The French Revolution

• French Revolution key information:

  • French Revolution led to the end of monarchy in France
  • Society based on privileges gave way to a new system of governance
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man during the revolution announced the coming of a new time
  • Idea that all individuals had rights and could claim equality became part of a new language of politics
  • Notions of equality and freedom emerged as central ideas of a new age
  • Anti-colonial movements in India, China, Africa, and South America produced innovative ideas
• • French Revolution started a chain of events that led to the execution of the king in France
• French Society in the late eighteenth century:

  • Louis XVI ascended the throne of France in 1774
  • France helped American colonies gain independence from Britain, adding to the debt
  • French government faced financial crisis due to wars and extravagant court expenses
  • French society divided into three estates, with only the third estate paying taxes
  • Peasants made up about 90% of the population but owned a small portion of land
  • Nobles and clergy enjoyed privileges like exemption from taxes
• • Peasants had to pay taxes to the state, including direct tax (taille) and indirect taxes on everyday items like salt and tobacco
• Subsistence crisis in France:

  • Population growth led to increased demand for foodgrains
  • Production of grains could not keep pace with demand, leading to rising bread prices
  • Workers' wages did not match the rise in prices, widening the gap between rich and poor
  • Droughts and hail reducing harvests led to frequent subsistence crises during the Old Regime
• Emergence of the middle class in France:

  • Middle class emerged in the eighteenth century through overseas trade and manufacturing
  • Middle class believed in a society based on merit, freedom, and equal opportunities
  • Philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau advocated for a society without birth privileges
  • Locke's "Two Treatises of Government" refuted the divine and absolute right of the monarch
• Georges Danton's experience in the Old Regime:

  • Danton faced difficulties finding a career due to lack of noble birth or patronage
  • Education provided without opportunities to utilize talents
• Arthur Young's observations in France:

  • Criticized those who mistreated slaves and warned of dangers in the situation of 1787
• In 1787, Young criticises the idea of "slaves" and is criticising the system of privileges
• In 1787, Young senses dangers in the situation, particularly related to the system of privileges
• Rousseau proposed a form of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives
• Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the government between the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary
• The model of government proposed by Montesquieu was put into force in the USA after the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain
• The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example for political thinkers in France
• The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives
• Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates General on 5 May 1789 to pass proposals for new taxes
• Members of the third estate demanded that voting in the Estates General be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member would have one vote
• On 20 June 1789, members of the third estate declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch
• On the night of 4 August 1789, the National Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes
• The Constitution of 1791 in France aimed to limit the powers of the monarch and separated powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary, making France a constitutional monarchy
• The Constitution of 1791 began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, establishing rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, and equality before the law
• The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected
• Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a labourer's wage were given the status of active citizens, entitled to vote
• The revolutionary journalist Jean-Paul Marat commented on the Constitution drafted by the National Assembly, criticising the representation of the people and the influence of wealth on the law
• Louis XVI signed the Constitution but entered into secret negotiations with the King of Prussia
• Neighbouring countries like Prussia and Austria were worried by the developments in France and made plans to send troops to put down the events
• In April 1792, the National Assembly declared war against Prussia and Austria
• Thousands of volunteers joined the army, seeing it as a war of the people against kings and aristocracies all over Europe
• The Marseillaise, composed by poet Roget de LíIsle, became the national anthem of France
• The Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society
• Political clubs, like the Jacobins, became important rallying points for discussing government policies and planning actions
• The Jacobins mainly consisted of small shopkeepers, artisans, servants, and daily-wage workers
• The sans-culottes, a group within the Jacobins, wore long striped trousers and the red cap symbolising liberty
• In August 1792, the Jacobins stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, leading to the imprisonment of the royal family
• On 21 September 1792, the Convention abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic
• The Reign of Terror from 1793 to 1794 was a period of severe control and punishment led by Robespierre
• During the Reign of Terror, ex-nobles, clergy, and even members of Robespierre's own party were arrested, tried, and guillotined if found guilty
• Robespierre's government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices, rationed meat and bread, and forced peasants to sell grain at fixed prices
• Robespierre was convicted in July 1794, arrested, and sent to the guillotine
• The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power, leading to the introduction of a new constitution and the Directory