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French revolution, Reforming france 1789-1792, Government by terror 1793…
French revolution
Long term causes
Royal government
Absolutism
Personality of king is very important
Limitations to power
Bound by the law and customs of their country
King could not interfere with assembly of the clergy
King had to consult the council of ministers to make laws
Power in the little people
In provinces government was carried by intendants
1774 Louis XVI came to power --> Weak personality
Louis marries Marie Antoinette
Austrian princess
Purchase of 4000 lives diamond necklace as the states debt ballooned
Influencecs kings decision
Taxation system
Tax farming
External organization collects taxes
collected indirect taxes
Had to pay a percent to the tax farmer
Found itself in debt constantly
Taxes paid by third estate
Taille
Vingtieme
Capitation
Corruption in collection caused that many taxes didnt reach the government and taxpayers knew this
Between 1749-1783 increased so France can subsidise wars
Financial problems
Rejection of Necker reform 1789
Summon of estates general seem as desperate act by enemies --> Action seized by the third estate
Appointment of Turgot 1774 as controller general
Influenced by philosopher ideas
reform programme
Attempts to abolish the Corvee and trade guilds
Causes protests and is dismissed from the post
French society (Ancient regime)
24 million habitants of France in 3rd estate
First estate
Members of the church --> Unliked by people
Exemption from taxes
tithes: Tax for the church
-Censorship
Second estate
First estate
Burgoeise:Felt that their power and wealth should be reflected
Peasant: 67% of population
Enlightment
Intellectual movement
voltaire, Montesquieu
Apply rational analysis
In favour of freedom
They weren't interested in equality
Short term causes
Foreign policy
-
Seven Years war 1756
Lost important sugar exoprtin areas I by 1763
Martinique and Guadeloupe
American war of independence
Enlightment
Pricy
Financial crisis
Huge deficit
Calonne (controllers general) teells king that the government is in bankruptcy 1786
Revenue is 475 million and expenditure is 587 million
Wars costed 1066 million
Not enough tax income
Calonne intende on reformation of tax system
Tax on land --> Affect wealthy land owners
Stimulation of economy by removing grain trade barriers within the country
Restore national confidence
Instead of Estates General voting, a handpicked notable voted --> They voted for a no in the reform
Political crisis
Calonne is replace by one of the notables
Government refuses to take the opinions of the assembly and decides to summon the estates general --> Aristocratic revolution
Economic crisis
Bad harvests
Between 1778-1786
Unemployment
Rising on price of food --> Lower demand in manufacturing goods, significant increase in price of bread
Bread price increased an 60%
Food shortages
Blamed land owners ---> Fault of the nobility
Frequent attacks in bread shops by 1789
Causes politisisation of third estate
Reforming france 1789-1792
Local government
Aim--> Descentralize government
More difficult for the king to takeover
December 1789
83 departments
Elected councils
Right to vote --> Active citizens could vote --> Citizens who paid taxes
Heavily weighted to wealthy French
Taxation and finance
Same taxation should continue until 1791
Highly unpopular
REFORMATION
Had already abolished indirect and direct taxation
Reforms:
3 new direct taxes
DIdnt work
Not enough officers collecting tax
Sale of church land
To provide money to state
Guarantee success of the revolution
Clergy to support new regime --> They would depend on it for their salaries
Members of bourgeoisie bought most of land by 1792
Economic progress
Slower than in Britain
Free trade and no price control in grain in 1789
Can produce scarcity in certain regions, and high prices of food
Internal tariffs abolished
Free distribution through France
Legal system --> New system 1790
Criminal court in each department
Judges elected by active citizens
Abolished mutilation and torture
Guillotine introduced 1792
Free and equal to everyone --> Most enlightened in Europe
Civil constitution of the clergy
Bishofrics reduced from 135 to 83
Increase democracy
Oath of loyalty
1790 --> Clregy must take oath of loyalty to the constitution
