INDIVIDUALS

• GEORGES DANTON:


  He was elected the second assistant to the Public Prosecutor of the Paris Commune (December 1791).

  Became the first president of the Committee of Public safety (7th April 1793).

  He was elected as deputy for Paris in the National Convention (6th September 1793).

  Passive presence during the terror as he did not agree with the use of force but believed it wasn't his responsibility to stop Robespierre.

  Guillotined on April 5th 1794.
• JAQUES NECKER:


  He abolished Mortmain (possession of lands by corporations) in August 1779.

  He published a "Report to the King" claiming an income of 10,000,000 livres nationally, to conceal the deficit of 46,000,000.

  He was forced to resign on May 19th 1781.
• TURGOT:


  In 1770 he published "Letters on the freedom of the Grain Trade".

  He maintained a free commerce in grain despite combating the famine of 1770-1771 by compiling a land register for tax purposes and substituting a small tax in money for the Corvee (unpaid work by peasants to upkeep roads).

  He introduced his 6 edicts in 1776 but was met with opposition for wanting to abolish the Corvee, he was dismissed on May 12th 1776 and his reforms were abandoned.
• DUMOURIEZ:


  He entered the French army in 1758 and served with distinction, he was sent on secret diplomatic missions by Louis XVI to Poland (1770-1772) and Sweden (1773).

  In March 1792 he was appointed minister of affairs at the head of a largely Girondin cabinet.

  It is rumoured that Dumouriez wanted to win the war quickly and overthrow the assembly to rule in the Kings stead.

  On the 5th April 1793, he defects to Austria.
• BRIENNE:


  He was placed in control of finance in 1787, through the influence of MA and his role in the first assembly of notables (1787).

  The Parlement of Paris opposed his proposition of a land tax on the privileged higher estates.

  In July 1788 he was compelled to submit demands for the assembly of the estates general.

  He proclaimed France bankrupt by August 1788 and resigned.
• CALONE:


  Became controller general of finance in November 1783.

  He reconstituted a sinking fund in 1784 which involved setting aside money annually to redeem bonds.

  In August 1786 he submitted a plan of reform that involved increasing the taxation of the privileged noble and clerical orders through a proportional land tax.

  In April 1787 Louis removed Calone from office.
• ABBE SIEYES:


  In 1789 he published his pamphlet "What Is the Third Estate?" where he asserted that the third estate was underprivileged and deserved to draft a new constitution.

  In 1795 he served under the Committee of Public Safety for 6 months.

  In October 1795 he was elected to the Council of Five hundred.

  He won a seat on the five member Directory in May 1799.

  On 18 Brumaire he organised the Military Coup and drafted a new constitution. (November 9th 1799)
• NAPOLEON BONAPARTE:

  In April 1791 he was appointed first lieutenant to the 4th regiment of artillery, garrisoned at Valence. 

  Negotiated the Treaty of Campo Formio on October 7th 1797.

  The French Consulate era began with the Coup of 18 Brumaire on the 9th of November 1799 where Napoleon was head of the government as the first Consul.
• LUCIEN BONAPARTE:


  Lucien believed that Napoleon’s growing ambition for power was jeopardizing the cause of democracy.

  He returned the scale in favour of his brother by appealing to the soldiers outside to disperse "the representatives of the dagger".

  It is largely thanks to him that in 1800, the Consulate won the referendum with 99.94% of voters in favour of the new constitution (3 million votes in agreement, with 1500 in disagreement.)
• LOUIS DE SAINT-JUST:


  In 1789 he anonymously published his first poem "Organt", attacked the monarchy, nobility and the church but received little public acclaim.

  In 1791 he published "The Spirit of the Revolution and the Constitution of France".

  He was elected to the National Convention in September of 1792, with his first speech claiming that "Those who attach any importance to the just punishment of a king will never found a Republic".

  He was guillotined on the 28th of July 1794, a day after being arrested.
• JEAN-PAUL MARAT:


  He was editor of the Newspaper "The Friend of the People" (1789-1792).

  After the Flight to Varennes in 1791, Marat claimed that Louis was "unworthy to remount the throne" and denounced the National Convention for not deposing him.

  As a delegate to the convention, he advocated reforms such as: income tax, vocational training for workers and shorter terms of military service.

  On July 13th he was murdered at the hands of Charlotte Corday in his quarters.

