India and the contemporary world - l
Chapter 1 - The French Revolution
Importance - The French Revolution was a pivotal event that led to the end of monarchy in
France and introduced new ideas of liberty, freedom, and equality, replacing a society based on
privileges with a new system of governance. The ‘Declaration of the Rights of Man’ announced
a new era where individuals had rights and claimed equality. These ideas influenced anti-colonial
movements globally.
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century:
Monarchy and Financial Crisis - In 1774, the Bourbon family king Louis XVI (20 years old and
married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette) ascended the throne of France, inheriting an
empty treasury due to long years of war, including aiding the thirteen American colonies against
Britain, and the cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense Palace of Versailles.
This led to a significant increase in national debt, compelling the state to raise taxes.
Estate System - In France of the Old Regime the society was divided into three estates :
The third estate alone bore the burden of state taxes, including direct tax (taille) and indirect
taxes on daily consumption items like salt and tobacco. The Church also levied a tax called tithe
(one-tenth of agricultural produce).
Population Growth leads to increase in the price of bread, a staple diet, while wages for workers
did not keep pace, widening the gap between the rich and poor. Frequent droughts or hail
worsened harvests, leading to a "subsistence crisis".
The 18th century saw the rise of a prosperous middle class within the Third Estate, gaining
wealth from overseas trade and manufacturing. This group, including merchants, manufacturers,
lawyers, and administrative officials, was educated and believed that social position should be
based on merit, not birth.
Ideas of a society based on freedom, equal laws, and opportunities were promoted by
philosophers like -
1-John Locke - refuted the doctrine of divine and absolute monarchical rights
in his book ‘Two Treatises of Government’.
2-Jean Jacques Rousseau - proposed a form of government based on a social
contract between people and their representatives in his book ‘The Social Contract’.
3-Montesquieu - Advocated for the division of power within government into
legislative, executive, and judiciary in his book ‘The Spirit of the Laws’.
These ideas, reinforced by the American Constitution, spread through salons, coffee-houses,
books, and newspapers, fueling public anger against the system of privileges when Louis XVI
planned further taxes.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
Estates General meeting (5 May, 1789) - Louis XVI called a meeting to pass new tax proposals.
The First and Second Estates sent 300 representatives each, while 600 members of the Third
Estate stood at the back. Peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry but their grievances
were submitted in 40,000 letters.
Demand for One Vote Per Member - The Third Estate demanded voting by the assembly as a
whole, with each member having one vote, aligning with Rousseau's democratic principles. The
king's rejection led to the Third Estate walking out.
Tennis Court Oath (20 June, 1789) - Representatives of the Third Estate declared themselves a
National Assembly at an indoor tennis court in Versailles, vowing to draft a constitution to limit
the monarch's powers. They were led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes, who wrote a pamphlet
called 'What is the Third Estate?’
