THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Introduction
● The French Revolution led to the end of monarchy in France.
● It gave idea of equality, liberty and freedom.

 
Storming of Bastille 
● On the morning of 1​ 4 July 1789​,the city of Paris was in 
state of alarm.  
● A group of several 100 people marched towards the 
eastern part of the city and stormed the 
fortress-prison, the Bastille, where they hoped to find 
hoarded ammunition.  
● Bastille was hated by all because it stood for the 
despotic power of the king.  
 
French Society During the Late 
Eighteenth Century 
● Louis XVI belongs to Bourbon family of kings ascended 
the throne of France.  
● He was of 20 year old that time and married to the 
Austrian princess Marie Antoinette.   
● Long years of war had drained the financial resources of 
France.  
● Added to this was the cost of maintaining an 
extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles. 
● Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American 
colonies to gain their independence from the common 
enemy, Britain. 
● 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.  
● The state was divided into three estates:- 
1. First estate : It include clergy. They enjoyed many 
priveleges. They don't have to pay taxes to the state.  
2. Second estate : They also don't have to pay taxes. They 
include nobility.  
3. Third estate: They include big businessmen, 
merchants, court officials, lawyers, peasants, artisans, 
small peasants, landless labour, servants. They had to 
pay taxes.  
● The church too extracted its share of taxes called t​ ithes 
from the peasants, and finally, all members of the third 
estate had to pay taxes to the state. These tax include a 
direct tax called​ t​ aille, ​and a no. of indirect tax which 
were levied on articles of everyday consumption like 
salt or tobacco. 
1.1 The struggle to survive 
● France population in 1715 : 23 million.  
● In 1789 : 28 million. 
● Sudden increase in population led to a rapid increase in 
demand for foodgrains.  
● Therefore the price of bread (staple diet) rose rapidly.  
● Most workers were employed as wage labourers in 
workshop whose owner fixed their wages. But the wages 
were low and price of bread were high.  
● So the gap between the poor and the rich widened 
 ● Things became worst whenever the drought or flood or 
hail reduced the harvest. 
● This led to s​ ubsistence crisis.  
 
1.2 A Growing Middle class Envisaging an end to 
privileges 
● The 18th century witnessed the emergence of social 
groups, termed the​ middle class​, who earned their 
wealth through an expanding overseas trade and from 
manufacture of goods such as woolen and silk textile 
that were either exported or bought by richer members 
of society.  
● In addition to the merchants and the manufacturers, 
the third estate also include lawyers or administrative 
officials. 
● All of these were educated and believed that no group in 
society should be privileged by birth.  
● They believed that a persons's social position should be 
given merit.  
● These ideas base on freedom, equality and oppurtunity 
for all were put forward by philosophers such as J​ ohn 
Locke a ​ nd J​ ean Jacques Rousseau.  
1. John Locke : wrote book T ​ wo Treatises of Government, 
Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and 
absolute right of the monarch. 
2. Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing the form 
of government based on ​a social contract b ​ etween people 
and their representatives.  
3. Montesquieu proposed a division of power within the 
government between the legislative, the executive and 
the judiciary in his book T ​ he Spirit of the Laws. 
 
 The outbreak of Revolution 
● On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the
estate general to pass proposals for new taxes.
● ​The first and the second estate sent 300 representatives
each, who were seated in rows facing each other on two
sides, while the 600 membersbof third estate had to stand at
the back.
● On 20 June representatives of the third estate assembled in
the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of versailles.
● They declared themselves a National assembly and swore not
to disperse till they had drafted a Constitution for France that
would limit the powers of the monarch.
● They were led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes.
● Mirabeau was born in noble family but was convinced of the
need to do away with a society of feudal privilege. He brought
out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds
assembled at Versailles.
● Abbe Sieyes, originally a priest, wrote an influential pamphlet
called '​What is the Third Estate?​ '
● When the National Assembly was drafting the constitution, a
severe winter had meant a bad harvest.
● The price of bread rose, often bakers exploited the situation
and hoarded the supplies.
● At the same time, the king ordered the troops to move into
Paris.
● On 14 July 1789, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed
the Bastille.
● On night of 4 August 1789, The assembly passed a decree
abolishing the feudal system of obligation and taxes.
● Members of clergy too were forced to give up their privileges.
● Tithes were abolished and lands owned by the church were
confiscated.
  
