French Revolution Notes
French Revolution Notes
o Bourgeoisie
To be a member of the bourgeoisie one might be a very wealthy financier or a
shopkeeper, artisan, lawyer or bureaucrat. Many among the bourgeoisie aspired to be
nobility and some bought positions such as membership in the parlements that
conferred noble status to the family. Enterprising businessmen desirous of joining the
nobility invested in land and bought offices that carried a title, using their money to
advance their social position rather than to expand their business.
They were implicated in finances, commerce and the professional world (law, medicine
etc). Between 1730 and 1770 they prospered through commerce and mercantilism.
They were owners of slaves of which they sold and were used to maintain their
plantations of sugars and tropical fruits. They were so rich that they used to lend the
king money, however, they had no power. Their anger came from the fact that they
couldn’t accept their predicament and deemed it unjust to pay all their taxes. Since
their idols were the philosophers of the enlightenment, they started to criticize the
monarchy and this then led to a rebellion.
o Workers
650 000 people in Paris who were afraid of bread shortages. There were many riots in
1788 due to that cause. They lost trust in the king because he would buy all the bread
and flour and then sell the bread when the prices increased. These people were
extremely volatile during the revolution and formed many riots and barricades.
o Peasants
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They were composed of at least 86% of the population. They paid a lot of taxes but
were still supportive of the monarchy and the church. It was only during isolated
instances such as the Great Fear that they really played a role during the revolution.
They were also involved in the army.
They worked on the lands of nobles, and were basically treated as slaves. They were
anti-Versailles and pro-king. They were very attached to their king, seeing him as the
intermediate between the people and God. However, they were not pleased with the
expense of Versailles. They were basically the source of revenue with their many taxes:
la gabelle (salt tax), wine taxes, leather taxes. The tithe (la dîme) is paid to the church
in which they pay 10% of what they make within a year. Also, they gave a percentage
of their harvest to the seigneurs which falls under the rights outlined in the feudal
system. Last of all they had obligations to the state, such as military services or the
royal corvées (chores) in which they constructed roads, etc.
2
Georges (Jacques) Danton (1759–94):
French revolutionary politician, born in Arcis-sur-Aube, NEC France. He became a lawyer, and was
practising in Paris at the outbreak of the Revolution. In 1790 he formed the Cordelier's Club, a rallying
point for revolutionary extremists, and in 1792 became minister of justice. He voted for the death of
the king (1793), and was one of the original members of the Committee of Public Safety. He tried to
abate the pitiless severity of his own Revolutionary Tribunal, but lost the leadership to Robespierre. He
was arrested, brought before the Tribunal, and charged with conspiracy. Despite a heroic and eloquent
defence, he was guillotined.
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Marie Joseph (Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier), marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834):
After 1782, Lafayette was absorbed with questions of reform in France. He was one of the first to
advocate a National Assembly, and worked toward the establishment of a constitutional monarchy
during the years leading up to the French Revolution. These efforts cost him much of his support
from the French nobility. As commander of the French National Guard, Lafayette was compelled to use
force to put down crowd violence. By 1791, he had lost most of his popularity with the people. In 1792,
Lafayette tried unsuccessfully to curb radicalism against the monarchy. The King and Queen would not
accept his assistance. The troops he tried to turn on the Paris mob would not follow his orders.
Lafayette was denounced as a traitor and fled the country.
Financial Crisis
¼ of the revenues- army
½ of the revenues- national debt
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Financing the American War of Independence of 1776
The extravagances of Marie Antoinette
Harvest failure of 1788
Maintenance of Versailles
Necker
Fired in 1781
Hired in 1788 because of the financial crisis
Reform Possibilities Suggested by Necker:
o Tax the nobles
o Eliminate tariffs
o Expropriate religious lands
o Have provincial assemblies with reps from all estates
Nobles said they wanted to consult the Estates Generals.
Fired on July 11, 1789, which enraged the Paris mob and was the triggering effect
Hired again on July 16, 1789
Abbé Sièyes
1. Qu’est-ce que le Tiers-Etats? Tout.
2. Qu’a-t-il été jusqu’à present dans l’ordre politique? Rien.
3. Que demande-t-il? A y devenir quelque choses.
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The king hired 20 000 soldiers to protect him and Versailles.
