Dr. Mahipal Singh Rathore
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What was it?
A 10 year period of events in France from 1789 to
1799 that led to wide ranging political and social
change and has had a huge impact on modern
world
The revolution abolished monarchy, made France a
republic and ended in dictatorship of Napoleon
Political - The Bourbon despots
Louis XIV (1643-1715)
• Absolute despot
• Centralisation of power
• MANY Wars- France in
debt
Louis XV (1715-74)
• Debt increased due to
defeat in 7 years war
• Not a good administrator
Louis XVI (1774-92)
• Well intentioned but could not bring bold
reforms
• Backtracked from decisions easily
• Austrian wife – Marie Antoinette (Bad
advisor)
• American war of Independence – French
help ruined France itself for no gains
Social Cause
Division of French society – Ancien Regime
First Estate Second Estate Third Estate
Clergy (Church) Nobility Farmers, Artisans, Factory workers, Traders, Lawyers, Public officials
1 lakh 4 lakh 2.7 Crore ~95 % of population
10% land 25 % land
• No tax on 1st and 2nd estate
• Lavish lifestyle of nobility
• High point of French culture- 18th century
• 3rd estate – drowning in various taxes
• Educated middle class- Bourgeoisie
• Urban workers- poor conditions
Economic Cause
• Rising population
1700 - 2 crore
1789 - 2.8 crore
• High debt of war lead to large interest payments – Half of total national budget went to debt repayments
• Harsh winter – Crop failure –Food prices – Famine
• Angry peasants and common people
Intellectual Cause
Age of enlightenment
Development of Science and philosophy, rational thinking
Famous Thinkers and Philosophers :
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau – people's sovereignty
Immanuel Kant
Montesquieu- Separation of church and state
Voltaire – Freedom of speech and expression
• Intellectuals started to Questioned the King’s right to
rule, his mandate from God, role of Catholic Church
• These ideas spread via newspapers, books and Salon
discussions
Timeline
1789 - Estate General
1789-91 - National Assembly
1791-92 - Legislative Assembly
1792-95 - National Convention (Reign of Terror)
1795-98 - Directory Rule
1799 - Coup d'état by Napoleon
Estate general – 5th May 1789
• A super parliament with representatives from all
estates
• First meeting in 175 years
• Agenda- manage the financial crisis (Raise taxes)
• Delegates - 300 + 300 + 600
• Deadlock over voting rights
• The third estate declares itself as National Assembly
• Louis XVI locked out the ‘National Assembly’ from
main hall
• They take the ‘Tennis Court Oath’ – Not to disband
until a constitution is in place
June
• All over France , peasants revolt against their local feudal lords – loot granaries & chateaus, burn land records (the Great Fear)
• Riots in Paris in support of assembly and against King’s action
• Breakdown of law and order; revolutionary spirit takes over
• Louis XVI orders military to assemble in Paris and outside Versailles
Storming of the Bastille 14 July 1789
• Fort used as prison
• Symbol of royal oppression
• Bastille prison looted and torn down by rioters
• Mainly to get weapons
• ‘Bastille day celebrations’
• National Assembly (later became National Constituent Assembly) ordered abolition of feudalism and levied uniform taxes for all
• Many nobles fled to neighbouring countries in Europe (Émigrés)
• Clergy reduced by 1/3rd – made civil officers
• Pope Angry!
Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen
A statement of intent for const.
Bases on Ideas of enlightenment
Human and civil rights – Liberty
property Security
One of the most documents of
World along with Magna Carta,
US Bill of rights
• The concepts of Liberty Equality and Fraternity were
enshrined in this declaration
• “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights’’
• Women and Slaves – No rights as citizens!
