THE FRENCH

REVOLUTION
Chapter 1
Storming of the Bastille

 On 14 July 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm.

 King Louis XVI had commanded troops to move into the city.
 Some 7,000 men and women gathered in front of the town
hall and decided to form a peoples’ militia.
 They broke govt buildings in search of arms and stormed
the fortress prison of Bastille.
 Killed the commander and released prisoners (only seven)
 the Bastille was hated by all, because it stood for the
despotic power of the king.
 Demolished it and fragments were sold in the market.
 French Society – 18th Century
 Economic Causes
 In 1774,Louis XVI (Bourbon) family ascended the throne
 He was 20 years old -married to Austrian princess – Marie
Antoinette
 He found an empty treasury – long years of war had drained the
financial resources
 Spent a lot of money for maintaining an extravagant court –
palace Versailles
 Helped 13 American colonies to gain independence from Britain.
War added a billion livres to a debt that had already of more than
2 billion livres
 Lenders began to charge 10 % interest on loans.
 To meet its regular expenses like maintain army, court, offices
etc. he was forced to increase tax.
French Society
French Society

 Social causes
 French society was the part of feudal system.
 Old Regime – The society and institutions of France before
1789.
 Only the third estate paid taxes
 90% of the population were peasants and 60% land was
owned by nobles, church…
 Clergy and nobility were exempted from taxes.
 Nobles enjoyed feudal privileges as feudal dues.
 Peasants were obliged to render services to the Lords.
The Church

 The church extracted tax called tithes.

 Tithes: A tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth
of the agricultural produce
 Direct tax – taille
 Taille: Tax to be paid directly to the state
 Indirect taxes – everyday consumption- salt, tobacco…
 Burden of taxes were born by the third estates
Struggle to Survive

Subsistence crisis
 Definition: An extreme situation where
the basic means of livelihood
are endangered
Subsistence Crisis

 Population rose from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million

in1789
 Rapid increase in demand for food grains
 Production of grains could not keep pace with the
demand.
 So price of bread – rose rapidly.
 Wages did not keep pace with rise in price
 Gap between rich and poor widened
 Situation become worse – drought hail reduced the
harvest
 Growing Middle Class

 18th century witnessed the emergence of a new social group

- middle class
 They earned wealth through overseas trade, and from the
manufacture of woollen and silk..
 Merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, administrative officials
were educated and believed that social position must be
depend on merit not by birth
 No group in society should be privileged by birth.
 Philosophers put forwarded the idea - a society based on
freedom and equal laws and opportunities for all
Growing Middle Class

Intellectual Causes\Role of Philosophers

 John Locke – Two Treaties of Government

 Jean Jacques Rousseau – The Social Contract
 Montesquieu – The Spirit of the Laws
Role of Philosophers

 John Locke – Two Treaties of Government

refute the divine and absolute right of monarch
 Rousseau - The Social Contract
government based on a social contract between
people their representatives
 Montesquieu – The Spirit of the Law
division of power within the govt.
legislative, executive and judiciary
Protest against the system

• Ideas of philosopher – discussed in salons, coffee- houses

and spread through books and newspapers
• Read aloud – for those who could not read and write
• Imposition of tax by Louis XVI – anger and protest
against the system
The Outbreak of the Revolution

• In the Old Regime monarch did not have the power to

impose tax.
• He had to call a meeting of Estate General – a political
body to which three estates sent their representatives.
• Last time it was done in 1614
• On 5th May 1789 called together an assembly of Estate
General.
• Resplendent hall in Versailles – host the meeting
• First and second estates sent 300 members each
• Third estate sent 600 members (They had to stand at the
back)
• Peasants, artisans and women were denied entry but
The Estate General
Voting in the Estates General

 In the past each estate had one vote.

