The French Revolution

Outline

What is French Revolution?

Causes
Events of French Revolution
Impacts
Historiography
 What is French Revolution?
• The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a period of far-reaching
social and political upheaval in France beginning in 1789.
• The Revolution overthrew the monarchy
• Established a republic
• Initiated violent period of political turmoil in France and adjacent states
• Finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799.
• The Revolution profoundly altered the course of modern history
• Triggered global decline of absolute monarchies, replacing them
with republics and liberal democracies
• Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important
events in human history.
 Causes
• Some specific causes – specific to France only
• France was in debt – due to Anglo-US War as well as due to
mismanagement
• Price of commodity skyrocketed – people were very dissatisfied
• Bad agricultural production worsened the food situation
• To get rid of debt, the Kind decided to increase the tax!!
• Structure of Society – Class based society – The Three States
• Some general causes
• Like surrounding European states, France was an absolute Monarchy – Louis
XVI was the king but not respected well
• The enlightenment – Rousseau’s Social Contract, Montesqueu’s ‘theory of
separation of powers’; Immanuel Kant’s questioning the providential
authority of the King; John Locke’s natural and legal rights;
 The Three States
• France’s total population 27 million in 1788, the most populous in Europe
• First State – The Clergy
• Consisted of the clergy and numbered about 130,000 people. These people owned approximately 10
percent of the land.
• They were exempt from the taille, France’s chief tax.
• The clergy were radically divided- the higher clergy, members of aristocratic families, and the parish
priests, who were often poor and from the class of commoners.

• Second State – The Nobles

• The nobility, included about 350,000 people. Nobles owned about 25 to 30 percent of the land. They
held many of the leading positions in the government, the military, the law courts, and the higher
church offices. Moreover, they possessed many privileges, including tax exemptions. The nobles
sought to expand their power at the expense of the monarchy.

• Third State – The Commoners – made up the overwhelming majority (98 %) but
land ownership 65 %
• 75-80 % peasants, owning only 35-40 per cent land; over half of the peasants had no lands
• skilled craftspeople, shopkeepers, and other wage earners in the cities
• The bourgeoisie or middle class – merchants, bankers, industrialists, professionals –
lawyers, public officials, doctors, writers etc. 8 % of the population with 20-25 % of land
 The French Revolution (1789-1799)
• From Estate-General to National Assembly
• To get rid of financial crisis, Louis XVI was forced to call Estate-General meeting to raise new taxes. This
was French Parliament, and it had not met since 1614.
• On 5 May 1789, Estate-General opened at Versailles. (300, 300, and 600 delegates)
• The Third State wanted equal voting and taxation for all – the King denied
• On June 17, 1789, it called itself National Assembly and decided to draft a constitution
• Three days later, the door was locked and they moved to the indoor tennis court and took the famous
Tennis Court Oath.
• Louis XVI prepared to use force; on July 14, violent mob stormed the Bastille, a former prison used as
armory and looted the arms; people fearing foreign invasion formed militias;
• Destruction of the Old Regime – Ancien regime
• August 4, 1789, the National Assembly voted to abolish feudalism – the rights of landlords as well as the
financial privileges of nobles and clergy;
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
• On 26 August 1789, the National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
(Olympe de Gouges)
 Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen

• Total 17 Articles – some significant are:

• Article I – Men are born and remain free and equal in rights.
• Article III – The principle of any sovereignty resides essentially in the
Nation.
• Article IV – Liberty consists of doing anything which does not harm others:
• Article VI – The law is the expression of the general will. All the citizens
have the right of contributing personally or through their representatives
to its formation. It must be the same for all, either that it protects, or that it
punishes.
• Article X – No one may be disturbed for his opinions, even religious ones,
• Article XI – The free communication of thoughts and of opinions is one of
the most precious rights of man:
 The French Revolution (1789-1799)
• The King Concedes – armed women marched to the Palace in
Versailles on 5 October and the King left for Paris
• A new Constitution – in 1791 the National Assembly completed the
Constitution and set up constitutional (limited) monarchy
• War with Austria and Prussia – the Legislative Assembly declared war
with Austria in the spring of 1792. On 22 September, proclaimed the
First Republic, after France winning the battle of Valmy.
• Counter-revolution by the Radicals - the sans-culottes, ordinary
patriots without fine clothes.
• The Paris Commune formed National Convention and executed the
Louis XVI in 1793 in Guillotine;
 The French Revolution (1789-1799)
• By late spring of 1793, the Paris Commune formed the Committee of Public
Safety consisting of 12 members dominated by Maximilien Robespierre and the
Jacobines – the left.
• The Reign of Terror 1793-1794 and killed from 16,000 – 40,000 using guillotine
• Robespierre was executed on 28 July 1794.
• A new Constitution was created in 1795 and a Directory of 5 members was
created;
• The rule of Directory suffered from corruption and graft and relied heavily on
military;
• In 1799, General Napoleon Bonaparte carried out a coup d’état, seized power
and proclaimed consulate. In 1802, Napoleon was declared Consul for life and in
1804, he proclaimed himself as the Emperor, Napoleon I.
 Impacts
• The French Revolution became the model for revolution in the
modern world.
• The power of nationalism was first experienced during the French
Revolution, and it is still powerful in existing nations and emerging
nations today.
• The French Revolution spread the principles of liberty and equality,
which are held dear by many nations and individuals today.
• The Old Order was abolished and a new order was established
based on individual rights, representative institutions, and loyalty to
the nation rather than the monarch.
• The Principle of the ‘right to self-determination’ was formulated.
 Historiography
• It was a Class Struggle’-
•  Alexis de Tocqueville (19th century) argued that the Revolution was a
manifestation of a more prosperous middle class becoming conscious
of its social importance
• Conservative like Edmund Burke (18th century), maintained that the
Revolution was the product of a few conspiratorial individuals who
brainwashed the masses into subverting the old order;
• Marxist explanations; 
• In late 20th century, ‘the class struggle’ explanation was
discredited;