THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

CONTENTS
• French Society During the Late
Eighteenth Century.
• The Struggle to Survive .
• A growing Middle class Envisage an end
of Privileges.
• The Outbreak of the Revolution.
• Assignments.
 FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY .

• French Revolution started on 14th July, 1789 with the storming of the fortress
prison, the Bastille. It was hated by all because it stood for the despotic power of
the king.
• They attacked the Bastille with the hope of getting hoarded ammunition and
releasing political prisoners.
• The days that followed saw more rioting both in Paris and the countryside leading
the beginning of a chain of events that ultimately led the Revolution.
• In 1774 Louis XVI of Bourbon family of kings ascended the throne of France. He
found an empty treasury due to long years of war with England and maintaining an
extravagant court .
 CAUSES OF FRENCH REVOLUTION
• Louis XVI was 20 years old and married to the Austrian princess
Marie Antoinette.
• The cost of maintainance of an extravagant court at the
immense palace of Versailles.
• Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American colonies
to gain their independence from the common enemy, Britain.
• The war added more than a billion livres to a debt that had
already risen to more than 2 billion livres.
• 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.
SOCIETY OF ESTATES
FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY .
• A Society of Estates: French society in the 18th century was
divided into three estates as follows:
• (a) First Estates comprises of Clergy. They were privileges
class with exemption from paying tax and with feudal
privileges.
• (b) Second Estates comprises of Nobility. They were
privileges class with exemption from paying tax and with
feudal privileges which includes right to extract feudal dues
from peasants and getting the services of peasants to work in
his house and fields.
• (c) Third Estates comprises of Big businessmen, merchants,
court officials, lawyers, peasants and artisans, small peasants,
landless labour, servants. They had to pay tax to both state
and the Church. Tithes to the Church and Taille to the state.
 THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
• Subsistence crisis means an extreme situation where
the basic means of livelihood are endangered. It
occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime
due to the following reasons: -
• (a) Population explosion: There was rapid population
growth in France. It rose from about 23 million in 1715
to 28 million in 1789 leading rapid increase in the
demand for food grains.
• (b) Price rise of staple diet of the majority make the
situation worse. The wages did not keep pace with the
rise of prices.
• (c) Natural calamities: Things became worse whenever
drought or hail reduced the harvest.
A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGE AN END
OF PRIVILEGES
• In The 18th century Europe a new social class known as Middle
class emerged. They believed that no group in society should
be privileged by birth. Rather a persons social position must
depend on his merit.
• The new ideas advocating a society based on freedom and
equal laws and opportunities for all, were put forwarded by
philosophers of the time.
• John Locke in his book Two Treaties of Government sought to
refute the doctrine of divine and absolute right of the
monarch.
• Jean Jacque Rousseau carried the idea forward, proposing a
form of government based on a Social Contact between
people and their representatives.
 A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGE AN END OF
PRIVILEGES
• Montesquieu in his book The Spirit of Laws
proposed a division of power within the government
between legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
• The American model of government, constitution
and its guarantee of individual rights was an
important example for political thinkers of France.
• The new ideas were discussed intensively and spread
among people through books and news papers.
• The news that Louis XVI planned to impose further
taxes generated anger and protest against the system
of privileges.
 THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION.

• In France of the Old Regime the monarch did not have the
power to impose taxes according to his will alone. The Estates
General which was a political body has to pass his proposals for
a new tax. The last it was done was in 1614.
• On 5 May 1789, king called together an assembly of the
Estates General at Versailles. The third estates was
represented by its more prosperous and educated members.
They brought with them 40,000 letters of their grievances and
demands.
• Instead of the principle of one vote of each house, they
demanded for each member would have one vote.
• As the king rejected this proposal, the members of the third
estates walked out of the assembly in protest.
 THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION.

