Collapse of the Ancien Regime (1778-89) Flashcards
The Assembly of Notables: weighing up responsability of the nobles vs Louis/ministers in increasing tensions
February – May 1787:
- The clergy strongly opposed Calonne’s plan to tax the church. This opposition was led by the Archbishop of Toulouse (Brienne)
- Matters made worse by Calonne’s published attack on Necker, revealing that the Compte Rendu was an error. Due to Necker’s popularity, Calonne faced a lot of backlash from the Assembly of Notables, being accused of incompetence and trying to shift the blame onto others.
- Calonne published articles claiming that the nobility were allowing self-interest to stand in the way of tax reform, but this wasn’t always true. Many nobles, including Brienne, were actually influenced by Enlightened ideas and merely distrusted Calonne who they saw as an example of ‘ministerial despotism’
- Calonne replaced by Brienne. Louis dismissed the Assembly in May 1787.
The Clash with the Parlements
May 1787 – May 1788
- July: The parlements, containing a large number of nobles, claimed that they did not have the authority to accept or implement the King’s proposal for tax reforms
- The Paris Parlement petitioned for an Estates-General instead. Ordinary Parisians gathered outside the house of Louis’ liberal minded cousin, Philippe, duc d’Orleans, in support of the calling of the Estates General
- August: Louis responds by banishing the Paris Parlement to Troyes
- September: Louis allows Parlement to return
- November: Louis exiles Philippe, duc d’Orleans, through the lettres de cahet due to his outspoken criticism of the monarchy in the ‘royal session’, and imprisons two other members too.
The May Edicts
- May 1788: Louis’ last attempt to reform the old institutions of the state within an absolutist framework
Terms:
1. New Plenary Court of nobles, officiers and magistrates, appointed by the King, would be responsible for the registration of laws
2. The legal duties of the parlements would be transferred to 47 lower courts
3. The number of judges in the Paris Parlement would be reduced
Causes for the revolt of the nobles
- In response to the May Edicts, the provincial parlements flooded the royal Court with remonstrances and demands to end the lettres de cahet
- Brienne continually tried to impose tax reforms: in June 1788, he demanded an enlarged don gratuit but only a quarter of what was expected was provided. Pamphlets attacked Brienne, claiming that ‘the general will’ wasn’t being respected.
- Hailstorm on 13th July destroyed many crops, meaning Brienne’s tax demands were even more unlikely to be met
Events of the revolt of the nobles
- A series of uncoordinated risings emerged throughout the country – many led or initiated by nobles
- 7th June 1788: ‘Day of Tiles’ in Grenoble, where royal troops who arrived to restore order were pelted with stones and roof slates
- In July, Marie-Antionette claimed in a letter to her brother than ‘every day brings further rebellious and seditious declarations’
- In August, France was declared bankrupt.
- Necker was recalled on 25th August.
How did the calling of the Estates - General contribute to rising tension?
- Debate over counting by head or order created a social and political conflict between the privileged and unprivileged classes. The 3rd estate was mixed with some voting for head (e.g. Seiyes) and a few members of the 2nd estate also wanted to vote by head (e.g. the Society of Thirty – including Duport and Lafayette)
- 3rd estate comprised 80-90% of the French population
- December 1788: it was decided that the 3rd estate should have double representation, but no reference to whether voting would be conducted by head or by order – meaning nothing without this information
- Had not met since 1614
- January 1789: Abbé Sieyès’ pamphlet ‘What is the Third Estate?’ in which he answered ‘everything’ – questions being raised about fair representation
How did the Cahiers de doleances contribute to rising tension?
The cahiers de doléances (ledgers of complaints) were compiled in the early months of 1789 as elections proceeded. Around 40,000 were produced amidst much public debate.
The cahier of the parish of Vitry-sur-Seine demanded ‘the total suppression of all privileges whatsoever’.