2.1 France becomes a Constitutional 
monarchy 
● Draft of constitution was completed in 1791. 
● Its main objective was to limit the powers of monarch.  
● These powers were divided into different institutions: 
the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. 
● This made France a constitutional monarchy. 
● The constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws 
in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected, 
i.e. citizens voted for group of electors, who in turn 
chose the assembly. 
● Not all citizens have the right to vote. 
● Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to 
or atleast 3 days of a labourer's wage were given the 
status of active citizens, i.e., they were entitled to vote. 
● The remaining men and all women were classified as 
passive citizens, i.e., they don't have right to vote 
● To qualify as an elector and then as a member of 
assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of 
taxpayers. 
● The constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights 
of Man and Citizen Rights such as right to life, freedom 
of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law, were 
established as 'natural and inalienable rights',i.e., they 
belonged to each human being by birth and could not be 
taken away. 
● It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen's 
natural right.  
 
France abolishes monarchy, 
And Becomes a republic 
● Although Louis XVI signed the constitution, he entered 
into secret negotiations with the king of Prussia.  
● Rulers of the neighbouring countries too were worried 
by the developments in France and made plans to send 
their troops to put down the events that had been taking 
place there since summer of 1792 
● Before this could happen, the National Assembly voted 
in April 1792 to declare war against Prussian and 
Austria.  
● Among the patriotic songs they sang was the 
Marseillaise ​composed by Roget de L'isle. 
● It was first sung by the volunteers from Marseilles as 
they marched into Paris and so got its name. 
● The Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France. 
● Political clubs became an important rallying point for 
people who wished to discuss government policies and 
planned their own forms of action. 
● The most successful of these club was these was that of 
Jacobins, which got its name from the former c​ onvent​ of 
St. Jacobs in Paris. 
● Member of Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less 
prosperous sections of the society. They included small 
shopkeepers, artisans such as shoemakers, pastry 
cooks, watch makers, printers, as well as servants and 
daily wage workers.  
● Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre. A large group 
among the jacobins decided to start wearing long 
stripped trousers similar to those worn by dock 
workers. This was to set apart from the fashionable 
 section of the society, especially nobles, who wore knee 
breeches.  
● It was a way of proclaiming the end of the power 
wielded by the wearer of knee breeches. 
● This Jacobins came to be known as Sans-culottes, 
literally meaning 'those without knee breeches'. 
● Sans-culottes men wore in addition the red cap that 
symbolised liberty. 
● In summer 1792 the jacobins planned an insurrection of 
a large numbers of parisians who were angered by short 
supplies and high prices of food. 
● On th morning of August 10 they stormed the palace 
Tuileries, massacred king's guard and held the king 
himself as hostagefor several hours.  
● Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family. 
Elections were held. 
● From then on all men of 21 years and above, regardless 
of wealth has the right to vote 
● ***The newly elected assembly was called convention.  
● On 2 ​ 1 September 1792​ it abolished the monarchy and 
declared the france a republic. 
● A republic is a form of government where the people 
elect the government including the head of the 
government.  
● There is no hereditary monarchy.  
● Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a court on a charge 
of ​treason​.  
● On 21 January 1793 he was execute publicly at the Place 
de la Concorde.  
● The queen Marie Antoinette met with the same fate 
shortly after.  
 
  
3.1 Reign of Terror 
● Duration: 1793 to 1794 
● All those whom Robespierre saw as being 'enemies' of 
the republic - ex nobles and clergy, members of other 
political party , even the members of his own party who 
did not agree with his method - were arrested, 
imprisoned and then tried by revolutionary tribunal. 
● If the court found them guilty they were guillotined.  
● The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles and a 
blade with which a person ia beheaded. It was named 
after Dr. Guillotine who invented it. 
● Robespierre's government issued laws placing a 
maximum ceiling on wages and prices.  
● Meat and bread were rationed.  
● Peasants were forced to transport their grains to the 
cities and sell it at the price fixed by the government.  
● The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden. 
● All citizens were required to eat ​pain d'egalite​(equality 
bread), a loaf made of whole wheat. 
● Instead of traditional Monsieur (sir) & Madame 
(madam) all French men and women were Citoyen and 
Citoyenne (citizen).  
● Churches were shut down and their buildings converted 
into barracks or offices. 
● Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that 
even his supporters began to demand some moderation.  
● Finally he was convicted by a court in July 1794, 
arrested and on the next day sent to the guillotine. 
 