• Tennis Court Oath : On 20 June the members of the third

estates assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the
ground of Versailles and declared:
• The Third Estates as National Assembly.
• Decided not to disperse till drafting a constitution for France
limiting the powers of the monarch.
• The members of the third estates were led by Mirabeau and
Abbe Sieyes. Mirabeau was from a noble family and brought
out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds
assembled at Versailles.
• Abbe Sieyes originally a priest wrote an influential pamphlet
called “What is the Third Estates”?
 THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
• While the national assembly was busy at Versailles the rest of France
seethed with turmoil.
• There was bad harvest leading to price rise, hoarding of supplies and
storming of shops by angry women.
• When the king ordered troops to move into Paris, on 14 July the agitated
crowd stormed and destroy the Bastille.
• In the countryside rumours spread that lords of the manor( An estate
consisting of the lord’s lands and his mansion) were on their way to
destroy the ripe crops.
• Peasants attacked Chateaux (Castle or stately residence belonging to a
king or a nobleman) looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents
containing records of manorial dues.
• Finally the king accorded recognition to the National Assembly and the
Constitution. On 4 August 1789 the Assembly abolished feudal system of
obligations and taxes.
 ASSIGNMENTS
• 1. What was Bastille? Why did the revolutionaries
made it their target?
• 2.What do you mean by Old Regime? Write any three
features of it?
• 3.What is subsistence crisis? What led subsistence
crisis in France?
• 4. Explain the role of philosophers in shaping new ides
among the people.
• 5. Write any three peculiarities of French Society in
18th century.
• 6. Write the importance of Tennis Court Oath.
 FRANCE BECOMES A CONSTITUTIONAL
MONARCHY
• The national Assembly completed the draft of the
constitution in 1791.
• The new constitution made France a constitutional
monarchy limiting the power of monarch.
• The new constitution separated and assigned powers to
different institutions and introduced the principle of
division of power.
• It made provision for a National Assembly with the power
to make laws ,which was indirectly elected.
• It introduced the concept of Active Citizen and Passive
Citizen.
Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a
labourers wage were given the status of active citizens, that is, they were
entitled to vote.
 DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND CITIZEN

• The Constitution began with a

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 established as natural
and inalienable rights, that is,
they belonged to each human
being by birth and could not
be taken away.
• It was the duty of the state to
protect each citizens natural
rights.
 FRANCE BECOMES A REPUBLIC
• Although Louis XVI had signed the constitution, he entered into secret
negotiations with the king of Prussia.
• Other kings of Europe were also worried and plans to send troops to
France.
• Before this could happen , the national assembly voted in April 1792 to
declare war against Prussia and Austria. It was known as Revolutionary
War.
• It brought losses and economic difficulties to the people and convinced
people that the revolution had to be carried further as the constitution
of 1791 gave limited political rights.
• The patriotic song sung by people was the Marseillaise, composed by
the poet Roget de LíIsle. It was sung for the first time by volunteers from
Marseilles as they marched into Paris and so got its name. The
Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France
• Political clubs became an important rallying point to discuss government
 JACOBIN CLUB
• The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins.
It belonged mainly to the less prosperous section of society.
• They included small shopkeepers, artisans such as
shoemakers, pastry cooks, watch-makers, printers, as well
as servants and daily-wage workers.
• Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
• A large group among the Jacobins decided to start wearing
long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers.
• This was to set themselves apart from the fashionable
sections of society, especially nobles, who wore knee
breeches.
• They came to be known as the sans-culottes, literally
meaning those without knee breeches.
• The men wore the red cap that symbolised liberty. Women
however were not allowed to do so.
 FRANCE BECOMES A REPUBLIC
• In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an
insurrection(revolt) of a large number of Parisians who
were angered by the short supplies and high prices of
food.
• On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace
of the Tuileries, massacred the kings guards and held the
king himself as hostage for several hours.
• Later the Assembly voted to imprison the royal family.
Elections were held.
• From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless
of wealth, got the right to vote.
 FRANCE BECOMES A REPUBLIC
• The newly elected assembly was called the Convention.
• On 21 Sept 1792 it abolished the monarchy and
declared France a Republic, where the people elect the
government including the head of the government.
• Louis XVI was sentenced to death by a court on the
charges of treason( Betrayal of ones country or
government).
• On 21 January 1793 he was executed publicly at the
Place de la Concorde.
• 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. Robespierre
followed a policy of severe control and punishment. The enemies of the republic –
ex-nobles and clergy, political opponents were arrested, imprisoned, tried and
guilty were Guillotined.
• Several reforms were carried out during this period like-Peasants were forced to
sell grains at prices fixed by the government.
• The use of more expensive white flour was forbidden; all citizens were required to
eat the pain degalitÈ (equality bread), a loaf made of wholewheat.
• Instead of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam) all French men
and women were Citoyen and Citoyenne (Citizen).
• Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into barracks or offices.
• Finally he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the next day sent
to the Guillotine.
 ASSIGNMENT

