Chapter 3 – The French Revolution

Explain how absolute power of the king was destroyed by the events of July 1789.

• The fall of the Bastille destroyed any hope that Louis XVI had of intimidating Parisians with foreign troops.

• He appointed Lafayette as head of the National Guard. He was subject to the constitution from that point on. Shortly thereafter, terror and the Paris mob controlled the country.

What was the Great Fear? Describe the conditions which it created.

• Fear and hysteria swept rural areas, and rumours circulated. They demanded cheaper bread and the suspension of feudal dues.

• There were attacks on manor houses because peasants believed that aristocrats hired vagrants to keep them from the harvest. Peasants helped themselves to supplies and destroyed records.

Explain the rationale for the legislation that abolished feudalism

• Liberal landowners in the National Assembly thought that ending the privileges that came with feudalism would limit the violence in the countryside.

• inspired by the equality and freedom of the American Revolution.

• Landowners later struggled to strike a balance between respecting property rights and ending inequality.

What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and how was it significant?

• It described political and social equality of all people and the rights to liberty, property, security and resistance to opposition.

• Taxes could only be raised by the consent of the people. The rights and privileges of the aristocracy were abolished. The individual would be subject to the state.

What was the effect of bread shortages during the initial stages of revolution?

Briefly explain…• Bread shortages led to civil

unrest in rural and urban areas. Again, rumours circulated that aristocrats were trying to deprive peasants of grain. Sometimes, the crisis escalated to violence and there were sometimes deaths. Women were incensed when they attempted to buy bread for their families and could not.

• About 6000 women marched on Versailles and demanded bread of King Louis XVI himself. He ordered grain supplies to be delivered to Paris and accepted the National Assembly’s stipulations regarding Louis’s use of veto power.

• Louis also gave in to the crowd’s demands that he and his family return to Paris with the mob. From that point on, the royal family was held captive at the Tuileries in Paris. The revolutionaries were in control.

Explain the economic difficulties which existed in France during the first few months of the

revolution.• Though significant changes had been made, the

abolition of feudal taxes and the removal of aristocratic privilege, problems remained.

• There was no tax collection system in place to collect money

• government debt continued to rise. • The government still had expenses; the army and police

had to be paid• the government also fed those who were unemployed or

without food because of shortages. New taxes were introduced and some old taxes were brought back. Many suggested that the government seize Church lands in order to acquire a new source of revenue.

What were the assignats? How did they contribute to inflation in France?

• After it had been agreed that Church lands were to be nationalized, the government issued assignats to its creditors (people to whom the government owed money).

• It was expected that the assignats would be traded in for the Church lands and then destroyed. However, some people began to sell the assignats for money.

• Also, some assignats were not destroyed after trade and were returned into circulation. The government began to print more assignats and this led to inflation.

• Several years later, the assignats were basically worthless.

Explain the terms of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. How did the clergy react to

the document?• This initiative further brought the Church under state

control. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy reorganized parishes and reduced the number of dioceses.

• Clergy would be elected and salaries would be paid by the state.

• The clergy were to swear an oath of allegiance to the C.C.C. This amounted to the acknowledgement of the supremacy of the French government rather than the pope.

• Most refused and the government issued an ultimatum stating that allegiance be sworn within a week or their positions would be lost.

• Over half the clergy and almost all bishops refused the oath. In the end, the C.C.C. led to increased conflict between Church and state; the Church believed that the revolution was anti-Catholic.

Describe the new administrative structure in

France • As part of the revolution, the administrative

system which supported the monarchy had to be revised.

• Local councils were established to emphasize the importance of local power.

• They were governed by elected officials, in contrast to the appointed intendants of the past.

• Parlements were abolished in favour of district courts. Again, officials were elected.

How was the judicial system reformed?

• The parlements were abolished and district courts were established.

• Officials were elected and cases were tried in local courts.

• The Court of Cassation was the final court of appeal and it ruled on the legality of findings and sent the case back to local courts.

• Judges tried civil cases and juries were selected for criminal cases.

What was Louis XVI’s reaction to the reforms instituted by France’s new revolutionary

government?

• Louis XVI was unhappy about the reforms as they continued to take power out of his hands.

• He was obviously no longer an absolute monarch and he was virtually a prisoner of the state.

• These realities prompted he and his family to attempt escape.

Describe the royal family’s attempted escape on 20 June 1791. What was the significance of this attempted escape both on the royal family and on the future

political system in France?• The royal family planned to escape Paris in 1791

by disguising themselves and traveling in a carriage to Lorraine.

• They were prepared to travel all the way to Austria (Marie Antoinette’s home). The family was recognized at Varennes and brought back to Paris.

• The people were upset over the incident and it guaranteed the king’s fate. The king and queen were charged with treason.

• As a result, changes to the Constitution were made.

Briefly describe the terms of the Constitution of 1791.

• Several changes to the Constitution were made as a result of the king’s attempted flight.

• He was forced to abdicate if he left the country for more than two months.

• He could not control the army and veto power was limited to four years.

