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The French Revolution
Flashback of the Chapter
The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille on July 14,
1789.
Artists commemorated the event by creating prints after the demolition of the
Bastille.
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family became the king of France.
He was married to Austrian princess Marie Antoinette.
The new king discovered an empty treasury upon taking the throne.
Reasons for the Empty Treasury
Long years of war drained France's financial resources.
The extravagant court at the Palace of Versailles was costly to maintain.
France assisted the thirteen American colonies in their fight for independence
from Britain.
The war added over a billion livres to France's debt, which already exceeded 2
billion livres.
Lenders began charging 10% interest on loans to the state.
The state faced regular expenses such as maintaining an army, the court,
government offices, and universities, leading to increased taxes.
A Society of Estates
French society in the eighteenth century was structured into three estates.
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The First and Second Estates enjoyed privileges by birth, most notably
exemption from paying taxes.
Nobles had feudal privileges, extracting feudal dues from peasants.
The Third Estate was burdened with taxes.
Feudal dues required peasants to provide services to the lord, such
as working in his house and fields, serving in the army, or
participating in road construction.
Taxes
Tithe:
A tax collected by the church, typically one-tenth of agricultural
produce.
Taille:
A tax paid directly to the state.
Indirect taxes:
Levied on everyday items like salt and tobacco.
The Struggle to Survive: Subsistence Crisis
A subsistence crisis is an extreme situation where the basic means of
livelihood are endangered.
Reasons
Rapidly increasing demand for foodgrains.
Population increase (23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789).
Grain production failed to keep pace with demand.
Decline in production due to drought or hail, further reducing harvests.
Impact
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The price of bread, the staple diet, rose rapidly.
Wages did not keep up with rising prices.
The gap between the poor and the rich widened.
A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges
Peasants and workers participated in revolts against increasing taxes and food
scarcity.
A segment within the Third Estate became prosperous and educated, forming
the middle class.
Ideas
The middle class believed that social position should be based on merit, not
birth.
They envisioned a society with freedom, equal laws, and opportunities for all.
They were inspired by philosophers.
Who?
Merchants, traders, lawyers, and manufacturers.
How?
Overseas trade and manufacturing of goods.
Role of Philosophers
The ideas of philosophers played a significant role in shaping the revolution.
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Philosopher Work Ideas
Two Treatises of Sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and
John Locke
Government absolute right of the monarch.
Advocated for a government based on a social
Jean Jacques contract between people and their representatives,
Social Contract
Rousseau emphasizing equal voting and democratic
government.
Proposed a division of power within the
The Spirit of the
Montesquieu government among the legislative, executive, and
Laws
judiciary.
Impact of these Enlightened Ideas
Philosophical ideas were discussed in salons and coffee houses and spread
through books and newspapers.
They were often read aloud to those who could not read or write.
Louis XVI's plan to impose further taxes generated anger and protests against
the system of privileges.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
Louis XVI's plan to increase taxes.
In France, the monarch could not impose taxes without the approval of the
Estates General.
For increasing taxes, he had to call a meeting of the Estates General which
would then pass his proposals for new taxes.
What was the Estate General?
The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent
representatives. The monarch decided when to call a meeting of this body.
The last time it was done was in 1614.
5 May 1789
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Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estates General to propose new taxes.
The First and Second Estates sent 300 representatives each, seated in rows
facing each other.
The Third Estate sent 600 members who had to stand at the back.
The Third Estate was represented by prosperous and educated members.
Peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry but their grievances were
listed in 40,000 letters.
Tussle in Meeting
Voting in the past was according to the principle that each estate had one vote.
Louis XVI wanted to continue this practice.
Members of the Third Estate demanded individual voting.
The king rejected this proposal, and the members of the Third Estate walked
out in protest.
20 June 1789
Representatives of the Third Estate assembled in an indoor tennis court in
Versailles.
They declared themselves a National Assembly.
They swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution limiting the
monarch's powers.
Leaders of the Third Estate
Mirabeau:
Born in a noble family but advocated for the abolishment of feudal
privileges. He brought out a journal and delivered powerful
speeches.
