HISTORY

CH – 1 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

“Power tends to corrupt,
and absolute power
corrupts absolutely”
Lord Acton (1834-1902)
 HISTORY OF FRANCE

TIME PERIOD: 1789 - 1815

BASED ON ENLIGHTENMENT IDEAS:

LIBERTY, EQUALITY & FRATERNITY
THE PALACE OF BASTILLE
▪ 14 July 1789 - The city of Paris was in a state of alarm.

▪ Rumors spread that the king would soon order the army
to open fire upon the citizens.

▪ 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town

hall and decided to form a peoples’ militia.

▪ Several hundred people marched towards the eastern

part of the city and stormed the fortress-prison, the
Bastille.
THE PALACE OF BASTILLE
▪ The Bastille was hated by all, because it stood for the
despotic power of the king.

▪ Its stone fragments were sold in the markets to all those

who wished to keep a souvenir of its destruction.

▪ Historians saw it as the beginning of a chain of events

that ultimately led to the execution of the king in
France
CAUSES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION
1. DESPOTIC RULE OF LOUIS XVI

▪ 1774: Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings ascended the

throne of France. He was 20 years old and married to the
Austrian princess Marie Antoinette.
▪ Long years of war had drained the French financial resources
▪ The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had
already risen to more than 2 billion livres (13 AMERICAN
COLONIES).
▪ To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining
an army, the court, running government offices or universities,
the state was forced to increase taxes.
2. DIVISION OF THE FRENCH SOCIETY

▪ Old Regime – existing

system of Feudalism under
a King and Queen

▪ People were divided into

three estates or social
classes:
First Estate
Second Estate
Third Estate
2. DIVISION OF THE FRENCH SOCIETY

CRITERIA FIRST ESTATE SECOND ESTATE THIRD ESTATE

Consisted of Rich
Clergy of Roman Catholic Rich nobles holding high
COMPRISING OF Businessman, Workers &
Church offices in government
Peasants

ENLIGHTENMENT Against Enlightenment Against Enlightenment Believed in Enlightenment

IDEAS ideas ideas ideas
PROPORTION OF The First and the Second Estate together comprised 98% of the total population
POPULATION of 2% of the total population of France of France
Owned 10% of total land Owned 30% of total land Owned 60% of the total land
LAND HOLDINGS
resources resources resources
Paid nearly half of their
income in Taxes (Taille on
Paid 2% of their income Paid no taxes because
daily commodities like soap,
TAXATION (gained through Tithe) to of a Feudal system of salt & bread, dues to nobles
taxes obligation and no taxes & Tithe to the church
3. SUBSISTENCE CRISIS
▪ The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to
28 million in 1789.

▪ Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand.

▪ Wages were fixed and did not keep pace with the rise in prices.
So the gap between the poor and the rich widened.

▪ Drought or hail reduced the harvest. This led to a subsistence

crisis, something that occurred frequently in France during the
Old Regime.
4. INSPIRATION FROM THE PHILOSOPHERS

▪ Philosophers like John Locke (Two Treatises of Government)

sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute
right.

▪ Jean Jacques Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing

a form of government based on a social contract between
people and their representatives.

▪ In The Spirit of the Laws, Montesquieu proposed a division of

power within the government between the legislative, the
executive and the judiciary.
5. ROLE OF MIDDLE CLASS
▪ The 18th century witnessed the emergence of new
social groups, termed the middle class.

▪ In addition to merchants and manufacturers, the third

estate included professionals such as lawyers or
administrative officials.

▪ All of these were educated and believed that no group

in society should be privileged by birth.
5. ROLE OF MIDDLE CLASS
▪ The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in
salons and coffee-houses and spread among people through
books and newspapers.

▪ These were frequently read aloud in groups for the benefit of

those who could not read and write.

▪ The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further taxes to be

able to meet the expenses of the state generated anger and
protest against the system of privileges.
ESTATES GENERAL
▪ In France, under the Old Regime the monarch did not
have the power to impose taxes according to his will
alone so he called the meeting of ESTATES GENERAL
▪ Estates General: an assembly of representatives from
all three estates to share their grievances.
▪ The last time it was called in 1614.
▪ Met on May 5, 1789 at Versailles to discuss the new
tax structure proposal
▪ Unfair voting practices led to more anger as each
estate had one vote
▪ When the king rejected the proposal of one person
one vote, members of the third estate walked out of
the assembly in protest.
 The Tennis Court Oath
A preparatory sketch for a large painting by Jacques-Louis David. The painting
was intended to be hung in the National Assembly.
TENNIS COURT OATH
▪ June 20, 1789: Third Estate established the National Assembly proclaiming
the end of monarchy and the start of representative government

