History
Chapter 1
The French Revolution
Notes
Introduction
The French Revolution started in 1789. The series of events started by the middle class
shaken the upper classes. The people revolted against the cruel Regime of monarchy. This
Revolution put forward the ideas of Liberty, fraternity and equality.
Causes of the French Revolution Introduction
1. Social causes
• The term old Regime is usually used to describe the society and Institutions of France before
1789. The society of estates was part of the feudal system that dated back to the middle
ages. The society was divided into three estates:
First estate: clergy ( group of persons involved in church).
Second estate: nobility (persons who have high rank in state administration). Third estate :(
comprises of big businessmen, merchants, Court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans,
landless labour, servants).
• The members of the first two estates enjoyed certain privileges by birth. The most important
of these was exemption from paying taxes to the state. The nobles further enjoyed feudal
privileges. Peasants were obliged to render services to the lord-to work in his house and
fields-to serve in the army or to participate in building roads.
• Only the members of the third estate had to pay taxes to the state. Direct tax called Taille
and also a number of indirect taxes which were charged on articles of everyday consumption
like salt or tobacco. A tax called tithes was also collected by the church from the peasants.
• Clergy and nobility were 10% of the population but possessed 60% of lands. Third estate was
90% of population but possessed 40% of the lands.
2. Political causes
• Louis XVI came into the power in 1774 and found empty treasury. Long years of War had
drained the financial resources of France.
• Under Louis XVI, France helped the 13 American colonies to gain their Independence from
the common enemy, Britain, which added more than a billion livres to a debt that had
already risen to more than 2 billion.
• An extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles also cost a lot.
• To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running
government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes.
3. Economic causes
• The population of France rose from about 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789.
• This increased the demand for the food grains. However, production could not keep pace
with the demand which ultimately increased the prices of the food grains.
• Most workers work as labourers in the workshops and they did not see increase in their
wages.
• Situation became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the harvest.
• This led to the scarcity of food grains or subsistence crisis which started occurring frequently
during old regime.
4. Growing middle class
• The eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of social groups, term the middle class
who earn their wealth through Overseas trade, from manufacturing of goods and
professionals
• This class was educated, believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth. They
were inspired by the ideas put forward by the various philosophers and became a matter of
discussion intensively for these classes in salons and Coffee houses and spread among
people through books and newspapers.
• The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights was an important example
for political thinkers in France.
5. Philosophers and their contributions
• John Locke (written a book named, Two Treatises of Government) in which he criticized the
doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch.
• Jean Jacques Rousseau (written a book named social contract) in which he proposed a form
of government based on a social contract between people and their representatives.
• Montesquieu (written a book named The Spirit Of the laws) in which he proposed a division
of power within the government between the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
The outbreak of the revolution
• Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estates General to pass his proposals to increase taxes on
5th May 1789. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated
in rows facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate had to
stand at the back. The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated
members only, while peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the Assembly.
Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to the principle that
each estate had one vote and same practice to be continued this time. But members of the
third estate demanded individual voting right, where each member would have one vote.
After rejection of this proposal by the king, members of the third estate walked out of the
assembly in protest.
• On 28 June, the representatives of the third estate assembled in the Hall Of an indoor tennis
court in the grounds of Versailles where they declared themselves, a national assembly and
vowed to draft a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
Mirabeau, a Noble and Abbe Sieyes, a priest led the third estate. While the national
assembly was busy at Versailles drafting the constitution, the rest of the France was in
trouble.
• Severe winter destroyed the food crops which resulted in increase in the prices. The Bakers
also hoarded supplies of breads for making greater profit. After spending hours in long
queues at the Bakery, crowds of angry women stormed into the shops.
• At the same time the king ordered troops to move into Paris .On 14 July, the agitated crowd
stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
• In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the Lords of the Manor were
on their way to destroy ripe crops through their hired men. Due to fear, peasants in several
districts attacked the castle of nobles, looted grains and burnt down documents containing
records of manorial dues. Large number of Nobles fled from their homes and many migrated
to neighbouring countries.
Louis XVI finally recognised the national assembly and accepted the constitution. On 4th
August, 1789, France passed the law for abolishing the feudal system of obligations and
Taxes. The members of clergy were also forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were
abolished and lands owned by the church were confiscated.