Abbe Sieyes:
Originally a priest, he wrote an influential pamphlet called "What is
the Third Estate?"
Connect the events
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While the National Assembly drafted a constitution, France was in turmoil.
Rising prices, an empty treasury, and a subsistence crisis fueled citizen unrest.
The king ordered troops to move into Paris, leading to the storming and
destruction of the Bastille on July 14.
Events in the Countryside
Rumors spread that lords hired brigands to destroy crops.
Peasants attacked chateaux, looted grain, and burned records of manorial dues.
Many nobles fled.
Impact
Louis XVI recognized the National Assembly and accepted the constitution.
On the night of August 4, 1789, the Assembly abolished the feudal system,
obligations, and taxes.
Tithes were abolished, and Church lands were confiscated.
France becomes a Constitutional Monarchy
The National Assembly completed the constitution in 1791 to limit the
monarch's powers.
Power was separated among the legislature, executive, and judiciary.
The Political system under the Constitution of 1791
National Assembly was indirectly elected.
Citizens voted for electors, who chose the Assembly.
Active citizens:
Men above 25 years who paid taxes equal to 3 days of a laborer's
wage, and were entitled to vote.
Passive citizens:
Remaining men and all women, not entitled to vote.
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Constitution of 1791
The Constitution began with a "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen".
Natural and inalienable rights included the right to life, freedom of speech,
freedom of opinion, and equality before the law.
The state's duty was to protect these rights.
Reading Political Symbols
Images and symbols were used to communicate ideas since many couldn't read
or write.
Le Barbier's painting used symbols to convey the Declaration of Rights.
Political Symbols
Symbol Meaning
Broken chain Act of becoming free.
Bundle of rods/fasces Strength lies in unity.
Eye within a triangle Knowledge; rays of the sun drive away ignorance.
Sceptre Symbol of royal power.
Snake biting its tail Eternity; a ring has no beginning or end.
Red Phrygian cap Cap worn by a slave upon becoming free.
Blue-white-red National colors of France.
Winged woman Personification of the law.
Law Tablet The law is the same for all; all are equal before it.
France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic
Louis XVI entered secret negotiations with the King of Prussia.
Other countries planned to send troops to suppress the events in France since
1789.
The National Assembly declared war against Prussia and Austria in April
1792.
War against Austria and Prussia
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Thousands volunteered for the army, viewing it as a war against kings and
aristocracies.
The Marseillaise, composed by Roget de L’Isle, became the national anthem of
France.
The revolutionary wars
The wars brought losses and economic difficulties.
Women had to earn a living and care for families while men fought.
Many felt the revolution needed to go further since the Constitution of 1791
only gave rights to the rich.
Political clubs emerged.
Emergence of political clubs
Political clubs became important for discussing government policies and
planning actions.
The most successful club was the Jacobins, named after the former convent of
St Jacob in Paris.
Women also formed their own clubs.
Jacobin Club
Members were from the less prosperous sections of society.
Included small shopkeepers, artisans, servants, and daily-wage workers.
Their leader was Maximilien Robespierre.
Jacobins started wearing long striped trousers and became known as sans-
culottes.
Sans Culottes men wore the red cap symbolizing liberty, but women were not
allowed to.
The event of the summer of 1792
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Jacobins planned an insurrection due to food shortages and high prices.
On the morning of August 10, they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries,
massacred the king's guards, and held the king hostage.
The Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
Elections were held, and all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth,
got the right to vote.
Convention
On September 21, 1792, the monarchy was abolished, and France became a
republic.
Louis XVI was sentenced to death for treason and executed on January 21,
1793.
Queen Marie Antoinette was executed shortly after.
The Reign of Terror
The period from 1793 to 1794.
Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment.
Enemies of the republic were arrested, imprisoned, and tried by a revolutionary
tribunal.
If found guilty, they were guillotined.
Guillotine
A device consisting of two poles and a blade used for beheading, named
after Dr. Guillotin.
Situation during reign of terror
The government set maximum ceilings on wages and prices.
Meat and bread were rationed.
