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Cbse WKSHT On French Revolution
Cbse WKSHT On French Revolution
The Estates
The priests of the country that did parish work. They were responsible
for collecting the tithe.
o The Higher Clergy (6000 people):
Bourgeoisie
Workers
650 000 people in Paris who were afraid of bread shortages. There
were many riots in 1788 due to that cause. They lost trust in the king
because he would buy all the bread and flour and then sell the bread
when the prices increased. These people were extremely volatile
during the revolution and formed many riots and barricades.
Peasants
They were composed of at least 86% of the population. They paid a lot
of taxes but were still supportive of the monarchy and the church. It
was only during isolated instances such as the Great Fear that they
really played a role during the revolution. They were also involved in
the army.
They worked on the lands of nobles, and were basically treated as
slaves. They were anti-Versailles and pro-king. They were very
attached to their king, seeing him as the intermediate between the
people and God. However, they were not pleased with the expense of
Versailles. They were basically the source of revenue with their many
taxes: la gabelle (salt tax), wine taxes, leather taxes. The tithe (la
dme) is paid to the church in which they pay 10% of what they make
within a year. Also, they gave a percentage of their harvest to the
seigneurs which falls under the rights outlined in the feudal system.
Last of all they had obligations to the state, such as military services
or the royal corves (chores) in which they constructed roads, etc.
the Reign of Terror and the cult of the Supreme Being. But as his ruthless exercise of
power increased, his popularity waned. He was attacked in the Convention, arrested,
and guillotined on the orders of the Revolutionary Tribunal.
monarchy. To avert the deepening social and economic crisis, he agreed in 1789 to
summon the States General. However, encouraged by the queen, he resisted demands
from the National Assembly for sweeping reforms, and in October was brought with his
family from Versailles to Paris as hostage to the revolutionary movement. Their
attempted flight to Varennes (Jun 1791) branded the royal pair as traitors. Louis
reluctantly approved the new constitution (Sep 1791), but his moral authority had
collapsed. In August 1792 an insurrection suspended Louis's constitutional position,
and in September the monarchy was abolished. He was tried before the National
Convention for conspiracy with foreign powers, and was guillotined in Paris.
Financial Crisis
Maintenance of Versailles
Necker
Fired in 1781
Fired on July 11, 1789, which enraged the Paris mob and was the triggering effect
With this act, the aristocracy unwittingly signed its own death warrant,
Necker was popular with bourgeoisie and got the king to agree to double the
representation of the third estate.
The words of Abb Siyes in January 1789 became the battle cry of the bougeoisie,
The reps of the Third Estate were mostly composed of those who had more liberal
ideas rather than conservative ideas like the peasants.
Cahiers des Dolances [indicate their concerns and requests for change]
o Development of a constitution
o Equality of taxation
o Evidence of the difference in 3rd estate in rural and urban areas
i. Concerns of nobles hunting rights and the use of pigeon hutches- rural
ii. Individual rights- urban
National Assembly [June 17, 1789]:
On May 5, the king asked the estates to meet separately and vote as a block.
This angered the Third Estate, as they wanted to meet as whole and vote individually.
They started lobbying nobles and clergy to join them, however only a small group of
clergy joined them.
On June 17, the Third Estate felt powerful enough to claim themselves as the National
Assembly, the only legitimate legislation in France.
On June 20, the third estate was locked out of the meeting place.
Left confused and angry the crowd marched onwards to the tennis courts and made an
oath to not dissolve until a constitution was put in place.
On June 27, the king told all the estates to group with the National Assembly.
Angry mobs roamed the countryside with the news of the defiance of the king.
They believed that the soldiers were brought in to destroy the National Assembly and
the revolution,
The firing of Necker and the presence of the army enraged the crowd.
Phases of the French Revolution:
Stirred up by Camille Desmoullins, the angry mob in Paris decided to storm the
Bastille.
They first went to the Invalides and obtained 30 000 muskets and then marched on
towards the Bastille [a symbol of the kings absolute authority] to get ammunition.
They demanded arms and ammunition from the Governor of the Bastille [de Launey]
but he refused and asked the soldiers to fire on the crowd.
98 people died, and the mob freed 7 prisoners and then proceeded to kill de Launey.
