Session Of Estate General
Formation Of National Assembly
Outbreak Of Revolution
Constitutional Monarchy
New Constitution
Revolutionary Wars
Rise Of New Ideas
French Republic
Robespierre State Policy
Region Of Terror
Rule Of Directory
On 5 May 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the
Estates General, in the hall of Versailles, to pass proposals for new
taxes.
The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, while
the third estate sent 600 educated members.
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.
Members of the third estate demanded that voting now be
conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member would
have one vote.
The king rejected this proposal, members of the third estate
walked out of the assembly in protest.
Formation Of National Assembaly
on 20 June 1789, led by Mirabeau and Abbe Sieyes,
representatives assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in
the grounds of Versailles.
They declared themselves a National Assembly and swore not to
disperse till they had drafted a constitution for France that would
limit the powers of the monarch.
Mirabeau was born in a noble family but was convinced of the
need to do away with a society of feudal privilege.
He 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 Estate’?
Outbreak Of Revolution
While the National
Assembly was busy at
Versailles drafting a
constitution, the rest of
France was suffering from
inflation and riots due to
shortage of bread.
On 14 July 1789, rumors
spread that king had
commanded troops to move
into the city and would soon
order the army to open fire
upon the citizens.
Outbreak Of Revolution
Some 7,000 people stormed
the fortress-prison, the Bastille,
where they hoped to find
hoarded ammunition.
The fortress was demolished
and its stone fragments were
sold in the markets.
Meanwhile, in the
countryside too there were riots
and attacks on nobles forced to
flee the country.
This incident marked the
beginning of French
revolution.
Constitutional Monarchy
In 1789, National Assembly completed
the draft of constitution.
On 4 August, Louis XVI finally
accorded recognition to the National
Assembly and accepted the constitutional
monarchy.
On the night of 4 August 1789, the
Assembly passed a decree abolishing the
feudal system of obligations, taxes
privileges, tithes and land confiscated
from church.
As a result, the government acquired
assets worth at least 2 billion livres.
New Constitution
The National Assembly completed the framing of the
constitution in 1791 with an aim to limit the powers of the
monarch.
Powers were now separated and assigned to three different
institutions – the legislature, executive and judiciary. This
made France a constitutional monarchy.
The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in
the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected i.e.,
citizens voted for a group of electors, who in turn chose the
Assembly.
Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at
least 3 days of a laborers wage were given thestatus of active
citizens, that is, they were entitled to vote.
New Constitution
The remaining men and all women were classed as passive
citizens.
To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the
Assembly, a man had to belong to the highest bracket of
taxpayers.
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 andcould not be taken away.
It was made the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s
natural rights.
Revolutionary Wars
The situation in France
continued to be tense during
the following years.
Although Louis XVI had
signed the Constitution, he
entered into secret
negotiations with the King of
Prussia and Austria to send
troops to put down the
events that had been taking
place in France.
Revolutionary Wars
Before this could happen, the National
Assembly, in April 1792 declared war against
Prussia and Austria.
The French army sang Marseillaise, song
composed by the poet Roget de L’Isle.
The revolutionary wars again brought losses
and economic difficulties to the people.
Rise Of New Ideas
While the men were away fighting at the front, women
were left to cope with the tasks of earning a living and
looking after their families.
Large sections of the population were convinced that the
revolution had to be carried further, as the Constitution of
1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of
society.
Political clubs became an important rallying point for
people who wished to discuss government policies.
The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins
under the leadership of Maximilian Robespierre, which got its
name from the former convent of St Jacob in Paris.
French Republic
On 10 August, 1792, the
Jacobins stormed the Palace of the
Tuileries, massacred the king’s
guards and held the king himself
as hostage and later imprisoned by
assembly.
In the following elections, all
men of 21 years and above,
regardless of wealth, got the right
to vote.
The Jacobins under Robespierre
won elections.
French Republic
On 21 September 1792,
Assembly abolished the monarchy
and declared France a republic
under Robespierre and renamed
Assembly as Convention.
On 21 January 1793 Louis XVI
was guillotined publicly at the
Place de la Concorde on the charge
of treason.
The queen Marie Antoinette met
with the same fate shortly after.
Home Assignment
1. Explain the turmoil in France while the
National Assembly was busy at Versailles.
2. How did peasants protest against the feudal
lords or nobles of France?
3. How was the National Assembly recognised
and how did it start exercising its powers?
4. Describe how the new political system of
constitutional monarchy worked practice in
France.