France became a Constitutional Monarchy
• The National Assembly completed the draft of the Constitution in 1791 which main object
was to limit the powers of the Monarch. The powers were now separated and assigned to
different institutions-the legislature, executive and Judiciary which made France a
constitutional Monarchy.
• The constitution of 1791 gave the power of making laws in the hands of national assembly,
which was indirectly elected. The national assembly was elected by group of electors, which
was chosen by active citizens. Active citizens comprised of only men above 25 years of age
who paid taxes equal to at least three days of a labourer’s wage. The remaining men and all
women were classed as passive citizens who had no voting rights. France constitution at
that time
• The constitution began with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
• Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law
were given to each human being by birth and could not be taken away. It was the duty of the
state to protect its citizen’s natural rights.
France abolished Monarchy and became a Republic
• Louis XVI had signed the constitution, but he entered into secret negotiations with the King
of Prussia. Rulers of other neighbouring countries too were
worried by the developments in France and made plans to send troops to stop the
Revolutionary events taking place. Before this could happen, the national assembly voted in
1792 to declare war against Prussia and Austria. Thousands of volunteers joined the army
from the provinces. People saw this war as a war of the people against kings and
aristocracies all over Europe.
• The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the people.
• The constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richest sections of the society.
Political clubs were established by the people who wished to discuss government policies
and plan their own forms of action.
• The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins. The members of the Jacobin
club belonged mainly to the less prosperous section of society such a small shopkeepers,
artisans as well as servants and daily wage workers. Their leader was Maximilian
Robespierre.
• Jacobin started wearing long striped trousers and came to be known as sans culottes literally
meaning those without knee breeches.
• In the summer of 1792, the Jacobins planned the revolt of a large number of the people of
Paris who were angered by the short supplies and high prices of food.
• On August 10, they stormed the palace of Tuileries, massacred the king’s Guards and held
King himself as Hostage for several hours.
• Later, the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family. Elections were held. From now all
men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote. The newly elected
Assembly was called the convention.
• On 21st September 1792, it abolished the monarchy and declared France a Republic. Louis
XVI was sentenced to death by a court on the charge of treason. The Queen Marie
Antoinette 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 as Robespierre followed
the policy of severe control and punishment.
• All his enemies, ex - nobles, clergy, members of other political parties, even member of his
own party who did not agree with his methods were arrested, imprisoned and guillotined.
• Robespierre’s government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices.
➢ Meat and bread were rationed.
➢ Peasants were forced to transport their grains to the cities and sell it at prices
fixed by the government.
➢ The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden and all citizens were
required to eat the equality bread, a loaf made of whole wheat.
• Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.
• Robespierre pursued his policies so hardly that even his supporters began to demand
moderation. Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested, and on the next day
sent to the guillotine.
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 which then appointed a Directory, an
executive made up of 5 members.
• 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 military Dictator,
Napoleon Bonaparte.
Women Revolution
• From the very beginning, women were active participants in revolution. They hoped that
their involvement would pressurized the revolutionary government to introduce measures
to improve their lives.
• Most women of the third estate had to work for a living as laundresses, sellers, domestic
servants in the houses of prosperous people.
• Most women did not have access to education for job training.
• To discuss and voice their interest women started their own political clubs and newspapers.
They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the assembly and to hold political office.
• The Revolutionary government did introduce laws that help improve the lives of women.
➢ By 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, and could be applied for by both women and men.
➢ Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small businesses.
• It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to vote.
The revolution in everyday life
• After the storming of the Bastille in the summer of 1789 was the abolition of censorship.
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of speech and
expression to be a natural right.
• News papers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded the towns of France from
where they travelled rapidly into the countryside and described and discussed the events
and changes taking place in France.
• Plays, songs and festive processions attracted large number of people which was one way
they could grasp and identify with ideas such as Liberty or justice.
Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
After the end of reign of terror, Directory created political instability in 1804. Napoleon
Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of France. He conquered many neighbouring countries
and placed members of his family on the Crown. 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 welcome
Napoleon as a liberator who would bring freedom for the people. But soon the Napoleonic
armies came to be viewed everywhere as an invading force. He was finally defeated at
Waterloo in 1815.
