Con Mon

• Constitutional Monarchy


  A system of government where a monarch is the head of state but their powers are limited by a constitution
• The reforms of the Constituent Assembly laid lasting foundations for a new governmental and administrative structure
• Paris armed itself in response to rumours of the King using troops against the Assembly, leading to the fall of the Bastille


  July 1789
• Louis XVI had lost control of Paris and had no means of enforcing his will against anyone
• The National Assembly, or National Constituent Assembly, was tasked with devising a new constitution for France
• On July 17th, Louis XVI declared himself "Father of the French, The King of a Free People" and recognized the authority of the National Assembly, Commune, and National Guard
• Only around 8% of nobles left, with many remaining determined to support the revolution
• Shockwaves from the fall of the Bastille were widely felt as power became decentralised
• Most serious, however, were the peasants' revolts
• In the summer of 1789, peasants had stopped paying taxes and dues, which were seen as completely unreasonable given the price of bread
• There was widespread tax avoidance - perhaps up to 66%
• The Great Fear, a series of rumours about aristocratic conspiracies, heightened anxiety in rural France
• The National Assembly, amidst these fears, failed to address peasant grievances and lacked direction
• The ideology of revolutionaries was forged during the crisis, with a sharp move towards radicalism in the summer of 1789
• The Enlightenment had not created a revolutionary mentality, and the Revolution was driven by unexpected events, despite the lack of a clear revolutionary mentality
• In November 1789, the Constituent Assembly decided that Church property would be sold for the nation
• Assignats (government bonds which were bought and exchanged for Church lands) were issued
• By 1790, the assignats were worth millions of livres and became a form of paper currency
• In return, the state took over many Church responsibilities
• New taxes on land and property were introduced, with variations in the taxes paid by different parts of France, and the poor paying less and exemptions being removed
• The more assignats that were printed, the more this currency lost value through inflation
• Poverty was such a widespread problem that it was unlikely to be dealt with effectively or instantly, which was at odds with people's expectations
• Economic reforms


  • Free trade was introduced, particularly in grain
  • Guilds and internal tariffs were abolished
  • A uniform system of weights and measures was introduced
  • Le Chapelier law prevented the formation of trade unions
  • Strikes were made illegal
• Despite these reforms, France's finances remained in crisis
• Most of the reforms promoted bourgeois interests
• The voting qualification based on increasing wealth and the way the bourgeoisie came to dominate local administration emphasised the new status of the bourgeoisie
• The abolition of noble titles in favour of 'citizen' as the revolutionary mode of address also emphasised the new status of the bourgeoisie
• The National Assembly faced a dilemma - peasant support was important, but the threat to property was too much for the bourgeois deputies, many of whom had acquired seigneurial rights of their own
• Liberal nobles, including the Duc de Châtelet, advocated for ending feudal dues and labour services


  August 14, 1789
• The August Decrees established equality in taxation, status, and professions, freeing peasants from feudal obligations
• The Assembly passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, ending the ancien régime and promoting the bourgeoisie's interests


  August 26, 1789
• Article 17 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen emphasised property rights, equality of treatment, and representation in law-making
• 7,000 women marched to Versailles, led by the Paris National Guard


  October 5, 1789
• Upon arrival, the Assembly was invaded, and Louis XVI accepted the August Decrees and Declaration of Rights
• The royal family and Assembly returned to Paris, feeling strain and fearing disorder, property threats, and potential insurrection
• Martial law was imposed in the Assembly, suspending civil rights and allowing government arrests without trial


  October 21, 1789
• The assembly aimed to reform the government, leading to significant achievements
• The bourgeoisie took over councils and established militias to protect the revolution
• Louis XVI refused to accept the decrees, leading to debates about his power to delay or veto them
• In October, rising bread prices led to the Flanders regiment being recalled to Versailles