Peasants were forced to sell grain at fixed prices.
Traditional forms of address were replaced with Citoyen and Citoyenne
(Citizen).
Churches were shut down and converted into barracks or offices.
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Impact
Robespierre's policies became so relentless that even his supporters
demanded moderation.
He was convicted in July 1794, arrested, and guillotined.
Fall of the Jacobin Government
Rise of the wealthier middle classes.
A new constitution was introduced.
The vote was denied to non-propertied sections of society.
Two elected legislative councils were established, who then appointed a
Directory (an executive made up of five members).
This was meant to prevent the concentration of power.
Political instability paved the way for Napoleon Bonaparte.
The French Revolution: Events and Ideas
The ideals of freedom, equality before the law, and fraternity inspired political
movements in France and Europe.
Did Women have a Revolution?
Women's role in the revolution
Women actively participated, hoping to improve their lives.
Most women of the third estate had to work for a living.
They lacked access to education or job training.
Working women cared for families, cooked, fetched water, and looked after
children.
Their wages were lower than men's.
Political situation of the women
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Women started political clubs and newspapers to voice their interests.
The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most famous.
Women were disappointed by the Constitution of 1791, which reduced them
to passive citizens.
They demanded the right to vote, be elected, and hold political office.
Steps taken by the revolutionary government to improve the
lives of women
Schooling was made compulsory for girls with the creation of state schools.
Fathers could no longer force them into marriage.
Marriage was made a contract under civil law.
Divorce was legalized for both women and men.
Women could train for jobs and run businesses.
Women’s struggle for equal political rights, however,
continued
During the Reign of Terror, women's clubs were closed, and political activities
were banned.
Many prominent women were arrested and executed.
Women were denied voting rights and equal wages.
Women in France finally won the right to vote in 1946.
The Abolition of Slavery
Old regime
National assembly Jacobin regime Napoleon Rule
1789
Slavery was Debates about abolition, but it Slavery was Slavery was
prevelent was not abolished. abolished reintroduced
Why slavery was prevlent?
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The colonies in the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe, and San Domingo)
supplied tobacco, indigo, sugar, and coffee.
Europeans' reluctance to work in distant lands led to a labor shortage on
plantations.
This was met by a triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the
Americas.
Slave trade
The slave trade began in the seventeenth century.
French merchants bought slaves from local chieftains in Africa.
Slaves were packed tightly into ships for a three-month voyage to the
Caribbean.
They were sold to plantation owners.
Exploitation of slave labor met the demand for sugar, coffee, and indigo in
Europe.
Port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes prospered due to the slave trade.
Then how slavery was abolished?
There was little criticism of slavery in Old regime France.
The National Assembly did not pass laws to abolish slavery, fearing opposition
from businessmen.
The Convention in 1794 freed all slaves in French overseas possessions.
Napoleon reintroduced slavery in 1804.
Slavery was finally abolished in French Colonies in 1848.
The Revolution and Everyday Life
The revolutionary governments passed laws to translate the ideals of liberty
and equality into everyday practice.
Abolition of censorship
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In the Old Regime, all written material and cultural activities required approval
by censors.
After the storming of the Bastille, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and expression.
Newspapers, pamphlets, books, and printed pictures spread rapidly.
Abolition of censorship/Freedom of the press
Opposing views could be expressed.
Each side sought to convince others through print.
Plays, songs, and festive processions attracted large audiences.
Conclusion
In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France.
He conquered neighboring countries and created kingdoms for his family
members.
Napoleon saw himself as a modernizer of Europe.
He introduced laws such as the protection of private property and a uniform
system of weights and measures.
Rise and Fall of Napoleon
Initially, many saw Napoleon as a liberator.
Soon, Napoleonic armies were viewed as an invading force.
He was defeated at Waterloo in 1815.
His ideas of liberty and modern laws had a lasting impact.
French Revolution
The ideas of liberty and democratic rights were the most important legacy of
the French Revolution.
These spread from France to Europe and influenced movements for sovereign
nation-states.
Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy responded to the ideas from revolutionary
France.
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