Splitted the clergy in two
Church divided into two --> Those who take the oath and those who didnt
Peasants complained tha the assembly was trying to neglect their religion --> Refractory priests were expelled
New constitution
September 1791
Kings rigths:
-Appoitn his own ministers
Suspensive veto
Had to obey the assembly
Flight to Varennes 1791
King expressed his discontent with the assembly
Renounced to the revolution
Support for republic started to grow
24 june 30 thousand people marched from cordeliers club for the kings dismissal
Champs de Mars massacre 1791 --> Martial law --> 50 people were killed
Government by terror 1793-94
Political crisis
Convention's objectives
Punish suspects
Ensure governments orders were carried out
Meet some economic demands of sans-culottes
Anit revolutionaires threatened the revolution
Committee of general security
Rooting out all anti republican opposition
10 March revolutionary tribunal was set --> COunterevolutionary suspects --> Becomes important in the terror
Committee of public safety 6 April 1973
Supervises and speeds up activities of ministers
4th may maximum price for grain was set up
June 2 ->> Deputies distrusted Montagnards due to their treatment to girondins
Robespierre joins July 1793 "the incorruptible"
-Peter McPhee "‘Robespierre and the CPS had led the Republic and Revolution to security. Their achievement was enormous; so were the human costs. By the time the Republic was safe in 1794, Robespierre was ill, exhausted, irrational and in despair.’
Federal revolt
-1793 Girondins expelled from the convention by force for supporting revolts backed by royalists
Federalism --> Involvement of the governing organization in the revolts
Dominance of Sans-Culottes
Characteristics
Hatred of aristocracy
Egalitarianism
Wearing of red caps
Anti clerical
Democratic
Sans-culottes put Jacobins in power
Jacobins give consessions to SC by CPS
New constitution June 1793 --> Declaration of rights
Levee en Masse --> put all resources to military 23 august 1793 --> Many unskilled soldiers
Economic concessions
dechristinization --> 6000 priests left their post --> Resent in the villages
IMPACT
Enrages
Jaques-roux
Revolutionary group
members were unemployed and poor
-wanted convention Tod deal with starvation and poor people
--> Proposes economic terror --> Execution of hoarders that increase price fo grain
Robespierre was against him
Roux was arrested in journeé
Armee revolutionaire
4th september
Hotel de ville
Demand bread and higher wages
Convention authorised creation of armee revolutionaire -- Sans culottes
Confront counterevolutionaries
Purpose -->
Ensure food supplies
Unlikely to last due to small size, and hostility from rural sectors due to their dechristinzation
CPS disliked it due to its anarchic nature
Economic terror
Death penalty for increasing prices of bread
1793 Law of general maximum --> Control prices
Peasants against as this price used to be below cost of production
Political terror
Adoption of extreme policies to achieve peace
by cps and cgs --> Victims brought to revolutionary tribunal
September 1793 --> 66 sentenced to death
-Law of suspects
-total of 16600 executions
Revolutioanry calendar --> Sweep away rests of Ancient regime
Dictatorship of CPS --> Law of frimaire establishes revolutionary government 4th December
Goals
End anarchy
End sans-culottes control
Strenght of government
Oppositions--> Hebet and Danton
Danton:
Opposition of right
Ending terror--> Ending the war
Leading Jacobin
Executed 1794
Law of prairie --> Any "enemy of the people" was executed
Overthrow of Robespierre
Catholics --> The cult of supreme being accepted by may 1794 was against their religion --> Clerics though It was reintroducing catholicism in the government
Sans culottes
Execution of Hebert
Dissolution of popular soiceties
-End of democracy
Imposing maximum laws
CPS and CGS
-
Coup of thermidor
Robespierre suspected members
Carnot and terrorists were threatened
Arrest of Robespierre
No one defended him --> Fall of the terror
Thermidorian reaction
Uprisings causes:
Maximum laws abolished in 1974
Fall in value of assignat
April 1795 assignat was 8th percent of the value it was in 1790
Increase in the price of bread cause of grain shortages
Prairal:
Violent with backup of national gurads
1 deputy was killed
Convention agreed to setup a food commission
Convention counter attacked:
40 arrested montagnards
6000 militants disarmed
Marked the end of snap-culotte as a military force
Germinal 1795:
Demands for bread
Controlled by the appearance of national guards
Unsuccessful
Outbreaks of violence in the provinces due to conventions inability to stop famine
Ending the terror
Convention:
Abolish revolutionary tribunal
Release of suspects from prison
Repealed the law of prairal
Abandonment of centralisation of CPS --> 25% of members of CPS and CGS had to be changed each month
Religious issues
Constitutional church renounced
Sept 1794 convention wouldn't pay clerical salaries
Recognition for cult of supreme being renounced
White terror
April to may 1795
Attack on counterrevolutionaries
Mainly victims of revolutionary tribunals
Jeunesses dorée --> Gangs that would beat up Jacobins and sans culottes
Constitution of YEAR III 1795
aims: Abolition of privilege, Freedom of the individual, Control of national and local affairs
Weaknesses in new constitution
Yearly elections promoted instability
No means of resolving conflicts between executive and legislative
Vendemiaire uprising
October 1795
government army led by Napoleon
20k against 7k
Properly defended
The directory:
Directors wanted to establish a liberal government
Maintain gains of the revolution
Commited on restoring rule of law
Opponents were discredited --> Royalists and Jacobins
Enthusiasm towards revolution had disappeared
End of ancient regime 1789
Estates general 1788
Method of voting -->Voting by order
Third estate protested to vote by head --> As they had majority
Cahiers
First estate
List of grievances and suggestions
End of bishops holding more than one diocese
Give up financial privileges of the church
second estate
Liberal
Give up financial privileges
Meeting:
No reforms suggested by the government
Declaration of National assembly
Third estate voted 490-90 to become the National Assembly
Their theory is that they made most of teh population sot hey had the rights to decide taxation and affairs
Clergy joined the National Assembly
Tennis court oath --> Not to disperse until France was given a constitution --> King didnt have the right to dissolve them
Third estate was becoming radical
Summon of the seance royale 23 of June
No taxes would be imposed
Lettres de cachet boul be imposed
Freedom of press
Gabelle and Corvee abolished
27 June king accepts voting by head
Most of the clergy and nobles have gone to National Assembly
Reaction of crown
Military deployment around Paris --> 4000 elite French soldiers
Economic crisis in Paris
Third estate spent 88% of salary in bread by 1789
Increase support towards National Assembly
Popular movement
Parisians went to palais royal t listen to revolutionary characters such as Camille demouslins
Necker dismissal
Parisians believed he was the only one that could fix the financial crisis
Parisians through this action was an attempt to recover power of the crown
Capture of Bastille
Bastille symbolical to ancien regime
Gardes françaises slowly inlfuenced by revolution
14 July 5 out of 6 battalions had deserted
Troops sent to champs de mars
Attack made by sans-culottes
Significance
King lost control of Paris --> Setting up of commune
Lafayette commander of bourgeoisie national guard
Assembly. prepared to draw up a constitution
Louis had to share power
News went through the country and intensified the involvement of peasants
Emigres
After storming of Bastille
King travels to versailles
-hostile reception
Louis humilliation
Wears red and blue hat of revolution
Revolution in provinces
July 1789
Aim --> Prevent counter revolution
Rural revolt
spring 1789
Dismantling ancien regime
National Assembly dilemma:
Couldn't crush peasants with King's guards as they would turn against them
Otherwise the peasants would keep the anarchy in the countryside
August Decrees august 1789
Dismantling of feudal system
Serfdom and Corvee abolished
Abolition of Champart and loss et vented
Consequences
Nobles followed
Tithes abolished
Tax privileges abolished
Equal taxes
Marks the end of noble power
Peasants committed to revolution --> End of feudal system
National uniform system of administration
Declaration of the rights of man and citizen