Kings Reaction
o
Hired Necker again on the 16th
o
Ordered the troops to returns to the provinces.
o
Recognized the role of LaFayette on the 17th
i. Commander of the National Garde of Paris
ii. His insignia for the Garde, the cockard
1. White to represent royalty.
2. Blue and Red to represent the Paris militia.
La Grande Peur [July 20, 1789]:
The peasants were still the victims of bread shortage and there were rumours that the
nobles had hired vagrants to protect the new harvest from the peasants.
The peasants then attacked the manors of the nobles and any buildings holding feudal
documents
Inspiration to abolish feudal rights [Aug. 4, 1789]: Abolishment of the tithe,
corves, serfdom, taxation, class status
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen [August 26, 1789]:
It asserted political and social equality of all men, the sovereignty of the people, and
the natural right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to opposition,
The king refused to sign the declaration until after the March to Versailles on Oct. 5.
Articles:
o Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be
founded only upon the general good.
o The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and
imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and
resistance to oppression.
o All persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty.
o The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of
the rights of man.
o A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces
and for the cost of administration. This should be equitably distributed among
all the citizens in proportion to their means.
o Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived
thereof except where public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand
it, and then only on condition that the owner shall have been previously and
equitably indemnified.
Womens March to Versailles [Oct. 5, 1789]:
Due to the bread shortages the women of Paris marched onto City Hall where they
were told to go to Versailles, which was 20 km away.
While they marched on in the rain more women joined them until their numbers
reached 6000.
Results: The king ordered the grain supply to be sent to Paris. He agreed to sign the
declaration, which stripped him of veto rights. He agreed to leave to Paris and live in
the Tuileries.
Expropriation of Church Land [Nov. 2, 1789]:
The government was still heavily in debt, and it was the bourgeoisies money that was
being borrowed and the money needed to be paid back.
Civil Constitution of the Clergy [July 12, 1790]:
This constitution forced all of the clergy to take an oath to the state and the new
constitution which replaced the bible. They had to recognize the state as the higher
authority rather than the pope. This resulted in the reorganization of parishes and
there were now elections for priests who were voted on by active citizens. The state
would now pay these priests and they must recognize reason as the Supreme Being
rather than God. This, however, resulted in a schism. The prtres jureurs were those
that accepted and the prtres rfractaires were those who refused to accept the
constitution.
Louis XVIs Flight [Varennes] [June 20, 1791]:
Marie Antoinette was convinced that her family had to leave Paris [due to conflicts].
They were recognized by the National Guardsmen and were escorted back to Paris.
Divisions started to appear within the revolution, making the king happy.
Other Projects/Challenges:
o Govern the country
o Write a constitution
o Destroy all the institutions related to the ancien rgime
While trying to come up with new ideas and making new decisions within the
Constituent Assembly, many revolutionaries started to form clubs.
The Constitution of [Sept. 14] 1791
The Constituent Assembly dissolved for the election of a Legislative Assembly on Sept
30.
745 new deputies were elected, they were either lawyers or property owners.
The powers were divided into the legislative, the executive and the judicial branches.
Passive Citizens
Girondins [Brissotins]:
o In power from Sept. 1792 - June1793
o Wanted a strict application of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
o Believed in federalism
o Were in favour of war against Austria which didnt work out too well
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
The Commune
They were the revolutionary government of Paris who were led by Hbert. They were
more concerned of the short term issues such as bread shortages. Hot heads, workers.
The War against Austria and Prussia [April 28, 1792]:
They were frightened of a counter-revolution and if they lose, the monarchy would be
re-instated.
The Girondins persuaded Louis XVI that France could win a war against Austria. Hence,
on April 21, 1792, the French government declared war on Austria. As Prussia was
allied with Austria, France found itself fighting a war against two countries. The first
foray into the war was in the Austrian Netherlands where the French were not only
defeated but routed. The French army had been emasculated by the loss of its officer
corps. The only factor that prevented a swift defeat overall was that Russia was busy
in eastern Poland. Russia, Austria and Prussia and had begun the partition of Poland in
1772 and neither Austria nor Prussia was willing to allow Russia a free hand in this
second attempt at partition. As a result, the war with France was a secondary matter
and Paris escaped occupation.
