The French The French RevolutionRevolution

17891789

Four phases of the French Revolution1. “Liberal” Phase (1789-1791)

2. “Radical” Phase (1792-1794)

3. Directory Rule (1795-1799)

4. Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)

Pre-Revolutionary Pre-Revolutionary France France

(up to 1789)(up to 1789)

Why did revolution break out in 1789?

What were the causes of the French Revolution?

#1: The French Monarchy (1774-1793)

Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

Marie Antoinette and the Royal Children

Marie Antoinette’s “Peasant Cottage”

Marie Antoinette’s “Peasant Cottage”

The Necklace Scandal

Cardinal Louis René de Rohan & Jean de La Motte

1,600,000 livres($100 million

today)

Let them eat cake!

“Madame Deficit”

“The Austrian Whore”

#2: An Outdated Social StructureLegal division into 3 orders, or estates:

First Estate: Clergy

Second Estate: Nobility

Third Estate: Commoners (bourgeoisie & peasants)

Inequitable Distribution of Land

“The People under the Old Regime”

#3: Enlightenment IdeasClassical Liberalism:

Liberty Equality

Liberty

A call for:

individual human rights

a new kind of government

John Locke (1632-1704)

“no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”

Montesquieu (1689-1755)“When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty; because apprehensions may arise, lest the same monarch or senate should enact tyrannical laws, to execute them in a tyrannical manner.”

Equality

All citizens should have equal rights and liberties, except:

women excluded

economic equality excluded

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

#4: Model of the American Revolution

The Boston Tea Party, 1773

The Declaration of IndependenceJuly 4, 1776

#5: Financial ProblemsFrench Budget, 1774

Where is the tax money?

Phase 1:Phase 1:

The “Liberal” The “Liberal” Phase Phase

(1789-1791)(1789-1791)

Convening of the Estates GeneralMay 1789

Last time it was called into session was 1614!!

The Suggested Voting Pattern: Voting by Estates

2nd Estate – Aristocracy

1st Estate – Clergy

3rd Estate – Commoners

1

1

1

The Number of Representatives in the Estates General: Vote by Head!

1st Estate – Clergy

2nd Estate – Aristocracy

300

300

648

3rd Estate – Commoners

“The Third Estate Awakens”

June 17, 1789 – Formation of the National Assembly

“The Tennis Courth Oath”by Jacques Louis David

June 20, 1789

Storming the BastilleJuly 14, 1789

Revolutionary Paris, 1789

The French Urban Poor

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

% of Income Spent on Bread

1787

1788

The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt

July 20, 1789

March of the WomenOctober 5-6, 1789

We want the baker, the baker’s wife and the baker’s boy!

National Assembly1789-1791

August Decrees(August 4-11, 1789)

LibertéLiberté!!

LibertéLiberté!! Egalité!Egalité!Egalité!Egalité!

FraterniFraternité!té!

FraterniFraternité!té!

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

August 26, 1789

“Men are born free and remain free and equal

in rights.”

(…but NOT of Woman)

The Tricolor, 1789

The WHITE of the Bourbons + the RED and BLUE of Paris

83 Revolutionary DepartmentsFebruary 26, 1790

Civil Constitution of the ClergyJuly 12, 1790

national church clergy elected oath of allegiance

Assignats

They were backed by the sale of Church lands.

Louis XVI “accepts” the constitution and National Assembly, September 1791

absolute monarchy

↓constitutional monarchy

(CONSTITUTION #1)

French Constitution of 1791:A Constitutional Monarchy

the king got the “suspensive” veto (prevented passage of laws for 4 years) he could not pass laws his ministers were responsible for their own

actions a permanent, elected, single chamber

Legislative Assembly had the power to grant taxation

an independent judiciary

While the revolutionaries seemingly got off to a good start…

A foreshadowing of events to come….

Phase 2:Phase 2:

The “Radical” The “Radical” Phase Phase

(1792-1794)(1792-1794)

The Causes of Instability in France

1792 - 1795

The Causes of Instability in France

1792 - 1795

Attitudes & Attitudes & actions of actions of monarchymonarchy

& court& court

Attitudes & Attitudes & actions of actions of monarchymonarchy

& court& court

Fear ofFear ofCounter-Counter-RevolutioRevolutio

nn

Fear ofFear ofCounter-Counter-RevolutioRevolutio

nn

ReligiouReligiouss

divisiondivisionss

ReligiouReligiouss

divisiondivisionss

PoliticalPoliticaldivisiondivision

ss

PoliticalPoliticaldivisiondivision

ssWarWarWarWar

EconomiEconomicc

CrisesCrises

EconomiEconomicc

CrisesCrises

Royal family attempted to flee France June 1791

Marie Antoinette risks her body to save her son, the crown prince.

War (1792-1815) European monarchs feared spread of

revolution (émigrés spread rumors)↓

offered help to French monarchy↓

French revolutionaries declared war 1792 – Austria & Prussia (“First Coalition”) 1793 – Britain, Holland, Spain

The Storming of the TuilieresAugust 10, 1792

Royal family imprisoned.

