2. The end of the ancien regime.

Question 1

What did the deputies of the Third Estate do on 20th June 1789? What did this mean?

Answer 1

They signed the Tennis Court Oath. This was an agreement not to disperse until a constitution was formed in France. Only one voted against the motion.

Question 2

When and why did the Third Estate decide to call themselves the National Assembly? What was the vote for this?

Answer 2

17th June 1789. 490 to 90. The third estate was claiming that, by representing the nation, they had the right to manage affairs and decide taxation.

Question 3

What did the king’s council do for the third estate?

Answer 3

Doubled the number of deputies for the third estate in December 1788.

Question 4

How was the voting for deputies unfair?

Answer 4

All the adult members of the privileged orders had a vote. Whereas in the third estate, men over 25 were entitled to vote in a primary assembly, if they paid taxes. These primary assembly’s would elect representatives who would elect the deputies.

Question 5

What caused weeks of inaction?

Answer 5

The third estate demanded the verification of all the deputies credentials. The nobles and clergy rejected this, and declared themselves as different orders (188 to 46; 133 to 114). The third estate refused to do anything until they agreed, the government failed to provide any leadership.

Question 6

How did louis respond to the third estates actions?

Answer 6

When the seance royal met on 23rd June, louis declared the previous decisions made by the third estate null and void, he was not prepared to discuss the privileges of the privileged estates. He did accept restriction to his own power (taxes had to have consent of representatives of the nation; lettres de cachet abolished; freedom of press introduced and internal custom barriers, gabelle and corvee abolished).

Question 7

What happened as a response to the king’s actions on 23 June?

Answer 7

On 24 June, 151 clergy joined the third estate, and 47 nobles on 25th June.

Question 8

What did louis do as a response to the events of 24-25th June?

Answer 8

On 27th, he reversed his previous decision and ordered the nobles and clergy to join the third estate and vote by head. He also considered military force. On 22 June, he had ordered 4000 troops to be moved to Paris and Versailles. This caused alarm in Paris, despite government reassurance that they were merely to preserve order.

Question 9

What did the economic crisis cause?

Answer 9

In normal times, a worker would spend 50% of his income on bread. By 1789, a Parisian worker could spend 88% of their income on bread.

Question 10

How did the popular movement emerge?

Answer 10

Political opponents of the king harnessed the discontent caused by the economic crisis to support the popular movement. Thousands of Parisians gathered to listen to revolutionary speakers (eg desmoulins) at the Palais Royal.

Question 11

What sparked off the capture of the Bastille?

Answer 11

On 11th July, Louis felt strong enough to dismiss Necker. Parisians feared this marked the start of Louis’ attempt to restore power by force. Speakers at the Palais royal called them to take up arms. When the royal infantry unit (gardes francaises) were ordered to withdraw from Paris, many disobeyed and deserted to the representatives of Paris.

Question 12

Where did Parisians gain ammunition for the capture of the Bastille?

Answer 12

Gunsmiths’ shops were looted, and so was the Les Invalides (a soldiers retirement home) where 28,000 muskets and 20 cannons were seized. The demonstrators were still short of amuntition, so marched on the Bastille, which was a royal prison and a constant reminder of the power of the ancien regime.

Question 13

What happened on the 12 July once the sans culottes had taken up arms?

Answer 13

They were denied entry by the governor, De Launay, who also refused to hand over gunpowder. A group managed to enter through to the inner courtyard, the governor ordered the troops to open fire, and killed 98. The gardes francaises managed to defeat the troops and De Launey was decapitated by the enraged crown.

Question 14

Why and when did the commune of Paris establish?

Answer 14

On 15 July, the Paris representatives (who had elected the deputies) set up the commune as a body to govern the city. Bailly was elected mayor to carry out the commune’s policies. At this point, the citizens militia became the national guard, and Lafayette was appointed minister.

Question 15

How were the property owners protected?

Answer 15

On 10 July, the electors of Paris formed a citizens militia. It was was predominantly bourgeoisie, formed to protect against the attacks of the menu peuple and by royal troops.

Question 16

What were the results of the storming of the Bastille?

Answer 16

1. The king lost control of Paris, where the electors had set up a commune to run the city.
2. The assembly (which on the 9 July decided to call themselves the national constituent assembly) prepared to draw up a constitution, no longer under the threat of being dissolved by the king.
3. Power had passed from Louis to the electors.
4. Louis couldn’t dictate to the assembly, because he could not rely on the army.
5. News of the Bastille spread through france, which intensified activity with the peasantry.
6. 20,000 émigrés fled abroad in two months.

Question 17

What happened following the capture of the Bastille?

Answer 17

The municipal revolution covered the whole month of July 1789. In some towns, their council broadened items membership and carried on as before. In Bordeaux, the electors of the third estate seized control, following the example of Paris. In most towns, including Lille, the old municipal corporations which operated during the engine regime, without ordinary people, were overthrown by force. Citizens’ militia were set up in many towns, such as Marseille. National guard were formed in nearly every town to control popular violence and prevent counter revolution.

