insisted on the trial of Louis in order to establish the Republic more firmly
the sans-culottes, on whom the Jacobins relied on more and more, wanted the King tried and executed as they held him responsible for the bloodshed on 10th August
when it came to the sentence, no one voted that Louis was innocent and 693 voted him guilty
The September Massacres
Lafayettes desertion to the Austrians (a leading general deserting) meant who could still be trusted?
panic and fear swept the country and in September, Verdun, the last major fortress on the road to Paris was about to surrender
Paris was under immediate threat from enemy forces and the Revolution was in danger of being overthrown by foreign powers
there was growing concern about the overcrowded prisons which contained many non-juring priests and counter revolutionary suspects
Marat, a powerful figure in the Commune called for the conspirators to be killed
several thousand prisoners were killed, a ¼ being priests and nobles
the hatred for the Girondins, Jacobins and sans-culottes was intensified
The Battle of Valmy
September 1792 at Valmy, French troops defeated Prussians
a significant victory as if the Prussians had won, it is likely Paris would have fallen and the revolution ends
November 1792, the Convention issused the Decree of Fraternity
the French army had to be paid for and fed at the expense of the local population
church lands and land belonging to enemies of the new regime were confiscated - tithes and feudal dues were abolished and these measures alienated much of the population
Execution of Louis
January 1793, Louis was executed
this marked a Jacobin victory in the Convention and it secured their power