REVISION NOTES – 1789 – 1791
How did life change for the people of France between 1789 and 1791?
Democracy:
 France was in a state of transition with a temporary Constituent Assembly formed for the purpose of
constructing a constitution for France.
 Expectations for the new regime were high! The changes of 1789 (the August Decrees / Declaration of
the Rights of Man) had dismantled the feudal system & many of the Assembly’s deputies saw
themselves as the product of the Enlightenment. However, many poorer people became restless when
their lives were not completely transformed (many feudal dues had to be bought out!).
 France became more democratic as more people were granted the vote when they became ‘active
citizens’. However, large numbers (almost a quarter of adult males) were left out of the new system as
they were declared to be ‘passive citizens’. The right to vote was still linked to wealth.
 The right to be appointed to a position of authority within the new regime was also linked to wealth.
Only the wealthiest could become a deputy in the Assembly (approx. 1 in a 100 men could stand as a
deputy!)
 Ordinary people became interested in politics in an entirely new way as they were now involved in the
new system. Large numbers joined the new political clubs which sprang up in 1789 to discuss France’s
changing political scenario.
The Law:
 The worst features of the old legal system such as torture were abolished and the new legal system was
intended to be fair. Judges were now to be elected by active citizens and criminal trials were now held
in front of a jury.
Administration:
 Local administration now lay largely in the hands of the bourgeoisie as many of the nobility either fled
or returned to their estates hoping life would get better!
 The administration of France was now re-organised & decentralized along more logical lines.
Religion:
 Civil rights were given to non-Catholics making France a fairer place for other religious groups though
Catholicism was still France’s State Church.
 The government took over the Church’s education & poor relief roles.
 The Church was now seen to be less corrupt after reforms which abolished Church taxes & pluralism
was forbidden though the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was to split the nation. (See later section on
importance of religion).
 The sale of Church lands was largely treated positively as large numbers of people became landowners
for the first time though some, such as Louis, saw this as an attack on the Church.
Economy:
 Initial high expectations of tax reform met with some disappointment because France still had serious
financial problems. Many people expected tax to be abolished & were unhappy when the Assembly
proposed to carry existing taxation on until 1791. Unpopular direct taxes such as the gabelle were
abolished after outbreaks of violence in Picardy. Direct taxes such as the taille were replaced by a new
land / property tax in 1791.
 Taxation burdens were redistributed from the old regime though with the old tax privileges abolished.
 Old trade privileges were abolished when guilds were abolished. Strikes were made illegal.
 Free trade was introduced for the first time – in grain & other products.
REVISION NOTES – 1789 – 1791
How did poorer people respond to the changes of 1789 to 1791?
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The poorest found themselves excluded from the new system in spite of their high hopes due to their
being declared to be passive citizens.
Opposition from the rural poor to the changes brought about by the revolution rose rapidly from the
start of 1790 once they realized that the feudal dues of landowners were to be bought out – not
abolished outright. A rural revolution broke out in Brittany, central France & the south-east in
response to the economic problems of the peasants which continued until all feudal dues were finally
abolished outright in July 1793.
Opposition from the urban poor also rose rapidly. Whilst the Parisian working classes had crushed
the Bastille & brought the royal family back to Paris they had as yet benefited little with rising
inflation. The value of their wages fell in 1791 but grain prices were still rising (poor harvest 1791).
Rioting was again a problem in Paris.
Those who were wealthy enough to be active citizens were able to put pressure on the Assembly.
It was poorer people who went to the Champ de Mars in July 1791 to sign a republican petition &
who were then fired upon by the National Guard who’d been sent by the Paris Commune under
pressure from the Assembly.
What was the role of the political clubs 1789 to 1791?
Members of political clubs were rarely labourers / peasants as they lacked the free time to engage in politics.
Members were thus largely bourgeois.
Jacobins:
 Members of a political club set up in 1789 - made up of radical Breton deputies in the Assembly &
likeminded people. Members were largely wealthy owing to high entrance fees. Robespierre was its
most famous member.
 Like other political clubs they discussed political issues of the day & were in favour of many of the
Assembly’s changes until 1791.
 The Jacobins helped to politicise France’s population as a national network grew up of approx. 2,000
Jacobin clubs though Paris was the central club.
 The Jacobins helped to make politics more radical – and more in favour of republicanism – following
the king’s flight to Varennes.
Cordeliers:
 The Jacobins differed from the Cordeliers Club which had a mostly working class support. The
Cordeliers’ example led to the setting up of ‘popular’ or ‘fraternal’ societies. These joined together
with the Cordeliers in 1791 & elected a central committee.
The political clubs became more radical, and more divided, following the king’s flight to Varennes. Some
Jacobins led by Robespierre & members of the Cordeliers Club now argued in favour of republicanism.
Meanwhile, the majority of the Jacobins were more moderate & broke away to form the Feuillant Club which
was committed to the idea of constitutional monarchy.
The more radical elements to the new political clubs helped to increase support amongst more moderate
deputies for constitutional monarchy. The Feuillants believed the revolution must end & a compromise with
the king be reached.
REVISION NOTES – 1789 – 1791
How & why was religion important between 1789 & 1791?
According to the historian D.G.Wright “a gaping breach over the Church augured badly for the operation of a
constitution which demanded a good deal of national unity and goodwill on all sides.”
Reform:
 Religious reform formed a significant part of the Constituent Assembly’s reforms between 1789 and
1791. It granted religious freedoms to non-Catholics, abolished those monastic orders which provided
no charitable work, abolished the old abuses of the Church such as pluralism and set out to make the
Church as democratic as the remainder of France. Most of these changes met with little opposition.
 Prior to these changes the Church had provided poor relief but with the sale of church lands it could no
longer afford to do so but the Assembly, on investigation, found that it could not afford to set up a new
system of poor relief.