The outright attack of the Tuileries by the Commune and some of the Jacobins.
They held the king and his family prisoners of the later Convention.
Paris seethed with discontent throughout the summer of 1792. Hungry, distrustful of
government, and discouraged by failures in the war, Parisians grew increasingly
restless. On Aug. 10, 1792, they turned against the king. The mob stormed the
Tuileries where the royal family was being held. Killing some of the Swiss Guard, they
seized the king and the royal family. They set up a revolutionary municipal
government in Paris. They demanded a new constitution and a convention to replace
the Legislative Assembly. They wanted all male citizens to cast a vote for the electors
who would choose the new government. These elections would no longer have to meet
property qualifications and hence the doors would be opened to the lower levels of the
bourgeoisie.
In the fall of 1792, hysteria, uncertainty and fear gripped the city. Rumours circulated
that 3000 prisoners held in Paris prisons were planning to stage an uprising. News that
Verdun was threatened by the Prussian army was the spark that began what was
called the September Massacres. An angry mob stormed the prisons and over the
next five days about 1100 prisoners were killed. The mob justified their actions by
maintaining that they were preserving the republic. This action was only a prelude to
the Reign of Terror that was unleashed the following year.
The Convention [Sept. 21, 1792]:
The first task of the Convention was to abolish the monarchy and form a republic.
The Republic of France [Sept. 22, 1792]
The Execution of the King [Jan. 21, 1793]:
The Convention put the king on trial in December 1792 for treason.
Led by Robespierre, it tried to establish peach and order in society through controlling
the mob comprised of the extremists and the Commune. This was a replacement of an
autocracy with another autocracy. It was also an attempt at saving the revolution.
Composed of spies and secret police who were responsible for security
and arrested those who breeched it. The enemies of the revolution
were the moderates, the Commune and the counter-revolutionaries.
The Tribune:
Judged those arrested, without appeal, and found them guilty. This
gave an illusion of order within the revolution.
Constitution of 1793:
Revolutionary laws were put in place and suppressed the articles promised in the
Declaration. These laws were put in place to save the revolution and to stop the
return of the ancien rgime at all costs.
Leve en Masse:
Very similar to conscription in that everyone had to help out with the
war effort. Bachelors, aged 18-25, had to serve in the army; married
men made weapons; women made tents and became nurses; the
elderly taught the young children to hate tyrants through
indoctrination; and the children picked up rags around the city to make
clothes.
This law was put in place to keep order within society by stopping
those who were suspected to be a counter-revolutionary or a federalist
(sharing of power between the king and the Convention). In Paris,
250 000 people were killed and in the country, 40 000.
This law was put in place to keep order within the economy and to
stabilize the fixation of prices and goods.
Execution of Marie-Antoinette [Oct. 16, 1793]
Execution of Robespierre [July 27, 1793]:
His opponents wanted to return to normal administration because they feared that
Robespierre would turn against them. Robespierre was then deserted by his
supporters, accused of being a tyrant, arrested and then executed by the guillotine,
the very system he created. This also signaled the end of the Reign of Terror and the
abolition of the committees he instated.
Constitution of 1795 [Aug. 22, 1795]:
This constitution retuned power to the propertied class. The lowest levels of society
were denied the vote and no mention was made of social rights such as education or
the right to work which had been considered so important during the time of the
Convention. Rather than stressing freedom and equality, as had the Declaration of
Rights of 1789, freedom and equality were identified but responsibilities were
emphasized. Citizens were expected to obey the law and respect private property.
The Directory [Oct. 26, 1795]:
The Directory was dominated by the Plain of whom were influenced by bourgeois
values such as profits and money. There was also room for social mobility. It was
considered to be instable, vulnerable and corrupted, basically fragile.
This coup was the Directory (and Napoleon) against the Royalists. The Directory won
and deported the Royalists.
Coup dEtat- Floral [May 1798]:
Directory against the Jacobins in which the Directory cancelled elections and appointed
their friends into power.
Coup dEtat- Brumaire [Nov. 1799]:
Napoleon against the Directory in which Napoleon won and was named the First
Consul of France