Understanding the French
Revolution
1789-1799
Outline of Key Events
Background and Causes
By 1780s, France characterized by
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Absolutism of façade (I.e., in name only)
Vast, confusing bureaucracy (think of the
church roof which needed repair)
One in which king interfered only at top
levels but had little impact on the whole
Indecisive monarch who was out of touch
with the real state of the country
Background and Causes
Social and Legal system based on
privilege, not equality or economic
status
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First Estate: bishops and priests
Second Estate: Nobles
Third Estate: Everyone else
Background and Causes
Third Estate, especially wealthy
bourgeoisie, resented privileges of
nobility and clergy
Peasants, 85% of population, resented
privileges of wealthy landowners (to
labor services, to require them to use
ovens or presses)
All in Third Estate resented tax burden,
not shared by First and Second Estates
The Fiscal Crisis: 1786-1788
1786, Calonne, royal treasurer, tells
King Louis XVI that France is nearly
bankrupt
By 1788, France will not be able to pay
even the interest on its national debt
Why?: Years of overspending brought to
a crisis by French aid to the American
colonists during the American
Revolution
The Fiscal Crisis: Solutions
1787-88: Assembly of Notables
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Carefully selected by Calonne
Includes bishops, nobles, wealthy
bourgeoisie
Task: reform tax structure
Demands reforms in government
Dismissed without solving problems
The Fiscal Crisis: Solutions
Obvious solution: Increase taxes & cut
expenditures
Problem: Debt service (interest) is biggest
expense—cannot be cut without reneging on
loans; other economies are implemented by
king
Problem: Tax burden fell mostly on poorest
people; not possible to increase their taxes
much more
The Fiscal Crisis: Solutions
1788: Royal Decree reforming tax
structure & taxing the privileged
estates.
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Sent by King Louis XVI to Parlements (all
dominated by nobles).
Led by Parlement of Paris, Parlements,
which register laws in France, refuse to
register the edict on taxes; they want a
share in governing France.
Louis XVI, appearing in person, ordered
Parlement of Paris to register the edict.
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King’s cousin, Duke d’Orleans, tells Louis
that it is illegal for him to order the
Parlement to register the Edict.
Louis exclaims “It is legal because I wish
it!”
Parlement registers the edict in Louis’
presence but immediately rescinds their
action when Louis leaves.
Parlement suggests calling the EstatesGeneral to deal with fiscal situation.
Estates-General: 1789
1788: Louis XVI summons an EstatesGeneral to meet in May 1789.
Representatives elected from all three
estates; nearly all adult men could vote.
Third Estate elected bourgeoisie, mostly
lawyers; First Estate elected many
parish priests.
Estates-General: 1789
Third Estate demands and is permitted
to elect twice as many delegates as the
other two (see document ‘What is the
Third Estate?’).
Meeting begins in May 1789 at
Versailles.
King and advisors fail to prepare an
agenda for the meeting.
Estates-General: 1789
Third Estate demands that delegates from all
three estates meet and vote together in one
body.
When nothing happens, the Third declares
itself the National Assembly, invites First &
Second to join them.
National Assembly, in June, swears to
continue meeting until France has a
constitution.
Popular Uprisings: Paris
In Paris: small merchants, shopkeepers,
workers support National Assembly, fear food
shortages and believe rumors that royal
troops are coming to divert food from Paris
and disperse Assembly
July 14: Crowd looking for weapons destroys
Bastille, kills guard and celebrates in streets
of city (July 14 is the French national holiday)
Popular Uprisings: Countryside
‘Great Fear’ of July-August: rumors spread
that nobles are arming groups (‘brigands’)
and preparing to enforce all old feudal dues
as well as to impose new ones on peasants
Peasant uprisings destroy manor houses,
stealing contents, including wine stored in
cellars, and burning records
These spread all over France in a matter of
weeks
National Assembly Responds
Decree of 4th August: Nobles and Clergy
renounce all privileges; National Assembly
approves enthusiastically
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the
Citizen (see document) delineates rights of
Frenchmen to liberty, equality, freedom of
speech and press, equal treatment before the
law and the right to property.
Assembly begins writing a constitution.
Women’s March to Versailles
October 1789: 7,000 women set out from
Paris to tell the king that they needed bread
to feel their families (see document).
In Versailles, they invade National Assembly;
send a group to talk to king; invade the royal
palace, nearly killing the queen in her
bedroom.
King agrees to return to Paris with them;
royal family under virtual house arrest.
National Assembly also moves to Paris.
Flight to Varennes (1791)
June 1791, royal family flees Paris,
headed for German border.
King recognized when they stop to eat
and change horses.
Arrested at St. Mènehould and returned
under guard to Paris.
Family even more closely guarded in
Paris after that.
Constitution of 1791
September: Constitutional Monarchy (even
though Louis XVI tried to flee previous June).
Legislative Assembly makes laws; King retains
veto power over legislation.
Franchise (right to vote) limited to those who
paid substantial taxes; right to hold office to
those who paid even higher taxes (contrast
with elections to Estates-General).
The Second Revolution
August 1792: Mob invaded Tuileries palace;
royal family fled to National Assembly for
protection & were arrested.
Monarchy abolished; republic created/
Convention elected to write a new
constitution.
Sans-culottes of Paris (see document)
influenced policies of Convention.
France at war with rest of European
monarchies, whose goal was to end the
Revolution.
Reign of Terror
Committee of Public Safety charged with
protecting revolution in France while French
army protected nation from invaders.
King charged with treason; executed in
January 1793; Queen executed in October
1793.
Terror: continued until July 1794, when
Robespierre, head of the Committee of Public
Safety, was himself executed as a traitor to
the Republic.
The Reaction (‘Thermidor’)
Moderates dominated government; set up the
Directory as the executive branch of
government.
Followed in several years by the Consulate,
also a moderate government.
In 1799: Napoleon seized power in a coup
d’état; he would rule France until 1814.
In 1814, the monarchy was restored with
Louis XVIII (brother of Louis XVI) taking the
throne.