c) The Bastille & The Rights Of Man Flashcards
When was the Storming of the Bastille?
14 July 1789
What was the main aim of the Storming of the Bastille?
To gather weapons
Rescue prisoners
The angry mob consisted of?
Sans-Culottes
Craftsmen and shopkeepers
By the end of July how many Parisians had weapons?
Over 200,000
What was the Paris Commune?
Representatives from the Paris districts formed the Commune to govern the city - take control.
What was the Citizen’s Militia?
Military unit set up to protect Paris’s properties.
After Bastille, the militia became the National Guard under the command of Lafayette.
On July 17, Louis XVI was seen wearing what?
A hat with the revolutionary colours
Why did the revolution become violent?
- Kings troops were an increasing presence - Louis refused to remove the troops, which created resentment.
- The king sacked Necker again - he was popular with the revolutionaries.
By early July, how many royal troops were in Paris and Versailles?
Over 30,000
After the Storming of the Bastille, why could Louis no longer rely on the military?
Many soldiers deserted to join the protesters
What was the ‘Grand Peur’?
The Great Fear
Revolutionary mobs, rampaged through many other towns during the summer.
Peasants attacked the property of the nobility and demanded the abolition of feudal dues.
The violence of the Grand Peur had 3 main consequences, which were?
- Royal power was damaged:
- many intendants fled the violence, causing royal control of the provinces to collapse.
- Louis XVI’s gov was not in effective control of France
- the National Assembly was the closes thing to a central power. - It upset the nobility:
- tension among peasantry and nobility
- within 2 months, 20,000 aristocrats fled - The National Assembly was concerned:
- liberal nobles in the Assembly chose not to confront the peasant mobs
- gave the mob what they wanted and abolished ‘the feudal regime’ in the 4th of August Decrees
What were the August Decrees?
Created to suppress the angry mob - abolition of feudal dues
Essentially about equality, but did not solve the tensions between the nobility and peasantry
What problems were created by the August Decrees?
- Nobility were enraged - loss of their privileges
- Peasants were disappointed - expected the feudal system to be destroyed, and were angry that the nobility would be compensated
When was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen introduced?
August 27 1789
What was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen?
Declaration was inspired by the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 and Enlightenment ideas
Designed to form the basis of a constitution and rests on the principle that people have natural rights that are universal and inalienable
The government cannot take the rights away from people
What were the key ideas of the Declaration of Man and Citizen?
- Society should be ruled by a representative government
- All men are equal
- The power of the government is limited
- Governments can be removed
- The right to make law resides in the nation
What were the National Assembly’s main three reasons for producing the declaration?
- A justification for the revolution - the Assembly needed to legitimise their actions of the previous three months
- To protect property owners - most members of the Assembly were property owners who were concerned about the peasant attacks on property
- Compromise - moderate compromise to please as many people as possible
What was Louis XVI’s reaction to the August Decrees and the Declaration?
He dismissed both and intended to control France through the use of troops
What were the October Days, and when did they begin?
On 5 October around 6000-7000 people (mostly women) marched to the Palace of Versailles
Followed by the National Guard as a precaution
Louis XVI promised to provide more grain for the Parisians and was forced to accept the August Decrees and the Declaration of Rights
Louis also agreed to move to Paris
What was the Decree on the Fundamental Principles of Government and when was it introduced?
Late October 1789
Decree confirms that France was now a limited monarchy.
The King has executive power (head of gov) and the Assembly has legislative power (power to make laws).
Established limitations on the power of the King.
