French Rev - revolution to the directory II Flashcards
4
Declaration of Pillnitz 27th August 1791(from Austria)
- Both countries regarded the present situation of the French king of common interest to all other European rulers
- They hoped to restore the powers of the french crown
- Force would be used if necessary
Seen as a threat to interfere in France’s internal affairs but Austria knew other powers wouldn’t join them
5
Schism 3 - WAR
Republicans (revolutionaries) v Constitutional monarchists
Austria and Prussia are becoming febrile
The King: wanted to stay king
Refractory priests: against oath
Emigres: wanted to keep their land
2
Marie Antoinette attitude to war
- For the war
- Wanted France to be defeated and for royals to regain their powers
2
Lafayette attitude to war
- For the war
- Felt that Prussia and Austria needed defeating but wants to take charge and stop the republic radicalising and restore Louis, but be in control
2
Brissot attitude to war
- Also strangely for the war
- Believed the war would force the king to reveal his true sympathies being for or against the revolution and it would expose traitors in the revolution
2
Robespierre attitude to war
- Against it
- Terrified that the republic would be lost and that the Prussians and Austrians would invade - said that rev could not be imposed by men with bayonets
3
France at war 1792
1792:
April 20: War with Austria – France declares war on Austria. The French Revolutionary Wars begin.
French Strength: ~ 300,000 troops
Austrian Strength: ~ 150,000 troops
September 20: Battle of Valmy – The French Army under General Dumouriez defeats the Prussians, halting their advance towards Paris.
French Losses: ~ 300
Prussian Losses: ~ 1,000
September 22: First French Republic proclaimed – France abolishes the monarchy.
4
Evidence for the failure of constitutional monarchy - Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
Financial mismanagement (debt crisis).
Resistance to reforms by Louis XVI (vetoes, flight).
Loss of public confidence (flight to Varennes, Champ de Mars).
Failure to adapt to revolutionary demands, leading to Louis XVI’s execution and the collapse of the monarchy.
2
Evidence for the failure of constitutional monarchy - the political clubs
Political clubs like the Jacobins, Girondins, and Cordeliers contributed significantly to the failure of the constitutional monarchy by pushing for more radical reforms, including the abolition of the monarchy.
Their increasing influence, particularly the Jacobins, shifted the revolution from moderate constitutionalism to radical republicanism, ultimately leading to the collapse of the monarchy and the establishment of the French Republic.
4
Evidence for the failure of constitutional monarchy - the assemblies (legislative and national)
The National Assembly weakened the monarchy by implementing revolutionary laws (like the Civil Constitution of the Clergy) and passing the Constitution of 1791, limiting the king’s powers.
The Legislative Assembly further alienated the monarchy by failing to manage royalist opposition, dealing poorly with the flight to Varennes, and being politically divided.
Radical events, like the storming of the Tuileries, and the eventual rise of the National Convention marked the collapse of the constitutional monarchy.
Both Assemblies’ inability to balance the monarchy with the growing demands of the revolution contributed to the end of the French monarchy and the establishment of the First French Republic.
3
Evidence for the failure of constitutional monarchy - war
The Declaration of War (1792), coupled with military defeats like the Battle of Verdun, highlighted the French monarchy’s inability to manage external threats.
Louis XVI’s Flight to Varennes and his sympathy for foreign monarchies (evidenced by the Brunswick Manifesto) led to widespread distrust and the radicalization of the revolution.
War exacerbated the monarchy’s internal weaknesses, resulting in growing opposition and leading directly to the abolition of the monarchy in 1792.
6
France at War - 1793
1793:
January 21: Execution of Louis XVI – The former King is executed by guillotine.
March 23 - July 27: Reign of Terror – Led by the Committee of Public Safety, mass executions of perceived enemies of the Revolution take place.
Executions: Estimated 16,000 official executions, but estimates suggest up to 40,000 deaths due to the Terror.
June 21 - 23: Battle of Courtrai – The French under General Pichegru defeat the Austrians.
French Losses: ~ 1,500
Austrian Losses: ~ 3,000
September 5 - October 16: Mass Conscription (Levee en Masse) – France calls for conscription, raising a large volunteer army (~800,000 troops by the end of 1793).
December 23: Battle of Nantes – French Republican forces defeat Royalist insurgents in the Vendée region.