▪ Tennis Court Oath: The delegates took an oath to stay inside the indoor
tennis court until they made a new constitution for France

▪ They were led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès

▪ Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the need to do
away with a society of feudal privilege
▪ Abbé Sieyès, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet called ‘What
is the Third Estate?’
OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
▪ Problems of the common masses:
▪ Bad harvest
▪ Rising bread prices
▪ Long queues and waiting hours in front of food shops

▪ After standing in queues for long hours, the women stormed the shops

▪ Unaware of his subjects’ problems the king ordered the troops to move
into Paris

▪ 14th July 1789: the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille
CONSEQUENCES OF THE REVOLUTION
1. Louis XVI could not suppress his revolting
subjects
2. Recognized the National Assembly
3. Accepted the principle that his powers
would from now on would be checked by
a Constitution
4. 4th August 1789: National Assembly
abolished the feudal system of obligations
and taxes
5. Members of the clergy had to give up
their privileges
6. Tithes were Abolished
7. Land owned by the church were
confiscated resulting in a collection of at
least 2 billion livres.
FRANCE BECOMES A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
▪ 1791: The National Assembly completed the
draft of the constitution

▪ Main Objective: To limit the powers of the

monarch

▪ Powers were to be shared between legislature,

executive and judiciary

▪ France was established as a Constitutional

Monarchy
LAWS MADE BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
1. NEW DIVISION OF SOCIETY:
▪ Active Citizens (those who had voting rights)
▪ Passive Citizens (those who did not have any voting rights)
▪ CRITERIA TO BE AN ACTIVE CITIZEN:
▪ Gender Restriction: Only to men
▪ Age Restriction: should be above the age of 25 years
▪ Monetary Restriction: Should be able to pay taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
labourer’s wage
▪ PASSIVE CITIZENS: Remaining men, all women, children and youth under the age of 25
years were classified as passive Citizens.
NEW DIVISION OF SOCIETY IN THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF 1791
LAWS MADE BY THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
2. DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND
CITIZEN:
▪ The Constitution began with a Declaration
of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
▪ Rights such as the right to life, freedom of
speech, freedom of opinion, equality
before law, were established as ‘natural
and inalienable rights’.
▪ These rights belonged to each human
being by birth and could not be taken
away.
POLITICAL SYMBOLS
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

▪ Louis XVI entered into a secret

negotiation with the King of
Prussia.

▪ The neighbouring rulers planned

to send troops to France to take
control over the situation.

▪ April 1792: The National

Assembly decided to declare a
war against Prussia and Austria.
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

▪ Thousands of volunteers thronged

from the provinces to join the army.

▪ People wanted the continuation of the

revolution due to limited political
rights only to the rich

▪ Many Political clubs came up who

wanted to plan their own forms of
action.

▪ Politically active women too formed

their own clubs.
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

JACOBIN CLUB:
▪ The most successful political club
▪ Got its name from the former convent of St.
Jacob in Paris
▪ The members belonged mainly to the less
prosperous sections of society.
▪ Included small shopkeepers, artisans such as
shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers,
printers, servants and daily- wage workers.
▪ Leader: Maximilian Robespierre
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

▪ Summer of 1792: the Jacobins planned an uprising of Parisians who were angered by the
short supply and high prices of food.
▪ 10th August 1792: Protestors stormed the Palace of Tuileries, killed the king’s guards and
held the king as a hostage.
▪ The royal family was imprisoned by the Assembly.
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC

▪ Monarchy was abolished and France was

declared a Republic

▪ Established a government elected by the

people, including the head of the
government

▪ No hereditary monarch

▪ Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a

court on the charge of treason

▪ 21st January 1793: Executed publicly at

the Place de la Concorde
SANS - CULOTTES AND THE RED CAP SYMBOLIZING LIBERTY
THE REIGN OF TERROR
▪ 1793 – 1794: Reign of Terror
▪ Government: Formed by Jacobins under Robespierre
▪ Policy of severe control and punishment.
▪ All those who did not agree with his methods – were
arrested, and sent to the guillotine
▪ Meat and bread were rationed
▪ Use of the expensive white flour was forbidden
▪ Citizens were forced to consume the equality bread – a loaf
made up of whole wheat.
▪ All French men and women were now addressed as Citoyen
(for men) and Citoyenne (for women)
THE REIGN OF TERROR
▪ Enemies of the republic like ex-nobles, clergy, even members of
his own party who did not agree to his views were put in prison
and tried by a revolutionary tribunal

▪ If the court found them guilty they were Guillotined

▪ Guillotine: A device consisting of two poles and a blade with

which a person was beheaded. It was invented by Dr. Guillotin

▪ Robespierre’s supporters also began to demand moderation in

his policies

▪ July 1794: Robespierre was convicted by a court, arrested and

guillotined
A DIRECTORY RULES FRANCE
▪ The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the
wealthier middle classes to seize power

▪ Appointed a Directory with limited political freedom

▪ Directory was an executive made up of five members to

safeguard against the concentration of power in a one-
man executive as under the Jacobins.