Question 18

What made it evident that law and order had collapsed everywhere?

Answer 18

Risings immediately followed events in Paris (especially the fall of the Bastille) in Normandy and Franche-Comté, where demonstrations and riots against taxes, the tithe and feudal dues occurred.

Question 19

When did the attacks on the châteaux start and become part of?

Answer 19

20 July 1789, became part of the Great Fear. They lasted until 6 August 1789. These started as a result of rumours that bands of brigands, by the pay of the aristocracy, we’re going to destroy their harvests. Peasants took up arms to await the brigands. When they didn’t arrive, they turned on the landlords. The Great Fear did not spread to areas far away from Paris (eg Brittany).

Question 20

What started the dismantling of the feudal system?

Answer 20

THE AUGUST DECREES - on the 4th August, one of the richest landowners in France proposed:
1. Obligations regarding personal service (such as serfdom and corvée) were abolished without compensation.
2. The abolition of other rights, such as champart and lots de ventes, which were a form of property redeemed when a peasant paid compensation to the landowner.
These reforms took legal form between 5-11 August which stated that the Assembly ‘abolishes the feudal system entirely’. All seigneurial courts were abolished without compensation. Other nobles followed the example and reformed more than the cahiers demanded: tithes, venality, financial/tax privileges and unfair taxation was abolished and all citizens could stand for any office. Deputies were weeping for joy ‘what honour to be french!’

Question 21

Following the storming of the Bastille, what humiliation of the King was not lost on foreign diplomats?

Answer 21

On 17 July, when Louis travelled to Versailles, he wore in his hat the red, white and blue cockade of the revolution and acknowledged the commune and the national guard.

Question 22

What was the significance of the August decrees?

Answer 22

Marked the end of noble power and the privilege of birth by establishing an equal society. However a profession open to anyone with ability favoured the bourgeoisie, because they had the education to take advantage of it. Peasants supported the revolution, but did not like having to compensate landowners for the loss of their feudal dues. This was abolished in 1793. The decrees had cleared the way for a national, uniform system of administration and had swept away institutions like the provincial estates. Many thought that power would be recovered, therefore a harboured fear of an aristocratic plot and that without constant vigilance, the reforms would be reversed.

Question 23

What were the principles based for the August decrees?

Answer 23

TDOROMAC - this condemned the practices of the ancien regime and outlined the rights of citizens. Key points issued on 26th August: tax to be borne by proportion to their means, freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom to own property, all man born equal, power rests with the people and the rights of man are: Liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression.
This was an inspiration for liberals across Europe. However the declaration represented the interests of property owning bourgeoisie.

Question 24

Why was the nationalisation of church land necessary?

Answer 24

By September, the government was facing a serious crisis: tax revenue was not flowing in and they were unable to raise loans. The assembly agreed on the 2 November 1789 to place all church land at the disposal of the nation. The estimated value of this was 2000 million livres. Bonds called assignats were issued and sold. This went a long way in financing the government.

Question 25

How did the King respond to the changes made in the end of 1789?

Answer 25

On 5 August, he wrote ‘I will never consent to the spoliation of my clergy and nobility.’ However, with the loyalty of his army in doubt, he couldn’t use force against the assembly. Instead he refused to consent to the August Decrees and the DOROMAC. The assembly decided to give the king a suspensive veto (the power to suspend or delay laws other than financial for up to four years). It was also decided that executive powers would be exclusively the preserve of the king.

Question 26

What was the response to the king refusing to consent to the August Decrees?

Answer 26

Considerable tension was raised and a revolutionary journée (a day of popular action and disturbance) forced Louis to accept the decrees. On the 1st October, Louis reinforced his guard by summoning the Flanders regiment. In celebration of their arrival, a banquet was held by the king’s bodyguard at the opera house. During this, anti-revolutionary demonstrations replaced the tricolour cockade of the revolution with the White cockade of the bourbons. When news of this hit paris, which was suffering from a food shortage, many demanded the king be brought to paris. On 5th October, a crowd of women marched to the hotel du Ville (headquarters of the commune) who advised to march 20km to Versailles. Therefore 6000 marched to Versailles with 20,000 of the national guard following them. The king agreed to send grain to Paris and to approve the decrees and DOROMAC. On the afternoon of 6 October, the King and Queen left Versailles, along with the National Assembly.

Question 27

What was the significance of the October Days?

Answer 27

Once in Paris, the King regarded himself as a prisoner of the mob and therefore not bound by anything he was forced to accept. During the storming of the Bastille, the Assembly was an ally to the Parisians: but in October, the Assembly was as much a prisoner as the king. They wanted to compromise with the king, but this was hard when in Paris, because the will of the Parisians could be imposed by another journee. Following this journee, the King was subordinate to the law and power had shifted towards Paris.