All men are born free
Power rest with people
Freedom of expression
Freedom to own property
Nationalization of church land
In order for the government to raise finance
2000 million livres
Church doesn't have that much power
King wasnt in support
King was given a suspension veto
Objective wasnt to build a republic yet
October days
1 of October king tries to win the support of the army --> Banquet in versailles
Parisians considered bringing back the kin to Paris
Women stormed Hotel De Ville demanding bread
5000 women and 20000 guards march to Versailles
Consequence
King approves August decrees and declarations of man
King returns to Paris, where he has less power
King is prisoner of Paris' mob
Name of the king changed --> Now he was subordinate to the law
Overthrow of the Monarchy
Outbreak of war April 1792 with Austria
Declaration of Pillnitz --> Demand Louis' freedom --> Enemies of the king in France saw this as a direct attack to them
Marie antonniette writes to her brother in 1791 that Austria should attack France --> French people thought French foreign policy was ran by Austrian committee
Opposition to war --> Robespierre believed that threats of war weren't true from European powers --> Frances division and weak financial situation anticipated that a war would destroy them
20 of April 1792 French declare war
Factors:
Fear that Paris was going to be captured
Military crisis
6000 officers had emigrated
150 thousand newly recruited soldiers
Royal vetoes
opposition from refractory priests and counterrevolutionaries
27 May assembly passed the act for deportation of refractory priests
Rise of Sana culotte
demonstration in the tuleries proved the king's vulnerability and the assembly's inability to protect him
tension in Paris
The federes
Revolutionaries and republicans
-La marseillaise was sang by the French federes
5000 in Paris by July
Supported by the Jacobins
Robespierre proposals
Abandonment of constitution of 1791
Overthrow monarchy
National convention
Purge of royalists in the government
Brunswick manifesto
Austro Prussian families
Ensure welfare of France
Restore liberty of Louis XVI
City of Paris set Louis free
Frenchmen infuriated --> Supporters of monarchy turned against it
3 of august abolition of monarchy 47 out of 48 sections voted
Attack on the Tuileries 9 august
Sans-culottes takeover Hotel de ville --> Set revolutionary commune
600 swiss massacred
50 federes killed
Proclamation of a republic
-After 10th of august King was prohibited to exert his powers
-Creation of national convention 1792
Execution of Louis 1793
Republic at war 1792-1793
September massacres
Counter revolutionaries in prisons conspiring to attack against
Marat calls for conspirators to be killed
Massacres of prisons --> First appearance of terror
1000 prisioners killed
Killers were sans-culottes
Battle at Valmy 1792
French defeated Austrians
Occupation of the rhine
First battle won by republicans
War of the first coalition
Both British and French thought the war was going to be short
France's confidence after battle of Valmy
British thought France was still weak
by 1793 Britain raised the first coalition
Frances battle in Netherlands fail --> fighting in French border Danton seeks conciliation with the coalition
Committee of public safety
Carnot joined it -->
reorganized the army
Re-established discipline
defeats opposition at battle of watiggnies 1793
Economic issues
Printed more assigns --> reduces its price
Assignats price fell 50% by 1793
The directory
Financial reforms
1796 --> new currency mandate territoriaux
by 1797 they were ceased due to their low value
Only 1 billion coins --> Caused deflation
Decrease of national debt from 240 million to 80 million --> Stabilizes Frances finances
Made directory unpopular within workers and businessmen
Increase of revenue:
Taxation implemented 1798
Land tax
Indirect octrois introduced
Revived unpopular ancien regime policies
Coup de fructidor 1797
People tired of war abroad and religious conflict
Found constitutional monarchy attractive
Monarchists won 180 out of 160 seats --> directory lost support from richer burgeoisie
End of parliamentary government and constitution of year III
Terror
Directory takes action against refractory priests and emigres
-1400 priests deported to Guiana