French Revolution
French society during the late 18th century
In 1774 louis XVI ascended the throne of france. He was 20 years old and
was married to an Austrian princess Marie Antoinette
He found an empty treasure because:-
Long years of war had drained the financial condition of france
A lot of money was spent on maintaining the Versailles palace
France helped 13 american colonies to gain independence from the
british.
The war added a debt of 2 billion livres .
To meet up with all the expenses the state increased the taxes.
1ST ESTATE(clergy)
2ND ESTATE (nobility)
3rd ESTATE
Business men, merchants,
court officials, lawyers ,
peasants, landless labour,
servants etc.
ONLY THE 3RD ESTATE PEOPLE HAD TO PAY TAXES.
The members of the 1st and 2nd estate enjoyed several privileges like
exemption from paying taxes to the state and many feudal privileges
that included feudal dues that were collected from the 3 rd estate
TYPES OF TAXES:-
1) Tithes- this is the taxes which the church extracted from the peasants.
2) Taille- these were the direct taxes taken by the state.
3) Taxes on everyday items like salt and tobacco were also imposed.
THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
The population of france increased from 23 million to 28 million. This led
to a rapid increase in demand of foodgrains.
Production of grains could not keep up with the demand so the price of
bread which was a staple diet of the people was increased
The prices of the food grains were increasing but the wages of the
people remained the same so, the gap between the poor and the rich
increased even more.
This led to subsistence crisis. Subsistence crisis is an extreme situation
where the basic means of livelihood are endangered.
A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGES AN END TO PRIVILGES
In the 18th century people witnessed the emergence of the term middle
class, who earned their wealth through trade and manufacturing. The
3rd estate also included lawyers, administrative officials and educated
people.
All these people believed that privileges should not be given by birth
rather it must depend on its merit.
Important philosophers:-
1) John Locke- he wrote the book “ two treaties of the govt.” in which he
explained the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.
2) Jean Jack Rousseau- he carried the idea forward and wrote the book
“the social contract” proposing a form of govt. based on social contract
between the people and the representatives.
3) Montesquieu- he wrote the book “spirit of laws”. he proposed a division
between the powers of the govt. in legislative, executive and judiciary.
These ideas were discussed in salons and coffee houses and spread
among people by newspapers and magzines
THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
Louis XVI had to increase the taxes for the reasons mentioned above so
he called an estate general meeting.
The estate general was a political party in which the three estate sent
their representatives.
On 5 may 1789, the meeting was held to pass the proposals of the new
taxes.
The 1st and 2nd estate were 300 each and were made to sit in rows facing
each other while the 3rd estate people were about 600 and were made
to stand at the back.
The 3rd estate people bought almost 40,000 letters of greviences with
them and peasants artisans and women were denied the entry.
The voting in the past had been conducted according to the principle of
one estate one vote. But the 3rd estate people demanded the voting to
be one person one vote.
When the king rejected this offer the 3rd estate walked out of the
assembly in protest.
The tennis court oath
On 20 june 1789 they assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in
Versailles and declared themselves as the national assembly and swore
to draft a constitution for france.
This was led by Mirabeau and abbe seiyes
While the 3rd estate was drafting the constitution a severe winter struck
france which meant a bad harvest.
The prices of bread rose, the bakers often exploited the situation, after
standing for long queues, angry womens storm into the shops.
At the same time the king commanded the troops to move into the city
of france.
The bastille destruction
On the morning of 14 july 1789, rumours spread that the king has
ordered the troops to open fire upon the citizens.
Some 7,000 men and women gatherd in front of the town hall and
formed a peoples militia, they broke into many buildings in search of
weapons.
A group of people marched into the fortress prison, the bastille, they
killed the commander of the bastille and released the prisinors, although
there were only 7.
The bastille was hated by all because it showed the despotic power of
the king.
The prison was destroyed and its fragments were sold as soveniers.
Facing with the power of these revolts the king had no choice but to
accord the formation of the national assembly and accept that his
powers would be limited by the constitution.
On 4 august 1789, the decree was passed abolishing the feudal system
of obligations and taxes.
1st and 2nd estate were forced to giveup there privileges, tithes were
abolished and land owned by clergy were confiscated.
As a result the govt. collected a sum of 2 billion livres and payed the
debt.
France becomes a constitutional monarchy
The national assembly completed the constitution in 1891, its main
objective was to limit the powers of the monarch.
The powers were divided into legislative, judiciary and executive.
Citizens voted for a group of people eho in turn elected the assembly
Not all citizens were allowed to vote, people above 25 years and who
paid the taxes equal to atleast 3 days of their wage were allowed to
vote. These were called active citizens
The remaining men and all women were classed as passive citizens.
The constitution began with a declaration of rights of man and citizens.
Right to life, right to freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality
before law were established as ‘natural and inalienable’ rights which
cannot be taken away.
FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A REPUBLIC
Although louis XVI signed the constitution , he went into
secret alliances with the king of Prussia.
