French Revolution

By - Mahipal Singh Rathore

 What was it?
A 10 year period of events in France from
1789 to 1799 that led to wide ranging
political and social change and has had
a huge impact on modern world
The revolution abolished monarchy, made
France a republic and ended in
dictatorship of Napoleon
Causes
Political
Social
Economic
Intellectual
 Political - The Bourbon
despots
Louis XV (1715-74)
Louis XIV (1643-
1715) • Debt increased due
to defeat in 7 years
• Absolute despot
war
• Centralisation of
• Not a good
power
administrator
• MANY Wars- France
in debt
 Louis XVI (1774-92)
• Well intentioned but could not
bring bold reforms
• Backtracked from decisions easily
• Austrian wife – Marie Antoinette
(Bad advisor)
• American war of Independence –
French help ruined France itself
for no gains
Versailles Palace
 Social Cause
Division of French society – Ancien Regime
First Estate Second Estate Third Estate

Clergy (Church) Nobility Farmers, Artisans,

Factory workers,
Traders, Lawyers,
Public officials
1 lakh 4 lakh 2.7 Crore ~95 % of
population

10% land 25 % land

• No tax on 1st and 2nd estate
• Lavish lifestyle of nobility
• High point of French culture- 18th century
• 3rd estate – drowning in various taxes
• Educated middle class- Bourgeoisie
• Urban workers- poor conditions
 Economic Cause
• Rising population
1700 - 2 crore
1789 - 2.8 crore
• High debt of war lead to large interest payments –
Half of total national budget went to debt
repayments
• Harsh winter – Crop failure –Food prices – Famine
• Angry peasants and common people
 Intellectual Cause
Age of enlightenment
Development of Science and philosophy, rational thinking
Famous Thinkers and Philosophers :
 John Locke
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau – people's sovereignty
 Immanuel Kant
 Montesquieu- Separation of church and state
 Voltaire – Freedom of speech and expression
• Intellectuals started to Questioned the
King’s right to rule, his mandate from God,
role of Catholic Church
• These ideas spread via newspapers, books
and Salon discussions
 Timeline
1789 - Estate General
1789-91 - National Assembly
1791-92 - Legislative Assembly
1792-95 - National Convention (Reign of
Terror)
1795-98 - Directory Rule
1799 - Coup d'état by Napoleon
 Estate general – 5 May th

1789
• A super parliament with
representatives from all estates
• First meeting in 175 years
• Agenda- manage the financial crisis
(Raise taxes)
• Delegates - 300 + 300 + 600
• Deadlock over voting rights
• The third estate declares itself as National
Assembly
• Louis XVI locked out the ‘National
Assembly’ from main hall
• They take the ‘Tennis Court Oath’ – Not to
disband until a constitution is in place
 June
• All over France , peasants revolt against their local
feudal lords – loot granaries & chateaus, burn land
records (the Great Fear)
• Riots in Paris in support of assembly and against
King’s action
• Breakdown of law and order; revolutionary spirit
takes over
• Louis XVI orders military to assemble in Paris and
outside Versailles
Storming of the Bastille 14 July 1789
• Fort used as prison
• Symbol of royal oppression
• Bastille prison looted and torn down by
rioters
• Mainly to get weapons

• ‘Bastille day celebrations’

• National Assembly (later became National
Constituent Assembly) ordered abolition of
feudalism and levied uniform taxes for all
• Many nobles fled to neighbouring countries
in Europe (Émigrés)
• Clergy reduced by 1/3rd – made civil officers
• Pope Angry!
 ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
to
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
  Declaration of the
Rights of Man and of
the Citizen
 A statement of intent for
const.
 Bases on Ideas of
enlightenment
 Human and civil rights –
Liberty property Security
 One of the most
documents of World
• The concepts of Liberty Equality and
Fraternity were enshrined in this declaration

• “Men are born and remain free and equal in

rights’’

• Women and Slaves – No rights as citizens!

