Origins of the French Revolution
Part II
Did the Enlightenment bring about the
revolution?
• Philisophes wrote for the aristocrats who were
buying their way into nobility
– Books and pamphlets were expensive to buy
• One area in which philisophes could agree on
was their dislike for the crown
– Did not like the divine right theory
– People did not like the royal family
– National sovereignty was not secure
Did the Enlightenment bring about the
revolution?
• Justified revolutionary actions
• Guided revolutionary thinking
Financial Crisis of the 1770s and 1780s
• Louis XVI was criticized for his inertia when it
came to dealing with the interest of the
country
• He enjoyed staying at Versailles
• People became very critical of Louis XVI when
he restored the parelements in 1774.
– Parelement wanted to protect their privileges
– Louis XVI also had bad counsel members because
they were worried about protecting their own
privileges too
Who was Anne Turgot? Yes, he’s a
dude
• Physiocrat: An Enlightened leader who gained
some power in the political scene.
• Wanted to:
– Get rid of useless officers
– Allow free trade for grain
– Issue a General Land Tax
• The above actions were known as the Six
Edicts of 1776
• Turgot was let go b/c he ruffled too many
feathers
How did Necker do?
• Good business man, but had too many risky
ideas to gain confidence in the economy.
• Wanted to:
– Abolition on posts
– Reduce government expenditures
– Reorganize public accounts
– The intendants were not happy about this
• Neckar was really good at raising money
through loans, but this would get expensive
• Neckar was “overstepping” his bounds
The new guy Calonne
• Just like the others, borrowed large amounts
of money
• Promoted public building projects
• Made the govt. look like they were prospering
Calonne’s Proposals
• General land tax to be paid by all
• Abolition of temporary taxes
• Assemblies to be elected by landowners to
determine the level of taxes to be paid
(intendants would have to agree)
• Get rid of corvee (forced labor)
• Free trade in grain
• Reduction of the taille (tax by the king)
Calonne’s proactive actions
• Called the Assembly of Notables: He called
this assembly b/c he knew that the Parlement
would not support him.
• Notables didn’t think that things were so bad
that drastic reform needed to take place
• Therefore the Assembly of Notables did not
support Calonne’s actions
Calonne’s downfall
• Didn’t appease the clergy or the nobles
• He attacked the Notables
• They sent him on his way
Here comes Brienne
• He was an archbishop and member of the
Assembly of Notables
• Became Controlleur-General
• Things became urgent when the population
found out about France’s debt.
• Wanted to adopt Calonne’s plan and refine it
but the Paris Parlement would not support the
reforms.
Here come the Paris Parlement
• The Paris Parlement began to take on a new
voice: They claimed to be the “assembly of
citizens” to speak for the nations.
• Reflected the views of Montesquieu (mixed
monarchy w/ an assembly)
• Reflected the views of John Locke (Social
contract that keeps the king’s powers limited
by the will of the nation)
Brienne and Louise XVI use force
• Brienne uses the lit de justice which means he
overruled the parlement.
• The people refuse to pay the taxes
• King Louise XVI exiles the Parlement for a
month (1787)
• XVI agrees to call the Estates General (but not
until 1792)
Brienne and Louise XVI use force
• King Louis XVI threw 2 magistrates into prison
without a trial
• Parlements were in an uproar and began to
remonstrate (verbal protest).
• Soldiers were used to quiet down any protests
that occurred.
May Edict of 1788
• Power was taken away from the parlement
and given to a court of nobles, officiers and
magistrates chosen by the king
• Parlement could no longer protest on behalf
of the people
• The number of judges on the Paris Parlement
was reduced
• It Edict was forcibly registered
Paris Parlement’s Response to the Edict
• Letters de cachet were illegal
• Called for the Estates-General to me
• Only the Est-Gen could agree on new taxes
How important was the noble revolt in
bringing on the revolution?
• Royal authority was beginning to lose power
outside of Paris
• Clergy joined in with the Nobles voting to only
give the govt. 25% of what the govt. had
demanded
• Nobles rioted, intimidated intendants
• Troops were still loyal at this point so they
quieted the crowds
How important was the noble revolt in
bringing on the revolution?
• Intendants were not being supported by
Versailles
• Bankruptcy stared Fr. in the face
• Brienne had to call the Est-Gen
• There was no confidence in Brienne and he
would be replaced by Necker
How important was the noble revolt in
bringing on the revolution?
• In Sept of 1789 parlement returned
• Proposals for reforms like the May Edicts were
abandoned
• Loans would be raised by Neckar but he would
wait for the approval of the Est-Gen…not the
king
How did the nobles loose a grip on the
revolution…the peasants took over.
• When the Est-Gen met, it offered hope
• The Paris Parlement (made up of nobles)
wanted to have the estates meet separately
• This meant that the nobles would have more
voting power because their votes meant more
• When the Est-Gen met heads were counted
which would give them the most voting power
• This is where the peasants took the lead in the
revolution
What was happening in France when the
Est-Gen met?
• Bread prices sky rocketed
• People were losing jobs and money
• Manufacturing went down
The Est-Gen Meeting
• Clergy were arguing about pay and pluralism
• Poor clergy sympathized more with the 3rd
estate
• After a vote was taken about how to vote on
taxation, they decided to meet seperately
• 3rd est broke off and called itself the National
Assembly….the true representatives of the
people’s interest
The Tennis Court Oath: June 1789
• The new Ntnl Assembly met to meet with the
Est-Gen, but found that the building was
locked
• The Royal Session could not be held
• They formed a mob at an inside tennis court
• Here they promised to never dissolve and
assembly until a constitution had been sealed
Est-Gen meeting on June 23rd, 1789
• Louise XVI decided that all 3 estates should
meet together (head by head count)
• The 3rd estate was not impressed by Louise
XVI and people revolted
• July 4th 30,000 troops showed up in Paris to
quiet the revolt…too late
Cahiers de Doleances
What the 3rd Est agreed on
• Est-Gen would meet regularly
• More financial equality (even the nobles and
clergy agreed)
• Lettres de cachet is abolished
• Let’s look at everyone’s part: page 75