 
3.2 A Directory Rules France 
● The fall of Jacobian government allow the wealthier 
middle classes to seize power. 
● A new constitution was introduced which denied the 
vote to non- propertied section of the society. 
● It provided for two elected legislative councils.  
● These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up 
of five members, which was meant as safeguard against 
the comcentration of power in a one man executive as 
under the Jacobins.  
● However, the Directors often clash with the legislative 
council, who then sought to dismiss them.  
● The political instability of the Directory rule paved the 
way for the rise of military dictator, Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  
 
 
Did Women Have the Revolution ? 
● Most of the women of the third estate had to work for a 
living.  
● They worked as a seamstresses or laundresses, sold 
flowers, fruits and vegetables at the market, or  
were employed as domestic servants in the houses of 
prosperous people.  
● Most women didn' t have the access to the education or 
job training.  
● Only daughters of nobles or the wealthier members of 
the third estate could study at convent, after which their 
families arranges a marriage for them.  
● Working women also had to care for their families, i.e., 
cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after the 
children. Their wages were lower than those of men.  
● Women started their own political clubs and 
newspapers to discuss and voice their interest.  
● There were about sixty women clubs im french society.  
● The Society of Revolutionaryand Republican Women 
were thw most famous club.  
● One of their demand was that women enjoy the same 
political rights as men.  
● Constitution of 1791 reduced them to passive citizens 
which disappointed them.  
● They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the 
Assembly and to hold political office so that their 
interest be represented in the new govwrnment.  
● In the early years, the government did introduced 
tsome laws for the benefits of the women.  
● Schooling was made compulsory for all girls.  
● Their father could not force them into marriage against 
their will.  
● Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely 
and registered under the civil laws.  
● Divorce was made legal, and could be applied for by 
both men and women.  
● Women could then trains for jobs, could become artists 
or run small businesses.  
● During the reign of terror, the new government issued 
rhe laws ordering closure of women's clubs and 
banning their political activities.  
● Mant prominent women were aeeested and a number of 
thwm were executed.  
● Dinally in 1946 that women in France won the right to 
vote.  
● One revolutionary women was Olympe de Gouges, she 
wrote a ​Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen.  
  
 
The Abolition of Slavery 
 
● One of the most revolutionary social reform of the 
jacobian government was the abolition of slavery in 
france.   
● The colonies in tje Caribbean- Martinique, Guadeloupe 
and San Domingo - were portant suppliers of 
commodities such as tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee.  
● There was a shortage of labours on the plantations  
● So this was met by triangular slave trade between 
Europe, Africa and America.  
● It began in seventeenth century.  
● French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or 
Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves 
from the local chieftains.  
● They were sold to the plantation owners.  
● The exploitation of slave labiur made it possible to meet 
the growing demand in European markets for sugar, 
tobacco, coffee and indigo.  
● Ports like Bordeaux and Nantes owed their economic 
prosperity to the flourishing slave trade.  
● The National Assembly held long debates about whether 
the rights of man should be extended to all french 
subjects including those in colonies.  
● But it did not pass any laws, fearing opposition from 
businessmen whose incomes depende on thw slave 
trade.  
● It was finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to 
free all slaves in the French overseas possessions.  
● This last only for ten years.  
● Napoleon reintroduced slavery.  
● Plantation owners understood their freedom as 
including the right to enslave African N
​ egroes​ in pursuit 
of their economic interests.  
● Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.   
 
The Revolution and Everyday Life 
● One important law that came into effect soon after the 
storming of bastille in the summer of 1789 was the 
abolition of censorship.  
● The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen 
proclaimed freedom of speech and expression to be 
natural right.  
 
 
Conclusion   
 
● In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himsekf the 
emperor of France.  
● He set out to conquer European countries, 
dispossessing dynasties and creating kingdoms where 
he placed his family.  
● Napoleon saw his role as the moderniser of Europe.  
● He introduced many laws such as thr protection of the 
private property and a uniform system of weights and 
measures were provided by the decimal system.  
● Many saw him as a liberator.  
● But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewef 
everywhere as an invading force.  
● He was finally defeated in Waterloo in 1815.  
● The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the 
most important legacy of the French Revolution.  
 ● Tipu Sultan and Raja Rammohan Roy are two examples 
of individuals who responded to the ideas coming from 
the revolutionary France.  
 

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