They believed that the soldiers were brought in to “destroy the National Assembly and the revolution,”
On July 11, Necker was fired.
The firing of Necker and the presence of the army enraged the crowd.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen [August 26, 1789]:
Blueprints of the constitution
“It asserted political and social equality of all men, the sovereignty of the people, and the natural right
to liberty, property, security, and resistance to opposition,”
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, became the motto for the future.”
The king refused to sign the declaration until after the March to Versailles on Oct. 5.
Articles:
o Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon
the general good.
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o The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of
man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
o All persons are held innocent until they shall have been declared guilty.
o The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man.
o A common contribution is essential for the maintenance of the public forces and for the cost of
administration. This should be equitably distributed among all the citizens in proportion to their
means.
o Since property is an inviolable and sacred right, no one shall be deprived thereof except where
public necessity, legally determined, shall clearly demand it, and then only on condition that the
owner shall have been previously and equitably indemnified.
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Effects of the constitution on the king:
o Abdicate if he left the country for more than two months
o No control over the army
o Veto power was limited to four years
o The Assembly could not be dissolved by the king
o The king’s suspensive veto didn’t include any judicial or constitutional matters
Clubs
Girondins [Brissotins]:
o In power from Sept. 1792 - June1793
o Wanted a strict application of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
o Believed in federalism
o Were in favour of war against Austria which didn’t work out too well
The Commune
They were the revolutionary government of Paris who were led by Hébert. They were more concerned
of the short term issues such as bread shortages. Hot heads, workers.
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Beginning of the French Revolutionary wars.
The Girondins persuaded Louis XVI that France could win a war against Austria. Hence, on April 21,
1792, the French government declared war on Austria. As Prussia was allied with Austria, France found
itself fighting a war against two countries. The first foray into the war was in the Austrian Netherlands
where the French were not only defeated but routed. The French army had been emasculated by the
loss of its officer corps. The only factor that prevented a swift defeat overall was that Russia was busy
in eastern Poland. Russia, Austria and Prussia and had begun the partition of Poland in 1772 and
neither Austria nor Prussia was willing to allow Russia a free hand in this second attempt at partition. As
a result, the war with France was a secondary matter and Paris escaped occupation.
Paris seethed with discontent throughout the summer of 1792. Hungry, distrustful of government, and
discouraged by failures in the war, Parisians grew increasingly restless. On Aug. 10, 1792, they turned
against the king. The mob stormed the Tuileries where the royal family was being held. Killing some of
the Swiss Guard, they seized the king and the royal family. They set up a revolutionary municipal
government in Paris. They demanded a new constitution and a convention to replace the Legislative
Assembly. They wanted all male citizens to cast a vote for the electors who would choose the new
government. These elections would no longer have to meet property qualifications and hence the doors
would be opened to the lower levels of the bourgeoisie.
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Composed of spies and secret police who were responsible for security and arrested
those who breeched it. The enemies of the revolution were the moderates, the
Commune and the counter-revolutionaries.
The Tribune:
Judged those arrested, without appeal, and found them guilty. This gave an illusion of
order within the revolution.
Constitution of 1793:
Revolutionary laws were put in place and suppressed the articles promised in the Declaration. These
laws were put in place to “save the revolution” and to stop the return of the ancien régime at all costs.
Levée en Masse:
Very similar to conscription in that everyone had to help out with the war effort.
Bachelors, aged 18-25, had to serve in the army; married men made weapons; women
made tents and became nurses; the elderly taught the young children to hate tyrants
through indoctrination; and the children picked up rags around the city to make clothes.
Loi sur les Suspects:
This law was put in place to keep order within society by stopping those who were
suspected to be a counter-revolutionary or a federalist (sharing of power between the
king and the Convention). In Paris,
250 000 people were killed and in the country, 40 000.
Law of the Maximum:
This law was put in place to keep order within the economy and to stabilize the fixation
of prices and goods.
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Coup d’Etat- Fructidor [Sept. 1797]:
This coup was the Directory (and Napoleon) against the Royalists. The Directory won and deported the
Royalists.
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