THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE YEAR OF LIBERTY
Essential Learning:
ESSENTIAL LEARNING: Student will be able to explain the pattern of a revolution. (French Revolution)
Curriculum Outcome:
CURRICULUM OUTCOME: Analyze elements of social conflict in 18th century France. (1.1.3.)

After the fall of the Bastille, the situation in France began to deteriorate throughout the country.

Riots were held outside the city, economic depression was widespread and revolution gripped
France.

Unemployment was very high and troops were deployed everywhere.

People were generally afraid and uneasy.

In the countryside, the peasants were eager to embrace the revolution. They wanted an end to
what they saw as the extortion rights of the nobles.

Peasants began to attack castles and tried to destroy records of debts owed by them to feudal lords.

For these reasons, the National Assembly passed a series of laws effectively wiping away most
feudal rights.

In 1790, the Assembly would remove the final remnants of feudalism by abolishing the nobility and
their titles. On paper, all French citizens were equal.

Reforms to the government would continue throughout the year.

A rumour was started that the queen was not at all upset by the plight of the people. It was
rumoured that she had said that those without bread should eat cake instead.

This alleged statement angered many French women who marched from Paris to Versailles. They
stormed the Palace of Versailles and captured the royal family. The mob eventually returned to
Paris with royal family and large amounts of flour from the royal storehouses.

The government was returned to Paris and both the royal family and the court could now be
watched more closely by the National Assembly that headquartered in Paris.

The results of the Year of Liberty were numerous. The first steps of wiping away the Ancien Regime
and establishing a new government based on enlightened ideas took place during this time.
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: THE YEAR OF LIBERTY

The National Assembly had replaced the flawed Estates-General. Although the Assembly was in
charge it still looked to the king for his approval of its actions. Louis was no longer the central
authority, but still had limited power over the government in France.

Many nobles were nervous about the current situation in France and began to emigrate to safer
countries. The clergy recognized that their rights and lands were at risk and most of the population
was very concerned about the amount of violence occurring. Peasants, however, in the countryside
were eager to remove any signs of the oppressive feudal system but were generally resistant to the
revolution. In particular, they did not like the religious reforms implemented by the National
Assembly.

These laws:
1. denied the authority of the Pope over the French Catholic Church
2. closed monasteries and convents
3. confiscated Church lands

Peasant dissatisfaction with the revolution would cause two instances of civil war in France (the
west in 1793 and the southeast in 1799).

Having established itself as the government authority in France, the National Assembly started
implementing reforms such as:
1. Creating a written constitution and renewed the French legal system
2. Reorganizing France into units called departments
3. Selling Church estates (freed land for more productive uses)
4. Setting up the Civil Constitution of the Clergy stating that bishops and priests were to be
elected.

The changes to the Church and the stripping of the papacy’s authority in France would cause
much conflict in the years to come.