▪ Regular clashes between the Directors and Legislative

councils resulting in frequent dismissals

▪ The political instability of the Directory paved the way

for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte
DID WOMEN HAVE A REVOLUTION?
BEFORE THE REVOLUTION: AFTER THE REVOLUTION:
▪ Possible work options: ▪ The revolutionary government
seamstresses, sold flowers, introduced laws and improved
vegetables and fruits etc. the lives of women.
▪ No education ▪ Schooling for girls was made
compulsory.
▪ Treated as subjects of their
father or husband ▪ Marriage could not be forced,
was made into a willful contract
▪ Working women had to take
and registered under civil law.
care of their family, queue up for
bread. ▪ Divorce was legal and could be
applied for by both women and
▪ Low wages as compared to men
men.
▪ Origin of women’s political club:
▪ Women were trained for jobs,
The Society of Revolutionary and
they could become artist or run
Republican Women.
small business.
OLYMPE DE GOUGES
▪ One of the most significant politically active women in
revolutionary France
▪ Protested against the Declaration of the Rights of Man
and Citizen as they excluded women from the basic
rights that each human being was entitled
▪ 1791: Wrote the Declaration of the rights of women
and citizen
▪ 1793: Criticized the Jacobin Government for closing the
women clubs
▪ Tried by the National Convention, charged of treason
and later executed during the Reign of Terror
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
▪ Most revolutionary social reforms introduced by the
Jacobins
▪ 1794: Slavery was abolished across all the France
colonies
▪ Caribbean colonies (Martinique, Guadeloupe and San
Domingo) supplied commodities such as tobacco,
indigo, sugar and coffee NANTES

▪ 17th Century: Triangular slave trade between Europe,

Africa and America
▪ Port cities of Bordeaux and Nantes economically BORDEAUX
flourished due to slave trade
▪ After 10 years, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.
▪ 1848: Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
PROCESS OF SLAVE TRADE:
▪ French merchants sailed from the ports of
Bordeaux or Nantes to the African coast
▪ Bought slaves from local chieftains in Africa
▪ Branded and shackled, the slaves were
transported through ships over three
months to the Caribbean
▪ Sold to plantation owners in Caribbean
▪ Exploitation of slave labour made it
possible to meet the growing demand in
European markets for sugar, coffee and
indigo
TRIANGULAR SLAVE TRADE
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
There was very little criticism of slavery during
the 18th century in France. Why?

▪ The National Assembly discussed whether

the rights of man should be extended to all
French subjects including those in the
colonies
▪ No laws were passed fearing opposition
from businessmen whose incomes
depended on the slave trade
▪ Convention of 1794 legislated to free all
slaves in the French colonies
THE REVOLUTION AND EVERYDAY LIFE
▪ Old Regime: all books, newspapers, plays could be
published or performed only after they had been
approved by the censors of the king.
▪ 1789: Abolition of Censorship after the storming of the
Bastille
▪ The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen:
Freedom of speech and expression to be a natural right
▪ Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures
flooded the towns and travelled rapidly into the
countryside
▪ Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large
numbers of people to spread the ideas of liberty and
justice among the uneducated people as well
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
▪ 1804: Napoleon Bonaparte Problems linked with
crowned himself as the Emperor Napoleonic era:
of France
▪ 1815: Napoleon was finally
▪ Censorship
defeated at Waterloo in a battle ▪ Re-introduced slavery
fought with the combined
armies of Britain and Prussia.

Valuable contributions:
▪ Laws for protection of private property
▪ Uniform system of weights and measures
▪ Decimal system
▪ Carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern laws to
other parts of Europe
CONCLUSION
▪ The idea of liberty and democratic rights
were the most important legacy of the
French Revolution

▪ These ideas spread from France to the rest of

the Europe during the 19th century, where
feudal systems were abolished.

▪ Tipu Sultan and Raja Rammohan Roy are two

examples of individuals who responded to
the ideas coming from revolutionary France.
 ASSIGNMENT
1. What was the “Old Regime”?
2. Who was the King of France in 1789?
3. Who was Marie Antoinette?
4. Write any three causes of the French Revolution.
5. Explain the term ‘Subsistence crisis’.
6. Who were the members of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Estates?
7. Explain the voting practices at The Estates General.
8. Write the importance of ‘Tennis court oath’ in the French
Revolution.