Opposition:
 Clergy were now to be appointed by election which met with widespread opposition though most
clerics still wanted to make the new Civil Constitution work. This opposition increased further when
the Assembly refused the clergy’s request to submit its reforms to a national synod of the French
Church for approval.
 However, the Civil Constitution of the Clergy split the country when the clergy were required to take
an oath of loyalty to France and were now elected by active citizens rather than being appointed by,
and owing their loyalty to, the pope. Louis resisted accepting these changes until he was forced to
accept them. This left those clerics who opposed the changes to appeal to the pope who eventually
condemned the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in April 1791.
 Large numbers of clergy refused to take the oath (now labeled as non-juror or refractory priests) with
support from both the pope and strongly Catholic parts of France. Many people believed the Assembly
was trying to alter their religion and were afraid of eternal damnation as a result if they supported the
changes. They were far more interested in avoiding eternal damnation than keeping their commitment
to the revolution.
 By the end of 1791 non-juror priests were seen to be acting against France by refusing to take the oath
of loyalty to France and the Legislative Assembly moved to have them declared to be enemies of
France.
 Although Louis had accepted these changes he was not prepared to stand by whilst the Legislative
Assembly declared non-juror priests to be enemies of France in Nov. 1791. This helped to make
religion an even bigger issue.
How far did the role of the king influence events between 1789 and 1791?
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Reluctance to accept new changes
Although Louis did accept the new changes he did so with obvious reluctance & gave the impression that
he was merely waiting until an opportunity to re-assert himself arose. The people of Paris were
particularly aware of the king & his family with their new residence at the Tuileries Palace in the centre
of Paris (following the October Days).
REVISION NOTES – 1789 – 1791
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Support for Constitutional Monarchy
Louis benefited from the worries of more moderate deputies who feared the radical nature of the new
political clubs. Support for constitutional monarchy remained high with moderate deputies who wanted
an end to the revolution.
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Flight to Varennes
The king’s flight from Paris showed beyond doubt how much he opposed the new regime – in particular
his acceptance of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. He had left behind a manifesto declaring his
opposition to the new regime & to the concept of a constitutional monarchy in its current form – putting it
into question even before it had first met! Louis had been hoping to negotiate a stronger position for
himself once abroad with military support. He had hoped that military action would not be necessary but
knew his flight would cause divisions.
Whilst Louis & his immediate family were caught & returned to Paris (to mass unpopularity) his younger
brother, Comte de Provence successfully fled to Brussels – thus securing a greater pro-royal base abroad.
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The king’s temporary suspension causes dissension
The Assembly’s deputies didn’t want a republic (which could lead to war with other European powers) &
so temporarily suspended Louis until the new constitution was complete & Louis had sworn to keep to it.
His actions had a wider impact though.
The king’s actions not only showed he did not agree with France’s new regime but also caused dissension
within the political clubs, some of which became more radical as a consequence. Members of the
Cordeliers Club, and some Jacobins led by Robespierre, argued that Louis should be either dethroned or
put on trial. In fact the majority of the Jacobins were more moderate & broke away to form the Feuillant
Club which was committed to the idea of constitutional monarchy but a republican movement had
developed & people were now beginning to discuss the idea of removing Louis completely! 30,000
people had actually marched to the Assembly several days after the flight supporting a petition by the
Cordeliers’ Club calling for the king’s dismissal as king. Louis’s popularity reached a new low – royal
street names & inn names were changed overnight!
Whilst many became more radical and in favour of a republic, the moderate Feuillants were determined
to secure a constitutional monarchy – particularly after the Champ de Mars massacre when the Assembly
used force to crush a demonstration in favour of republicanism.
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The Constitution’s changes to Louis’s role
The new Constitution of 1791 severely reduced the extent of the king’s influence as, whilst he retained
his hereditary position and the ability to appoint ministers, he could not veto constitutional or financial
laws & he could not declare war / determined foreign policy.
REVISION NOTES – 1789 – 1791
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The King’s veto of new laws
Louis made himself even more unpopular by vetoing the new Legislative Assembly’s two major laws of
Nov. 1791 against non-juror priests & émigrés. The Assembly had declared all refractory priests to be
suspicious citizens who were to lose their wages & be treated as traitors to their country & that émigrés
who did not return to France by 1st Jan 1792 were to lose their lands & also be declared traitors. By
vetoing these laws Louis looked as though he supported those who had fled France in opposition to its
new rule & opposed the new Civil Constitution i.e. he was against the very heart of the new regime.
Why did the new constitution look unlikely to work?
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The head of the new system had shown his distrust with his flight to Varennes. Marie Antoinette
herself said that the new Constitution was ‘so monstrous that it cannot survive for long.’ Opposition
to the royal family was now at an all time high!
Large numbers of the clergy had shown themselves unwilling to agree to the Civil Constitution of the
Clergy. Large numbers refused to take the oath & then when the Pope condemned the Civil
Constitution (April 1791) many of those who’d signed it retracted their oath. This opposition to the
Church’s changes resulted in mass support for counter-revolution for the first time.
Many of those who had been most militant in 1789 (e.g. those who had stormed the Bastille) found
themselves to be excluded from the benefits of the revolution by being too poor (i.e. passive citizens)
and suffering from the Assembly’s reforms failure to solve many of France’s economic problems.
Politicians were now divided over whether to have constitutional monarchy or a republic, particularly
after the Champ de Mars massacre. Blood had now been shed over the future of France &
Robespierre put forward his ‘self-denying ordinance’ to prevent members of the Assembly sitting in
the new Legislative Assembly to stop his opponents taking a lead role in the new regime.
The new Legislative Assembly was made up of pro-republicans, those who remained undecided &
fierce supporters of constitutional monarchy.