Women’s march on
Versailles
• October 1789
• Harsh economic conditions and food
shortages
• Rumours of party in Versailles while
Parisians were struggling for bread
• 7000 Women assembled and marched to
palace
• Asked the royal family to move to PARIS
 1790
• Political groups/parties emerged
• Const. was being written down
• Many clubs formed having their own
thoughts/ideas about the
change/revolutionary process
• Ex: Jacobins - Radical revolutionaries
Girondins - Liberals
Society of Revolutionary Republican
 Jacobin Club
• Composed of people from mainly poor
classes - artisans, daily workers
• They believed that power had been
consolidated by upper/prosperous
middle class and wealthy traders
• Their leader was Maximilien de
Robespierre
• ‘Sans Culottes’ – below knee pants
 1791
• King Louis tried to escape to Austria from
France but was caught
• This led to demands for ‘Republic’ from
people(Jacobins)
• The Const. Assembly was in favour of
constitutional monarchy like Britain
• People protested – National guards sent to
suppress them – protestors massacred
 Legislative Assembly
• September 1791
• New constitution
• King restored as head of state

• System failed within a year because of

different demands of various parties and
groups (mainly Girondins and Jacobins) .
Also Louis secretly tried to get help from
• Neighbouring monarchs were getting
scared of all the anarchy and
revolutionary fever spreading in France
• Austria and Prussia declared support for
French Monarchy (Declaration of Pillnitz)
• France attacked Austria + Prussia in
April 1792
 Late 1792
• August - King and family attacked by
radicals in Paris
• Monarchy suspended – King had tried
to help Prussia Austria
• Leg. Assembly suspended itself
• Republican constitution to be made,
Elections announced
• King Louis put to trial and sentenced
to death (January 1793)
• British, Dutch and Spain joined Austria
and Prussia in the ‘coalition’ against
France after Louis’ execution –
‘’The War of First Coalition’’
The Guillotine – Instrument of humane death!
 La Marseillaise
• French National Anthem
• Written By Claude de Lisle
• Revolutionary song to rally people to
fight against Austria and other
invaders
• Sung by soldiers marching from
‘Marseille’
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
to
REPUBLIC
 The National Convention
Sept 1792- Oct.1795
• Third govt. of the revolution
• Elected by extending suffrage – all 21+
male
• Monarchy abolished – True Republic
• A small group ‘Committee of Public
Safety’ created which took all
control/major decisions
The Reign of Terror
• June 1793-July 1794
• Maximilien Robespierre
• 16000 ‘enemies of the revolution’
guillotined (executed)
• Marie Antoinette executed
• Churches destroyed and closed down
• Slavery abolished (Napoleon re-instated
it)
• New Calendar – 10 hour a day, 100
minutes an hour ,10 days a week
• Food shortages due to war – Food from
rural to urban areas. Regulation of prices
• Finally people got sick of Jacobins
• Jacobins were banned and Robespierre
himself was executed
 The Directory 1795-99
• New constitution in 1795
• Affluent middle class took control
• No property- no right to vote
• Bicameral legislature
• Executive body established with 5 directors (to
avoid dictatorship like Robespierre)
• Napoleon led French victories in Italy and Austria
– ending the war of first coalition
 The Consulate 1799-1804
• 30 year old military general Napoleon
Bonaparte did a coup against the directory
rule and established the ‘Consulate’
• 3 consuls
• Napoleon himself as the FIRST CONSUL of
France
• In 1804, he declared himself as the
‘Emperor of France’
 Did the revolution change
much?
• Absolute monarchy to Military dictatorship
• Church restored by Napoleon
• Nobility returned back to France
• Even Bourbon monarchy restored in 1815
• Condition of Women and slaves – no change
• Farmers & workers conditions – not much
changed
 Legacy
• Constitutional monarchy - powers of kings
limited
• Power of nobility/remaining feudalism gone
forever
• Church’s power highly diminished – era of
religious tolerance
• Power transferred from nobility to people,
especially bourgeoisies (middle class)
• Ideas of rights of man were long lasting –
laws apply equally to everyone , Liberty
Equality Fraternity
• Rise of humanitarian movements
• Spread of Nationalism in Europe
• Women- education, marriage, freedom to
start business & trade
Mahipal Singh Rathore

THANK YOU

©DrMahipalRathore