Increased the expectation amongst both urban civilians and rural peasantry for radical reform (eg motivated the Great Fear). Meant that the meeting of the Estates General was particularly underwhelming and encouraged the population, especially Parisians, that a new constitution was needed under their terms.
Why did the meeting of the Estates General increase tensions? Give date.
- The King’s insistence on ceremonies made clearer distinctions between the estates so contributed to tensions: the 1st and 2nd estate were received in the hall of mirrors but the 3rd estate in a lesser apartment and were made to wait several hours before being let in. The orders were also separated by clothing, with the 3rd estate being made to wear black – 3rd estate felt deliberately undermined
- Downplayed severity of issue – Barentin condemned ‘false and exaggerated maxims’ that had been made
- Necker spoke for 3 hours – very boring and ineffective
- May 1789
Causes of the formation of the NA
The 3rd estate made up 90% of the population and felt themselves to be the nation’s main representatives. The King’s absence due to the death of the Dauphin increased radicalism.
Abbe Sieyes argued that the 3rd estate was ‘the nation’ and had every right to act alone is others refused to join it.
Main events of the formation of the National Assembly
17th June: the 3rd estate voted by 491 votes to 90, to call itself the ‘National Assembly’
19th June: the clergy joined the Assembly, joined by some liberal nobles in the following weeks
20th June:
1. the doors to the deputies’ assembly room were locked and guarded (Louis was making alternations to the room).
2. Led by the Assembly’s elected president, Bailly, they went to the royal tennis court.
3. They signed the ‘tennis court oath’ by which they promised never to disband until France had a new constitution under their terms
23rd June: the royal session took place and Louis accepted to the principle of consent to new taxation and a fairer land tax based on the value of land, not social status.
Members refused to leave in an open act of defiance because Louis continued to use the term ‘Estates-General’ and demanded that the estates should continue to meet separately.
Consquences of the formation of the NA
- Louis was threatened and brought in more troops to Paris: By 4th July there were 30,00 troops in the capital which raised tensions significantly and catalysed the Storming of the Bastille
- Louis refusal to use the term ‘National Assembly’ further persuaded the Parisians of his unwillingness to respond to the needs of the people and make fair reforms
- ‘tennis court oath’ was a direct challenge to Louis’ absolute power – the momentum and intensity of the revolution was dramatically amplified as the Assembly had now promised not to be deterred by challenges posed by the king and to persist in creating a new constitution.
Causes of the Storming of the Bastille
- 30,000 troops in the capital by 4th July
- The King’s dismissal of Necker on 11th July – confirmed popular fears that Louis was seeking to prevent reform and go back on his promises
- High bread prices: by 14th July, bread prices were the highest they had been since 1715
- 1780s was the great age of prison literature (eg Lingoirs ‘Memoirs of the Bastille’ presented the prison as a living death – psychological suffering)
Events of the Storming of the Bastille
- 14th July: a crowd of around 8000 descended on Les Invalides, where 32,000 muskets and some artillery were found – needed gunpowder
- The crowd, accompanied by some member of the National Guard, stormed the Bastille to access the gunpowder and also make a symbolic statement against the absolutist government (and potentially the lettres de cahet)
- Roughly 70 ‘attackers’ killed
Consequences of the Storming of the Bastille
- 17th July: Louis persuaded to go to Paris to address the Parisians, alongside Bailly and Lafayette
- Louis announces the reinstatement of Necker, his acceptance of the NA, Paris Commune, and National Guard
Causes of the Great Fear
- Revolutionary developments in Paris got back to the rural peasants, who believed that the reforms would end their burdens and bring imminent new wealth and status – they refused to pay taxes and attacked landlords’ chateaux
- 1788 Spring drought followed by a bad harvest and bad winter
- Drawing up of the cahiers de doleances created a general expectation of reform amongst the peasantries
- There were rumours circulating that the King/his aristocrats had hired gangs of brigands to destroy their crops and property as a means of establishing political control.