• 1. Write any five provisions of the constitution

of 1791.
• 2. Write a short note on The Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizen.
• 3. Write a short note on revolutionary war of
1792.
• 4. What were the reforms introduced during
the reign of terror period?
 Rule of Directory
• The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier
middle classes to seize power.
• A new constitution was introduced in 1795 with the following
provisions:-
• (a) Denial of voting rights to non propertied section of society.
• (b) Two elected legislative councils.
• (c) Appointment of a Directory, an executive made up of five
members to safeguard against the concentration of power in
one man.
• However it was also failed due to :-
• Frequent clashes with legislative councils
• Mutual fighting among themselves.
 Did Women have a Revolution?
• In the early years, the revolutionary government did introduce laws that
helped improve the lives of women.
• 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, and could be applied for by both women and
men.
• Women could now train for jobs, could become artists or run small
businesses From the very beginning women were active participants in
the events associated with the revolution.
• They hoped that their involvement would pressurise the revolutionary
government to introduce measures to improve their lives.
• Their wages were lower than those of men.
• Women started their own political clubs and newspapers.
• One of their main demands was equal political rights as men. But
they were disappointed by the constitution of 1791 as it reduced
them to passive citizens.
• They demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly and
to hold political office.
• During Reign of Terror government banned women clubs and
political activities.
• Many prominent women were arrested and a number of them
executed.
• Women’s movements for voting rights and equal wages continued
through the next 200 years in many countries of the world.
• Finally in 1946 women in France won the right to vote.
 REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN
• Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793) : She was one
of the politically active women in
revolutionary France. She protested against
the constitution and the Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizen as they excluded
women from basic rights. In 1791 she wrote a
Declaration of the Rights of Women and
citizens demanding its implementation.
• In 1793 she criticised the Jacobin government
for forcibly closing down of women’s clubs.
She was tried by the National Convention for
treason and executed.
 Abolition of Slavery
• Throughout the 18th century there was little criticism of slavery in France.
The National Assembly did not pass any law on slavery fearing opposition
from businessmen .
• One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime was
the abolition of slavery in the French colonies in 1794.
• Napoleon reintroduced slavery in 1804. It was finally abolished in French
colonies in 1848
• Golden Triangular Slave Trade:- The slave trade began in the 17 th century.
It was between Europe, Africa and the Americas.
• It was due to shortage of labour on the plantations and the profit
associated with it.
• French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux and Nantes to
African coast , brought slaves to Caribbean and sold to plantation owners.
• The exploitation of slave labours made it possible to meet the growing
demands in Europe.
 The Revolution and Everyday Life
• The years following 1789 in France saw many changes in the
lives of men, women and children.
• The revolutionary government passed laws that translate the
ideas of liberty and equality into everyday practices.
• Abolition of censorship.
• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens proclaimed
freedom of expression to be a natural right.
• Newspapers, pamphlets, books and printed pictures flooded
the towns of France from where they travelled rapidly into the
countryside.
• They all described and discussed the events and changes taking
place in France.
• Freedom of the press also meant that opposing views of events
 Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

• In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France.

• He conquered different European countries, dispossessing dynasties and
creating kingdoms.
• He saw his role as a modernizer 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.
• But soon the Napoleonic armies came to be viewed everywhere as an invading
force.
• He was finally defeated at Waterloo in 1815.
• Many of his measures that carried the revolutionary ideas of liberty and modern
laws to other parts of Europe had an impact on people long after Napoleon had
left.
• The ideas of Liberty and Democratic rights were the most important legacy of
the French Revolution.
• It became a source of inspiration to the colonial people to create a sovereign
 ASSIGNMENT
• Did women have a revolution? Explain.
• Write a short note on Golden Triangular Slave
Trade.
• Describe the legacy of France Revolution.
• Write a short note on Rule of Directory.
• How would you explain the rise of Napoleon?