• Male citizens over 25 who paid taxes were able to vote. • The Assembly would be elected and the king would not

have power to dissolve it. • The powers of the three branches of government were

divided (executive, legislative, judicial), and the king could not use his veto in judicial or constitutional matters.

Explain the origins and philosophy of the Jacobin Clubs. What role did the clubs play in the evolution of

political ideas in France?

• The Jacobin club originated in 1789 as Club Breton when Brittany’s representatives to the Third Estate met separately before the Estates General. Later, when the group began to meet at the Jacobin convent, they became known as the Jacobins.

• The Jacobin club became the center of public debate and revolutionary discussion. Soon, some members would leave the Jacobin club in favour of other clubs (Feuillants – supported the monarchy, Girondins – wanted moderate revolutionary change).

• What was left was a group that would steadily become more radical. They wanted a republic with a centralized government.

Explain the origins of our modern understanding of

the political “left” and “right”.

• These terms come from the seating arrangement in France’s Legislative Assembly.

• The Jacobins sat to the left of the speaker (“the Mountain”), the Girondins sat next to the Jacobins, but near the center and the more conservative members sat right of the speaker.

• Because the Jacobins were more radical, “left” has been associated with radicalism and “right” with conservatism because of the philosophy of members who sat to the right of the speaker.

Briefly describe the September massacres. What was the

significance of this event • Once again, hysteria and rumours

spread throughout Paris. There were rumours that 3000 prisoners in Paris were planning to stage an uprising. French citizens panicked, believing that if the uprising took place, other European powers would try to dismantle the French republic.

• Already, monarchs from around Europe condemned the revolution.

• As a result, a French mob stormed the prisons and 1100 prisoners were killed in five days, all in the name of the republic.

• The September Massacres were significant because they began the Reign of Terror that was about to sweep through the nation. The guillotine had already been installed to facilitate executions.

Describe the difference of opinion voiced by the Girondins and the Jacobins regarding the fate of the king.

What was the result of the debate?

• All agreed that the king should be put on trial for treason.

• The Jacobins wanted to execute the king while the Girondins wanted less harsh and more merciful.

• After six weeks of debate, it was decided that the king would be executed. This outcome was favoured by one vote difference.

• In January 1793, the king was sent to the guillotine and was followed by his wife a few months later.

• This decision put power into the hands of the Jacobins, the more radical of the groups. This would set the tone for the Reign of Terror that was to follow.

What was the Reign of Terror? How was it brought to an end?

• The Reign of Terror originated with the Committee of Public Safety. It targeted those people suspected of being counter revolutionaries.

• Even without evidence, those suspected of being counter revolutionaries were executed. This amounted to about 20 000 men, women and children in the next year.

• The victims came from the royal family, the aristocracy, clergy, political enemies or any other suspect.

• In all, about 40 000 people were killed during the Reign of Terror. As a result of Robespierre’s demands for additional power, his supporters deserted him and he was sent to the guillotine. After this, those in power became more moderate and the Terror was over.

What social and cultural changes were implemented by the Jacobins?

• The Jacobins wanted to get rid of the Old Regime and bring in a completely new society. It was called the Republic of Virtue.

• The Jacobins attempted to destroy Christianity by creating the cult of “worship of the Supreme Being”, but this failed.

• People were called citizens and everyone wore simple, cotton clothing.

• They no longer wanted class distinctions or the ornate dress of the aristocracy.

• The metric system was introduced and there was an emphasis on reason.

• A new calendar was created with new names for months and days.

• Also, years were renumbered so that 1792 became Year I of the revolution.

Explain the terms of the Constitution of 1795. How did it differ from the Declaration of the Rights of Man? Why would this difference

be included? Explain the structure of government that this constitution established.

• The Constitution was a return to moderation when compared to the Declaration. The Constitution returned power to land-owning classes and the lower class could not vote.

• There was no mention of rights such as education or work. Freedom and equality were now responsibilities rather than rights.

• This distinction was made as a result of the chaos created by the revolution.

Declaration / Left

Constitution / Right

• A two-house legislature was created (Council of Five Hundred, Council of Elders), in which the former would introduce legislation and then approved or disapproved by the latter.

• Both houses were elected, with one third of each group seeking reelection each year.

• The executive was made up of 5 Directors by the Elders from a list compiled by the Council of Five Hundred. This body would be known as the Directory and would last four years.

What problems did France face during the period of the Directory (1795-1799)?

• The problems of economic distress and military and economic pressure (foreign and domestic) still existed.

• There was a famine caused by harvest failure and the system of assignats collapsed completely in this period.

• Many people lost a lot of money in this period, which led to general unrest and dissatisfaction. Class conflict again became problematic.

• The French people wanted security and stability more than anything.

Describe the Committee of Public Safety. What was its purpose?

• The Committee of Public Safety controlled the domestic and foreign policy of France.

• It was established to defend against European powers who threatened the revolution in France and promoted counter revolution.

• The Committee repressed counter revolutionaries. Robespierre was elected into the Committee and the Reign of Terror began.