1 The origins and onset of revolution, 1774-89 Flashcards
What is absolute monarchy?
Form of government where the king had absolute power and was responsible only to God and answerable to no one on Earth.
How did the divine right of kings justify monarchical absolutism?
The divine right of kings was a political doctrine in defence of monarchical absolutism, which asserted that kings derived their authority from God and therefore could not be held accountable for their actions by any earthly authority.
How did Louis XVI exemplify his absolute power?
The king had the right of arbitrary arrest and imprisonment, where someone is arrested and detained without trial, by issuing a lettre de cachet, similar to an arrest warrant.
What were the parlements?
Local law courts and councils in administrative centres, whose main function was to ratify the king’s laws and had the responsibility to ensure that the populace performed their civic duties which included the prosecution of those who did not
How did the parlements limit King Louis XVI’s power?
The parlements could refuse to register and implement laws created by the king if they felt them to be against the traditions and values of the ancien regime.
Therefore, they were an independent body whose rights were guaranteed by law, and the king could not interfere with these.
How could Louis XVI overrule the parlements?
The king could issue a lit de justice which was essentially an edict overruling the parlements and demanding that the law was registered.
Why was the support of the parlements important to the king for the ratification of laws?
Without the support of the parlements, it would be very difficult for the monarch to ensure that a law was implemented.
How was French society organised during the ancien regime?
French society was divided into three orders (which were not necessarily indicators of wealth) called the Estates of the Realm.
What did the Estates of the Realm consist of?
The First Estate which mainly consisted of the clergy, the Second Estate which mainly consisted of the nobility and the Third Estate which was divided into the rural population, consisting of peasants, and the urban population which consisted of the middle-class bourgeoisie and wage-labourers.
How did the Estates of the Realm demonstrate the inequality of French society during the ancien regime? (population percentages)
Although the First Estate constituted about 0.5% of the population and the Second Estate constituted approximately 1.5% of the population, these higher classes, effectively making up 3% of the population were awarded many rights and privileges in comparison to the third.
What rights and privileges were awarded to the nobility and the Church?
- Nobility usually accumulated their wealth through hereditary aristocracy
- First Estate had significant power over the people as France was a Catholic nation
- Higher positions in the Church were reserved for the nobility which meant that the poorer lower clergy could not advance within the religious hierarchy due to a lack of wealth
What was the Enlightenment?
Intellectual movement that challenged the old ways of thinking and inspired revolutionary ideas
How was the Enlightenment significant in generating revolutionary sentiment?
The emergence of the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, caused the writers, philosophers and artists to question the traditional authority. This caused the people of France to question the corruption and inequalities of their society. As a result, the cultural movement created an atmosphere of criticism and opposition to absolute rule.
How did the ideologies of the enlightenment reinforce the dissatisfaction of the members of the bourgeoisie?
Influenced by enlightened ideas, members of the bourgeoisie were dissatisfied by the fact that they were contributing a significant amount to the French economy, with their wealth often rivalling that of the nobility, but had no political rights or freedoms
How did enlightened philosophy challenge absolute monarchy and the ancien regime established in France?
Enlightened ideas included the rejection of religion, in relation to the absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings, and the emergence of new (scientific) ideas.
Advocates of enlightened philosophy strongly believed in liberty, which meant freedom of religion, freedom of the press and freedom from unreasonable government.
What were the enlightened beliefs of Rousseau?
Rosseau was a republican who believed that monarchies only served the interests of the ruling class.
Believed that absolute monarchy was ‘vain and contradictory’ as the monarch does not ‘have the right to demand everything’ and therefore disliked the unequal power distribution between the king and his subjects
Argued against the idea of the divine right of kings - ‘no man has natural authority over his fellow men’
What arguments did Rosseau make in the Social Contract (1762)?
In Rosseau’s most influential political work, he argued that everyone within a society has a right collectively to choose the laws under which they live and placed value on political liberties, the right of individuals to participate in government by voting and by holding public office, as he claimed that “to renounce one’s liberty is to renounce one’s quality as a man” demonstrating his belief that freedom is synonymous with man.
What arguments did Montesquieu make in the Spirit of Laws (1750)?
Montesquieu pleaded in favour of a constitutional system of government and the separation of powers, the ending of slavery, the preservation of civil liberties and the law, and the idea that political institutions ought to reflect the social and geographical aspects of each community.
What were Montesquieu’s views towards the British model of government?
Montesquieu favoured the British model of government which was a constitutional monarchy where the monarch’s power is restrained by an assembly.
What quote by Montesquieu describes his favour towards the British model of government?
‘an aristocratic government has an inherent vigour, unknown to democracy’
What were the enlightened ideas of Montesquieu?
Challenged the Estates system of the ancien regime and argued that the estates and feudalism should be abolished.
What were the beliefs of Voltaire?
Believed that no authority should be immune to challenge by reason and was critical of the power of the Catholic church as he stated that ‘those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities’
Believed in the efficacy of reason and that social progress could be achieved through reason
Why were Voltaire’s political essays banned and publicly burnt?
Voltaire attacked on the French monarchy as he praised English law for its greater liberality and tolerance in comparison to French law
What were Diderot’s enlightened ideas?
Dedicated to the advancement of science, secular thought and the new tolerance and openness of the Enlightenment as he thought that ‘all things must be examined, debated, investigated without exception and without regard for anyone’s feelings’
He believed in the abolishment of the monarchy and prominence of religion as he said that ‘men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest’.