Other rulers were also worried by the development of
france and made plans to send troops to put down the
events taking place.
Before any of this could happen, the assembly voted and
declared a war against austira and Prussia.
While the men were away fighting in the war, women were
left to cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking
after their families.
The Jacobin club
The members of the Jacobin club belonged to the less
prosperous sections of the society
They included shoemakers, pastry cooks, printers, servants
etc.
The leader of this club was maxilmilian Robespierre.
They wore striped trousers similar to those worn by dock
workers. This was to set themselves apart from the rich
section of the society. They also wore red caps to signify
liberty.
On the summer of 1792 the jacobins planned an
insurrection of a large number of parisians who were
angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.
On august 10 they stormed the palace of Tuileries and held
the king as hostage. Later the assembly voted to imprison
the royal family.
Elections were held and from now on all men above 21
years despite of their income were allowed to vote.
The newly elected assembly was called convention. On 21
september 1792 it abolished monarchy and declared itself
as a republic.
A republic is a form of govt. where the people elect the
govt. including the head of the govt.
The reign of terror
Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and
punishment.
All those whom he saw as traitors were arrested,
imprisoned and tried by a tribunal, if the person was found
guilty they were guillotined.
Laws given by Robespierre :-
1) Peasants were forced to transport their grains to the cities and sell it at a
fixed rate given by the govt.
2) The use of expensive flour was forbidden. All citizens were required to
eat ‘equality bread’
3) Equality was practiced through forms of speech and address. Instead of
traditional madam and sir, all people were called citizens.
4) Churches were shut down and were converted in barracks or offices.
5) Robespierre issued laws placing a maximum celing on wages and prices.
The Directory Rules France (1795–1799)
1. Background
After the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in 1794, the period of the Reign of Terror ended.
France needed a more stable government. The National Convention drafted a new
Constitution in 1795.
2. Constitution of 1795
The new constitution aimed to:
Avoid concentration of power in one person
Prevent another dictatorship like Robespierre’s rule
Main Features:
(a) Two Legislative Councils
Council of 500 – Proposed laws
Council of Elders (Council of Ancients) – Approved or rejected laws
This system ensured separation of powers.
(b) Executive: The Directory
The executive power was given to five Directors
They were appointed by the Council of Elders
This five-member body was called the Directory
This system prevented power from being held by a single individual.
3. Political Conditions Under the Directory
Although the system looked balanced on paper, it faced many problems:
Political instability
Economic crisis
Rising prices and food shortages
Corruption among officials
Frequent revolts by royalists and Jacobins
The government often depended on the army to maintain control.
4. Role of the Army
Because of internal unrest and external wars, the Directory relied heavily on military
generals.
One such successful general was Napoleon Bonaparte.
He gained popularity due to his military victories.
5. End of the Directory (1799)
In 1799, Napoleon carried out a coup d’état (sudden overthrow of government).
He overthrew the Directory.
He established the Consulate.
Later, in 1804, he declared himself Emperor of France.
This marked the end of the revolutionary government.
6. Significance
The Directory was an attempt to create a balanced government.
It introduced separation of powers.
However, its weaknesses led to the rise of military dictatorship.
It paved the way for Napoleon’s rule.
DID WOMEN HAVE A REVOLUTION??
Women were active participants in the French Revolution from the
beginning.
On 5 October 1789, women marched to the Palace of Versailles
demanding bread and lower prices.
They formed about 60 political clubs in different cities.
The most famous club was the Society of Revolutionary and Republican
Women.
Women demanded equal political rights, including the right to vote and
hold public office.
Olympe de Gouges wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and
the Female Citizen in 1791.
The revolutionary government gave women some rights like schooling,
making marriage a contract, and allowing divorce.
Women were denied political rights and were not allowed to vote.
In 1793, women’s political clubs were closed.
Women in France got the right to vote much later, in 1946.
THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
In the 17th century, French merchants sailed from ports like Bordeaux
and Nantes to the Caribbean colonies.
Slaves were brought from Africa and sent to colonies such as Saint-
Domingue, Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Slaves worked on sugar, coffee and indigo plantations.
The National Assembly debated whether the rights of man should be
extended to all people including slaves.
There was strong opposition from slave traders and plantation owners.
In 1794, the Convention passed a law abolishing slavery in French
colonies.
However, in 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte reintroduced slavery.
Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.
REVOLUTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE
After 1789, the government tried to bring equality into everyday life.
Censorship was abolished and freedom of speech and expression was
declared a natural right.
Newspapers, books and pamphlets were freely published.
Plays, songs and festivals were used to spread revolutionary ideas.
Slavery was abolished in French colonies in 1794 (though it was later
reintroduced and finally ended in 1848).
Titles like “Monsieur” and “Madame” were replaced by the simple term
“Citoyen” (Citizen).
The Estates system was abolished and equality before law was
established.
The church’s authority was reduced and church lands were taken over
by the state.
A uniform system of weights and measures was introduced.
The metric system was adopted.
The revolutionary government aimed to create a society based on
liberty, equality and fraternity.