  The painting "The Death of Marat" was completed in the succeeding months and his name was given to 21 towns in France.
• Duc d'Orleans


  His Paris residence the Palais-Royal became a centre of agitation and regular salon meetings
• He was a representative for the noble estate and supported the unprivileged third estate


  May 5th 1789
• He took a seat in the National Assembly


  July 1790
• He was admitted to the Jacobin club

  1791
• He was elected to the Convention

  1792
• Philippe Egalite

  He renounced his noble status and accepted this name in 1792
• He was accused of being an accomplice to his son Duc d'Chartres and Dumouriez


  They defected to the Austrians on April 5th 1793
• He was arrested


  April 6th 1793
• He was guillotined


  7 months later
• MONTESQUIEU:


  Published "The Spirit of Laws" in 1748, that was on of the most influential studies in the history of political theory and jurisprudence.

  He classified different governments and applied an animating principle to each e.g. claiming that despotism was based on fear.

  The second of his noted arguments was the separation of powers into the legislative, executive and judicial powers that must act individually.

  It also said that political institutions need to reflect the social and geographical aspects of their community.
• MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE:


  He was appointed as a major general in the Continental Army after arriving in the Americas in July 1777.

  Lafayette became the leader of the liberal aristocrats the Fayettistes.

  On July 15th 1789, the day succeeding the Storming of the Bastille, Lafayette was elected the commander of the National guard and his troops saved the royal family from the invasion of Versailles on October 6th 1789.

  On August 10th 1792, Lafayette was forced to defect to the Austrians to stop the ascent of Robespierre.
• VOLTAIRE:


  In 1717, he was imprisoned in the Bastille for publishing satirical verses that ridiculed the government, especially the Duc d'Orleans who he accused of incest.

  He completed and published "Candide" in 1759 that was a satirical adventure story about a young and naïve Candide that stumbles from one misadventure to the next, like fighting in wars, being arrested and almost burned at the stake.

  He placed emphasis in his work on religious toleration and believed no authority was exempt from criticism.
• JEAN-JAQUES ROUSSEAU:


  Rousseau believed that Voltaire was responsible for fostering the cultural trappings of moral decadence and political subjugation by promoting the theatre.

  His main belief was that, man was born good but it was society that corrupted him.

  His aim through Emile, was to show how the main character became social, moral and rational while receiving a natural education rather than the artificial and formal education of society.

  He believed all laws should originate from the general will and followed Sieyes.
• Sans-Culottes

  Literally meaning 'without knee breaches', clothing associated with the 3rd estate.

  Active from 1792-1795 but the term was adopted by wealthy men in 1795 to show solidarity.

  Wanted a democratic constitution, price controls, laws against political enemies.

  E.g. Anti-Bourgeoise factions of the Paris commune (Hebertists, Enrages).
• Jacobins


  Active from 1789-11/11/1794, persecuted during the White Terror in 1795.

  Constitutionalists, egalitarianism, dedicated to the 'preservation of the natural rights of liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression'.

  500,000 members in 1793, e.g. comte de Mirabeau, Abbe Sieyes.
• Cordeliers


  Active from 1790-1794.

  Wanted democracy to prevent the abuse of powers and infringement of men's rights.

  Denounced Louis XVI after the flight to Varennes (20/6/1791) and organised the Champ de Mars protest (17/7/1791).

  E.g. Georges Danton, Jacques Hebert.
• Girondins

  Active from 1791-1793, and disbanded after the defection of Charles Dumouriez to Austria (5/4/1793).

  Wanted foreign wars to exploit the French Revolution to create an empire, represented the provincial middle class and opposed the 'Paris Mob' (Jacobins).

  e.g. Jacques Brissot, Charlotte Corday.
• Monarchy Club

  Active 1/12/1789-18/6/1791, influence was extinguished after the fall of Louis XVI.

  Friends of the monarchist constitution, wanted fairness under law and regular elections.

  e.g. Mounier, Malouet (liberal nobles).
• Feuillants were centre right constitutional monarchists.
• Enrages were radical Jacobins.
• The Mountain 'La Montagne' or Montagnards were a group of radical left-wing politicians who sat in the highest seats of the National Convention and Legislative Assembly. (1792-1795)
• The Plain 'La Plaine' held middle ground views and sat on the lowest benches at Parliament.
• National Assembly - 17/6/1789 to 9/7/1789
• National Constituent Assembly - 9/7/1789 to 30/9/1791
• Legislative Assembly - 1/10/1791 to 20/9/1792
• National Convention - 21/9/1792 to 26/10/1795
• Thermidorian Convention - 27/7/1794 to 2/11/1795
• Directory - 2/11/1795 to 10/11/1799
• Count Axel von Fersen, scion of Sweden’s most illustrious noble family, was rumoured to be the secret lover of Marie Antoinette, after they met at a Masquerade Ball in 1774.