 Louis XVI wanted to continue the same practice.
 Third estate demanded each member would have one
vote
 This was one of the democratic principle put forwarded
by Rousseau – The Social Contract
 King rejected the proposal and the third estate walked
out.
The Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath

 On 20th June they assembled in thehall of an indoor tennis court

in the grounds of Versailles.
 They declared themselves as National Assembly
 Swore not to disperse till they had drafted a constitution for
France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
 They were led by leaders loke Abbe Sieyes and Mirabeau
 Abbe Sieyes (priest) wrote an influential pamphlet - What is the
Third Estate?
Turmoil in France

 National Assembly was busy in making constitution

 Severe winter had meant a bad harvest and price of bread
rose, bakers hoarded the grain.
 People had to stand hours in long queues to get bread.
 They stormed into the shops and which led to the storming
of Bastille
 Rumours spread that Lords of the Manor had hired bands
of brigades to destroy crops.
 Peasants attacked chateaux and looted horded grains and
burnt the documents
 Lords- Fled from their homes or migrated
Decisions of National
Assembly
 Louis XVI finally accorded recognition of National
Assembly
 Louis XVI accepted – his powers would be checked by a
constitution
 4th August 1789, the assembly passed a decree –
abolishing feudal system and taxes
 Tithes were abolished, confiscated the land owned by the
church.
 Acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres
Political System Under the
Constitution - 1791
Constitutional Monarchy

 1791- National Assembly drafted the constitution

 Limit the powers of the monarch
 Powers are separated as legislature, executive and
judiciary.
 National Assembly got the power to make law, which is
indirectly elected by the active citizens.
 Active citizens - Men above 25 years, who paid taxes
equal to 3 days wages
 Passive citizens – remaining men and all women
Rights

 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

 Right to life
 freedom of speech
 freedom of opinion natural inalienable rights
 Equality before law
 They belonged to each human being by birth
and could not be taken away
 Political Symbols
The Broken Chain The Bundle of Rods or
Fasces

Chains were used to fetter slaves. One rod can be easily broken,
A Broken Chain stands for but not an entire bundle.
the act of becoming free Strength lies in unity
 Political Symbols

The eye within a

Sceptre
triangle radiating light

The all-seeing eye stands

for knowledge . The rays
Symbol of royal power
of the sun will drive away
the clouds of ignorance
 Political Symbols

Snake biting it’s tail

Red phrygian Cap
to from a ring

Symbol of eternity . A ring

Cap worn by a slave
has neither beginning nor
upon becoming free.
end .
Political Symbols

The winged
Blue-white-red
woman

The national colours of Personification of the

France. law
Political Symbols

The Law Tablet

The law is the same for all , and all

are equal before it
 Abolishes Monarchy

 Louis XVI had signed the Constitution but made secret

negotiation with the king of Prussia.
 Rulers of neighbouring countries planned to send troop.
 National Assembly voted to declare war against Prussia and
Austria.
 They saw this as a war of the people against kings and
aristocracies
 Among the patriotic songs Marseillaise written by Roget de
L’Isle became popular.
 The Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France
The Jacobins

 While the men were away fighting at the front, women took the
tasks of earning a living and looking after families
 Political clubs became the rallying point.
 The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins – it
got its name from a former convent of St Jacob in Paris
 Women formed their own clubs
 The members of the Jacobin club were less prosperous- shop
keepers, shoe makers, printers,….
 Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre
 The Jacobins – start wearing long striped trousers and were
called San-culottes – those without knee breeches
Maximilian Robespierre
San-culottes
The Rebellion

 The Jacobins planned an insurrection

 10th August – stormed the palace of the Tuileries
 Massacred the king’s guards and held king as hostage
 Voted to imprison the royal family
 All men of 21 years and above regardless of wealth, got
the right to vote.
The Convention

 The newly elected assembly was called The Convention

 On 21 September 1792 – abolished monarchy and
declared France a Republic
 Republic – people elect the govt. including the head of the
govt.
 Louis XVI was sentenced to death – for treason
 21st January 1793 he was executed publicly at de la
Concorde
 Marie Antoinette also met with the same fate shortly after.
The Reign of Terror

 The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.

 Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
 All those whom he saw as being ‘enemies’ of the republic – ex-
nobles and clergy, members of other political parties, even
members of his own party who did not agree with his methods –
were arrested, imprisoned and then tried by a 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 is beheaded.
 It was named after Dr Guillotin who invented it.
The guillotine
 The Reign of Terror
 Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling
on wages and prices.
 Meat and bread were rationed.
 Peasants were forced to transport their grain to the cities and sell
it at prices fixed by the government.
 The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens
were required to eat the pain d’égalité (equality bread), a loaf
made of wholewheat.
 Instead of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) all
French men and women were henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne
(Citizen).
 Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into
barracks or offices.
 He was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the
A Directory Rules France

 A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote

to non-propertied sections of society.
 It provided for two elected legislative councils.
 These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up
of five members.
 However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative
councils, who then sought to dismiss them.
 The political instability of the Directory paved the way for
the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Did Women have a Revolution?

 Most women of the third estate had to work for a living.

 They worked as 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 did not have access to education or job training.
 Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the third
estate could study at a convent, after which their families
arranged a marriage for them.
 Working women had also to care for their families, that is,
cook, fetch water, queue up for bread and look after the
children. Their wages were lower than those of men.
Did Women have a Revolution?

 In order to discuss and voice their interests women

started their own political clubs and newspapers.
 About sixty women’s clubs came up in different French
cities. The Society of Revolutionary and Republican
Women was the most famous of them.
 Women were disappointed that the Constitution of 1791
reduced them to passive citizens.
 They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the
Assembly and to hold political office.
Did Women have a Revolution?

 Together with the creation of state schools, schooling was made

compulsory for all girls.
 Their fathers could no longer force them into marriage against
their will.
 Marriage was made into a contract entered into freely and
registered under civil law. Divorce was made legal,
 Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run
small businesses.
 Women’s movements for voting rights and equal wages
continued through the next two hundred years in many
countries of the world.
 It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to
vote.
The Abolition of Slavery

 The colonies in the Caribbean – Martinique,

Guadeloupe and San Domingo
 tobacco, indigo, sugar and coffee
 Negroes – A term used for the indigenous
people of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a
derogatory term not in common use any longer
The Abolition of Slavery

 Triangular slave trade: between Europe, Africa and the

Americas.
 French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or
Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves
from local chieftains.
 Branded and shackled, the slaves were packed tightly
into ships for the three-month long voyage across the
Atlantic to the Caribbean.
 There they were sold to plantation owners. The
exploitation of slave labour made it possible to meet the
growing demand in European markets for sugar, coffee,
and indigo.
The Abolition of Slavery

 The National Assembly held long debates but it did not

pass any laws, fearing opposition from businessmen
whose incomes depended on the slave trade.
 It was finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to
free all slaves in the French overseas possessions.
 Ten years later, Napoleon reintroduced slavery.
 Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848.
The Revolution and Everyday Life

 The revolutionary governments passed laws that would

translate the ideals of liberty and equality into everyday
practice.
 1789 - the abolition of censorship
 Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of
events could be expressed.
 Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures
flooded the towns of France from where they travelled
rapidly into the countryside
Conclusion

 In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of

France.
 Napoleon saw his role as a moderniser of Europe.
 He introduced many laws such as the protection of
private property and a uniform system of weights and
measures provided by the decimal system.
 Initially, many saw Napoleon as a liberator who would
bring freedom for the people.
 He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.
Legacy of the French Revolution

 The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most

important legacy of the French Revolution.
 These spread from France to the rest of Europe during
the nineteenth century.
 Colonised peoples reworked the idea of freedom from
bondage into their movements to create a sovereign
nation state.
 Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy are two examples of
individuals who responded to the ideas coming from
revolutionary France.
Tipu Sultan and Raja Ram Mohan
Roy