Phase One (1789–1792) Notes on the Rights of Man, National Assembly, and Early Revolutionary Principles

Phase One Overview (1789–1792)

• Timeframe of phase one: $1789-1792$. The starting signal is often dated to the sacking of the Bastille in July $1789$.
• Aim of the course segment: trace a pendulum between intellectual revolution (ideas) and physical revolution (popular action).
  • Ideas come from the Enlightenment: inherent human rights that governments should protect (or that people can demand from government).
  • These ideas are punctuated and energized by concrete actions from the people.
• Core question guiding this phase: what ideas are influencing events, and how do those ideas interact with real-world actions?

The Intellectual–Physical Pendulum

• The revolution moves between two modes:
  • Intellectual revolution: writing, debating, articulating rights and principles.
  • Physical revolution: protests, marches, protests that push the movement forward.
• This back-and-forth shapes the direction of events during $1789-1792$.

The National Assembly and the Estates General

• The National Assembly forms out of the Estates General after the Third Estate asserts its role.
  • Estates General: representation of three estates (First: the clergy; Second: the nobility; Third: commoners).
  • The Third Estate forms the National Assembly, signaling a shift in political power.
• Tennis Court Oath: the National Assembly swears to continue meeting to draft a constitution (a pivotal moment establishing the Assembly as a governing force).
• Some members from the First and Second Estates join the National Assembly, largely due to Enlightenment ideals.
• Note on terminology: the government names shift repeatedly during this period; for clarity, this summary uses “National Assembly” as a stable reference point, even though contemporaries renamed institutions intermittently.
• Key consequence: the Assembly asserts that the king must rule in conjunction with them and that a constitution will be established.

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (August 1789)

• Purpose: a short, foundational document prepared by the National Assembly to articulate the natural rights of French citizens and provide a constitutional framework.
• Accessibility: it is short and widely available online in English, if you want to read the actual text.
• In context: this declaration marks the formalization of Enlightenment-inspired ideas into a legal document.
• Major themes and provisions (as emphasized in this course excerpt):
  • Equality under the law: ends hereditary privileges that favored nobility and, to a lesser extent, church.
  • End of nobility’s privileges: example given — nobility were the only group allowed to wear a sword in public, symbolizing their armed authority; they also enjoyed tax exemptions.
  • Religious toleration: ends state church privileges; establishes religious freedom so people may worship as they choose; replaces a state church with a plural religious landscape.
  • Freedom of speech: establishes the right to express oneself; note the irony that this right becomes more constrained in phase two.
  • Popular consent to taxes: taxes should be levied only with the consent of the people, via their representatives in an elected assembly.
  • Implication for monarchy: the need for an elected assembly to grant tax consent implies the end of absolute monarchy.
• Contextual note: the declaration is foundational and deeply intellectual, appealing to those who feel the burdens of taxation and political stagnation even as some struggle with immediate economic hardship.
• It is not a full social program; it is a concise statement of rights and political principles.

Key Provisions in Context

• Equality before the law eliminates hereditary privileges enjoyed by the nobility (and, to a lesser degree, the church).
• Religious toleration removes privileges of the Catholic Church as a state church; opens space for multiple religious expressions.
• Freedom of speech codified, establishing an important political principle that initially anchors public discourse.
• Popular consent to taxes implies governance by elected representatives rather than an absolute monarch.
• These ideas connect to the Tennis Court Oath and the broader push for constitutional government.

Why These Provisions Matter (Significance and Implications)

• Conceptual shift: from privilege-based governance to rights-based governance; from monarchy as sovereign source of authority to government grounded in consent and law.
• Practical implications: elevates the role of an elected assembly in fiscal policy (taxation) and politics.
• Cultural and political impact: builds a framework for later revolutionary claims about citizenship, equality, and rights; contributes to the radicalization of political debate and religious policy.
• Limitations and ironies:
  • The declaration is largely about rights and legal equality; it does not immediately address economic disparities that cause widespread hardship.
  • Freedom of speech will be tested and restricted in phase two, highlighting tensions between liberty and political threat perception.

Historical Context and Real-World Relevance

• The declaration reflects Enlightenment ideals—natural rights, social contract, and rational governance—applied to the French context.
• For many peasants and workers, high taxes and economic chaos were pressing concerns; for them, intellectual ideals alone may not resolve immediate suffering.
• The narrative emphasizes that philosophical principles and street-level action reinforce each other, driving momentum in the revolution.

Administrative Notes on Nomenclature and Periodization

• The French government frequently renamed itself during this period; to avoid confusion, this summary uses the National Assembly as the working label for the body arising from the Estates General.
• When reading other sources, expect occasional shifts in naming; the underlying events (Estates General, Tennis Court Oath, National Assembly, Declaration) remain consistent anchors.

Forward Look

• The next file will cover the Women’s March to Versailles, a popular movement illustrating how mass action fed back into political developments.
• The interplay of ideas and action during phase one sets the stage for more intense political, social, and religious changes in phase two.

Quick Chronology Reference (Key Dates)

• Sacking of the Bastille: $1789$, July (often used as the symbolic start of phase one).
• August 1789: Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen drafted by the National Assembly.
• Phase one timeframe: $1789-1792$.

Concepts to Remember (Glossary for Quick Review)

• Estates General: a representative assembly of three estates (clergy, nobility, commoners).
• Third Estate: the commoners who ultimately formed the National Assembly when the Estates General failed to meet the demands for constitutional reforms.
• National Assembly: the political body formed by the Third Estate (and some others) asserting legislative authority and drafting a constitution.
• Tennis Court Oath: pledge by the National Assembly to continue meeting until a constitution was established.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen: foundational document outlining natural rights and political principles for France.
• Relocation of religious policy: shift from a state church towards religious toleration and pluralism.
• Popular consent to taxes: the principle that taxation must be approved by the ruled through their elected representatives.