National Convention (1792-1795)replaced Legislative Assemblyelected by universal male suffrage legislative branch of the new

republic

Over 1,000 Parisians killed!Over 1,000 Parisians killed!

The September Massacres, 1792

The First French Republic (1792-1795)

“second revolution”:

constitutionalmonarchy

↓republic

(CONSTITUTION #2)

New pop culture:New pop culture:The Tricolor is the Fashion!The Tricolor is the Fashion!

New pop culture:New pop culture:Revolutionary Playing CardsRevolutionary Playing Cards

New pop culture: A New Republican Calendar

I 1792 – 1793

II 1793 – 1794

III 1794 – 1795

IV 1795 – 1796

V 1796 – 1797

VI 1797 – 1798

VII 1798 – 1799

VIII 1799 – 1800

IX 1800 – 1801

X 1801 – 1802

XI 1802 – 1803

XII 1803 – 1804

XIII 1804 – 1805

XIV 1805

The Gregorian System returned in 1806.

New Name Meaning Time Period

Vendemaire Vintage September 22 – October 21

Brumaire Fog October 22 – November 20

Frimaire Frost November 21 – December 20

Nivose Snow December 21 – January 19

Pluviose Rain January 20 – February 18

Ventose Wind February 19 – March 20

Germinal Budding March 21 – April 19

Floreal Flowers April 20 – May 19

Prairial Meadow May 20 – June 18

Messidor Harvest June 19 – July 18

Thermidor Heat July 19 – August 17

Fructidor Fruit August 18 – September 21

New pop culture:A New Republican Calendar

Jacobin Meeting HouseJacobin Meeting House

The Jacobins

Parisian political club younger, more radical than

Nat’l. Assembly members dominated Legislative Assembly

& National Convention

A Jacobin Club Meeting

The Politics of the The Politics of the National ConventionNational ConventionThe Politics of the The Politics of the

National ConventionNational Convention

MontagnardsMontagnards““The Mountain”The Mountain”

GirondistGirondistss

More radical.

Power base in Paris.

Main support from the sans-culottes.

Leaders: Robespierre & Danton

More moderate.

Power base in the provinces.

Feared the influence of the sans-culottes.

The Political Spectrum The Political Spectrum TodayToday

The Political Spectrum The Political Spectrum TodayToday

JacobinsJacobins

MontagnarMontagnardsds

(“The (“The Mountain”)Mountain”)

GirondistsGirondistsMonarchíeMonarchíe

nn(Royalists)(Royalists)

1790s:1790s:1790s:1790s:

The PlainThe Plain(uncommitt(uncommitt

ed)ed)

The Sans-culottes: The Parisian Poor

Depicted as savages by a British cartoonist.

Sans-culottes

Attempts to Control the Growing Crisis

1. Revolutionary Tribunal in Paris try suspected counter-revolutionaries

A. Representatives-on-mission B. Watch Committees C. Trial & execution of rebels & émigrés

2. Printing of more assignats to pay for war3. Committee of Public Safety

* oversee and speed up gov’t. work4. Committee of General Security

* responsible for pursuit of counter-revolutionaries, treatment of subjects, & other internal security matters

Committee of Public Safety Est. April 1793

12-member executive gov’t. during Reign of Terror

revolutionary tribunals

300,000 arrested 16,000-50,000

executed

Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794)

Georges Jacques Danton (1759-1794)

The Economy – Committee of Public Safety’s “Total War” Legislation planned economy – “embryonic

emergency socialism” fixed prices rationing gov’t.-mandated production levels nationalization of businesses

Aug. 1973 – conscription

EFFECT: France achieved victory in wars.

Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible. - Robespierre

Reign of Terror (1793-1794)

Those convicted await their fate.

Reign of Terror (1793-1794)

The Guillotine

The Paris Mob

The last guillotine execution in France was in 1939.

The “Monster” Guillotine

Execution of Louis XVI January 21, 1793

Execution of Marie Antoinette October 1973

Thermidorian Reaction (1794-1795) July 26 Robespierre gave a speech

illustrating new plots & conspiracies alienated members of the CPS – many felt

threatened by his implications

July 27 (9 Thermidor) Convention arrested Robespierre

July 28 Robespierre was tried & guillotined!

Arrest of Robespierre

Danton awaits execution, 1793.

Robespierre lies woundedbefore the revolutionary

tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, 1794.

The revolution consumes its own children…

Phase 3:Phase 3:

Directory Rule Directory Rule (1795-1799)(1795-1799)

Directory Rule (1795-1799) Constitution of 1795:

republic↓

Directory(CONSTITUTION #3)

5-man Directory 2-house legislature But problems continued…

Phase 4:Phase 4:

Napoleonic Era Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)(1799-1815)

Napoleonic Era (1799-1815)

coup d’etat – overthrew Directory and established dictatorship

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)