• October 1789
• Harsh economic conditions and food shortages
• Rumours of party in Versailles while Parisians were
struggling for bread
• 7000 Women assembled and marched to palace
• Asked the royal family to move to PARIS
1790
• Political groups/parties emerged
• Const. was being written down
• Many clubs formed having their own thoughts/ideas
about the change/revolutionary process
• Ex: Jacobins - Radical revolutionaries
Girondins - Liberals
Society of Revolutionary Republican women
Jacobin Club
• Composed of people from mainly poor
classes - artisans, daily workers
• They believed that power had been
consolidated by upper/prosperous middle
class and wealthy traders
• Their leader was Maximilien de Robespierre
• ‘Sans Culottes’ – below knee pants
1791
• King Louis tried to escape to Austria from France but was
caught
• This led to demands for ‘Republic’ from people(Jacobins)
• The Const. Assembly was in favour of constitutional
monarchy like Britain
• People protested – National guards sent to suppress
them – protestors massacred
Legislative Assembly
• September 1791
• New constitution
• King restored as head of state
• System failed within a year because of different
demands of various parties and groups (mainly
Girondins and Jacobins) . Also Louis secretly tried to get
help from other kings
• Neighbouring monarchs were getting scared of all
the anarchy and revolutionary fever spreading in
France
• Austria and Prussia declared support for French
Monarchy (Declaration of Pillnitz)
• France attacked Austria + Prussia in April 1792
Late 1792
• August - King and family attacked by radicals in
Paris
• Monarchy suspended – King had tried to help
Prussia Austria
• Leg. Assembly suspended itself
• Republican constitution to be made, Elections
announced
• King Louis put to trial and sentenced to death
(January 1793)
• British, Dutch and Spain joined Austria and
Prussia in the ‘coalition’ against France after
Louis’ execution –
‘’The War of First Coalition’’
La Marseillaise
• French National Anthem
• Written By Claude de Lisle
• Revolutionary song to rally people to fight
against Austria and other invaders
• Sung by soldiers marching from ‘Marseille’
The National Convention
Sept 1792- Oct.1795
• Third govt. of the revolution
• Elected by extending suffrage – all 21+ male
• Monarchy abolished – True Republic
• A small group ‘Committee of Public Safety’ created
which took all control/major decisions
• This committee was dominated by Jacobins
The Reign of Terror
• June 1793-July 1794
• Maximilien Robespierre
• 16000 ‘enemies of the revolution’
guillotined (executed)
• Marie Antoinette executed
• Churches destroyed and closed down
• Slavery abolished (Napoleon re-instated it)
• New Calendar – 10 hour a day, 100 minutes an hour
,10 days a week
• Food shortages due to war – Food from rural to
urban areas. Regulation of prices
• Finally people got sick of Jacobins
• Jacobins were banned and Robespierre himself was
executed
The Directory 1795-99
• New constitution in 1795
• Affluent middle class took control
• No property- no right to vote
• Bicameral legislature
• Executive body established with 5 directors (to avoid dictatorship
like Robespierre)
• Napoleon led French victories in Italy and Austria – ending the
war of first coalition
The Consulate 1799-1804
• 30 year old military general Napoleon Bonaparte did a
coup against the directory rule and established the
‘Consulate’
• 3 consuls
• Napoleon himself as the FIRST CONSUL of France
• In 1804, he declared himself as the ‘Emperor of France’
Did the revolution change much?
• Absolute monarchy to Military dictatorship
• Church restored by Napoleon
• Nobility returned back to France
• Even Bourbon monarchy restored in 1815
• Condition of Women and slaves – no change
• Farmers & workers conditions – not much changed
Legacy
• Constitutional monarchy - powers of kings limited
• Power of nobility/remaining feudalism gone forever
• Church’s power highly diminished – era of religious
tolerance
• Power transferred from nobility to people, especially
bourgeoisies (middle class)
• Ideas of rights of man were long lasting – laws apply equally to everyone , Liberty Equality Fraternity
• Rise of humanitarian movements
• Spread of Nationalism in Europe
• Women- education, marriage, freedom to start business & trade