Legislative Assembly
(1791-1792)
and
National Convention
(1792-1795)
I.) Conflicts Cause Divisions
A.
1791-1792 The Legislative Assembly:



Conservatives (Right)- supported the king
Radicals (Left)- distrusts the king; more change
(Sans-culottes: demand a more radical revolution)
(Jacobins: want to overthrow monarchy & create a Republic
( Girondists: involve France in war to spread revolutionary
ideas across Europe)
Moderates (Center)- took on either side based on issue at hand
B. April 1792: War!
1. Austria & Prussia demand return of Louis XVI
via Declaration of Pillnitz
2. Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria,
then Prussia, then Britain!
3. War goes bad for France and lasts till 1815!!!
II.) The National Convention
C. Summer 1792: Radicals take control of Paris Commune and seize
control of the assembly
1. new governing body created (National Convention)
* members elected by:
Universal Manhood Suffrage: every adult male has right to vote
2. September Massacres: radicals execute thousands of royalists
End of 1st Revolution__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Start of 2nd Revolution
C. National Convention:
- drafts a new constitution
- France becomes a “Republic”
- brands the “Girondins as counterrevolutionaries”
D. Leaders of National Convention:
- Jean-Paul Marat- doctor, writer, and leader of
the radical Jacobin Club
- Georges Danton- Jacobin revolutionary leader;
supported Paris’s poorest citizens
E. Execution of the King
1. Louis XVI charged with treason by National Convention
2. Found guilty (by 1 vote) & beheaded by “guillotine” on Jan. 1793
F.
Foreign Reaction:
1. England, Spain, Holland, & Sardinia join Prussia & Austria in
alliance against France; converge on France
Maximillien Robespierre- a Jacobin; gains control of National
Convention and becomes leader of
“Committee of Public Safety” to defend France
and the revolution!
Outcome: July 1793 to July 1794 Robespierre is virtually France’s
dictator and this period becomes known as……..
………….The Reign of Terror!
G. Period in France from 1793 to 1794 in which the Revolutionary
Tribunal executed anyone considered an enemy of the Republic
1. Most Famous Executions:
- Marie Antoinette (widow of Louis XVI)
- Danton (Jacobin leader)
- Charlotte Corday (assassinated Marat)
H. Outcomes:
1. 3,000 executed in Paris (40,000 all together in France)
2. 85% were peasants or members of the middle class!!!
I. Thermidorian Reaction
1. National Convention reasserts authority
2. Robespierre is executed (Reign of Terror ends on July 28, 1794 )
Importance: Ends Radical Phase of the French Revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLnzAtQoTk