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04 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY, image, image,…
04 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY
1 DIFFICULT TIMES FOR THE MONARCHY
In the last third of the 18th century, under the reign of Louis XVI
France was a model of absolute monarchy ruled under the principles of enlightened despotism
Large segments of the population had begun to criticise the situation
In 1789, the combination of a series of factors triggered the revolution.
FACTORS THAT TRIGGERED THE REVOLUTION
The liberal ideas of the Enlightenment.
They had become popular amongst large segments of the population
Criticism of absolutism and the division of society into estates
People called for the separation of powers and equality before the law
The example of the United States
Noblemen and clerics did not pay direct taxes
As part of the third estate, the bourgeoisie and the peasantry did pay taxes
They agreed that neither the nobility nor the clergy provided any economic benefit to society as a whole.
Economic crisis
After the Seven Years’ War, France lost Canada and possessions of India and Africa against Great Britain
This also affected the Royal Treasury
Was forced to pay the huge debts it had taken on to finance the war
The court at Versailles did not reduce its spending on luxuries
Inequality before the law
As part of the third estate, the bourgeoisie and the peasantry did pay taxes
They agreed that neither the nobility nor the clergy provided any economic benefit to society as a whole
Social inequalities )
The population had grown a lot and farming production could no longer meet the demand for food during poor harvests.
Under these conditions many Parisians went hungry and had no resources
Political unrest
Citizens and peasants described their complaints and demands in these books
A total of more than 25,000 books of grievances were compiled in France’s towns and cities
The king and queen were openly criticised and discredited
There was an atmosphere of great political unrest in Paris and the rest of France
2 PHASES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
THE ESTATES-GENERAL (1789)
The French Revolution was a long revolutionary process that began in 1789 and finished in 1804
When the Napoleonic Empire was founded
Its first phase began when King Louis XVI assembled a consultative Parliament
It proposed that the rich pay taxes
As it was an estate assembly, the voting system was one vote per estate
The third estate wanted it to be individual, with one vote per attendeed
The third estate delegates then formed the National Assembly
NATIONAL CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY (1789–1791)
While the National Assembly was doing its work, the social situation got worse
In the countryside, nobles’ homes were raided
Parisians rose up and attacked the Bastille prison
Which held political prisoners of the absolute monarchy
The soldiers opened the doors so they could escape
The king could not dissolve the Assembly, which introduced reforms such as the abolition of feudal privileges
The king also drew up the Constitution of 1791, which established the division of powers
Although Louis XVI seemed to accept the situation, he contacted other absolute monarchies to conspire against the new regime
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (1791–1792)
The Constituent Assembly was dissolved and elections were held following censitary suffrage
According to the new constitutional order, it was in charge of preparing the laws.
In addition, three new political tendencies appeared
The Girondins
With the second highest number of representatives
They were moderates, federalists and supporters of the parliamentary monarchy.
The Jacobins
They were radical liberals, centralists and supporters of the Republic, who were in the minority
The Plain
They were deputies who were in the majority and did not belong to any party
NATIONAL CONVENTION (1792–1795)
After the elections, the Assembly assumed legislative and executive powers
The priority was fighting the invaders, who were defeated at the decisive Battle of Valmy
The Convention removed and imprisoned Louis XVI
The Republic was proclaimed in September 1792
The king was tried for treason and executed by guillotine
Slavery was abolished and measures were approved to support the lower classes
The Convention drew up a Constitution that was never approved)
The period known as ‘the Terror’ began at the same time
The excesses and constant instability led a moderate sector of the deputies to carry out a coup d’état in 1794
This started what was called the ‘White Terror’ against the Jacobins
THE DIRECTORY (1795–1799)
The new Constitution was approved in 1795
The new legal text established an executive power called the ‘Directory'
Internal instability and the lack of a definitive victory abroad led to a new coup d’état
THE CONSULATE (1799–1804)
Napoleon Bonaparte, led a coup d’état in 1799
The new constitutional text established a Congress and a Senate with very few powers
Napoleon could therefore rule in an authoritarian way as the first consul of the Republic
MARIE ANTOINETTE (1755–1793)
Queen Marie Antoinette, the emperor of Austria’s sister, married Louis XVI
The French people accused her of defending Austrian interests nd spending money on whims while the people starved
She was convicted and executed by guillotine in 1793
A few months after her husband
FRANÇOIS-NOËL BABEUF (1760–1797)
François-Noël Babeuf, also known as Graccus Babeuf was a French revolutionary
He died on the guillotine for attempting to overthrow the Directory in the ‘Conspiracy of Equals’