Royalist Losses: Estimated 6,000
4
France at war - 1794
1794:
April 1-7: Battle of Fleurus – A decisive French victory over Austrian forces in Belgium, securing the French Republic’s hold on the Low Countries.
French Losses: ~ 2,000
Austrian Losses: ~ 6,000
June 10 - July 27: Thermidorian Reaction – The fall of Robespierre leads to the end of the Reign of Terror.
Robespierre and Allies Executed: Estimated 80-100 key figures, including Robespierre himself.
By the end of 1794, the revolutionary wars had expanded across Europe, with France controlling significant territories, although internal divisions remained strong.
The Terror 1793-94
This was a time where extremist sans-culottes knocked the Revolution off-course. Forced the country’s leaders to adopt policies that were contrary to the liberal reforms of the Constituent Assembly
Attack on Tulieres
The Attack on the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792, was a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, marking the end of the constitutional monarchy. Led by radical revolutionaries, including Georges Danton and Jean-Paul Marat, a mob of approximately 20,000 Parisians stormed the palace, where Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and their children were residing. The attack was fueled by the growing dissatisfaction with the monarchy, particularly after the king’s flight to Varennes and his failure to support revolutionary reforms. The National Guard, under General Lafayette, initially failed to defend the monarchy. The royal family was arrested, and the event led to the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of the First French Republic shortly thereafter.
September Massacres
The September Massacres of 1792 were a series of brutal killings of prisoners, perceived enemies of the revolution, that took place in Paris. Sparked by fears of counter-revolutionary uprisings and foreign invasion, the massacres occurred from September 2 to 6, 1792. Radical revolutionaries like Jean-Paul Marat and Georges Danton fueled the hysteria, calling for action against suspected royalists and traitors. Led by revolutionary mobs and sans-culottes, over 1,000 prisoners, including nobles, clergy, and political prisoners, were massacred in the streets, prisons, and churches of Paris. The event deepened the divide between revolutionary factions and marked a significant shift towards more radical actions within the revolution. It also played a key role in the rise of the Jacobins and the eventual downfall of the monarchy.
Battle of Valmy
The Battle of Valmy took place on September 20, 1792, and was a crucial turning point in the French Revolution. French revolutionary forces, led by General François Christophe Kellermann and General Charles Dumouriez, faced off against the combined armies of Prussia and Austria, commanded by Duke of Brunswick. Despite being outnumbered and less experienced, the French troops, bolstered by revolutionary fervor, held their ground near Valmy, in northeastern France. The battle ended in a tactical victory for the French, as the enemy forces retreated, unable to break the French lines. This victory boosted the morale of the revolutionaries, helped solidify the First French Republic, and prevented foreign powers from restoring the monarchy. The win was celebrated as a symbol of the strength and determination of the revolutionary cause.
Impact of the execution of the King
The execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, was a defining moment in the French Revolution, signaling the definitive end of the monarchy and the rise of the First French Republic. After being tried and convicted of treason by the National Convention, Louis XVI was executed by guillotine in Place de la Révolution in Paris. Key figures in the trial included Maximilien Robespierre, a leading Jacobin who supported the king’s execution, and Louis’ defense lawyer, Antoine-Jean Lemoine, who unsuccessfully tried to defend him. The execution deepened the divide between revolutionaries and royalists, intensified tensions with European monarchies, and prompted war with both Great Britain and the Dutch Republic. It also marked the beginning of the Reign of Terror, as the revolutionaries, emboldened by the king’s death, turned to more extreme measures to secure their power and suppress counter-revolutionary movements.
3
The Main Terror
- After king was executed there could no longer be a constituent assembly so they fromed the convention - the main purpose being to give the country a new republican constitution
- Left - Jacobins and Cordeliers, Right - Montagnards - convention initially dominated by Girodins
- March 1793 the French Commander Durmouriez was defeated by the Austrians - made politicna ssuspicious of army commanders - Girodins supported him, sus
2
Internal Threats
- Most pop were not enthusiastic supporters of the rev government - Vendee was a Catholic area that objected strongely to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy - local nobles had pro-monarchist sympathies
- Serious rioiting and violence with massacres of local officials, constitutional priests and National Guards - government had to use 100K more to quell the rebellion which didn’t fully subside until Dec 1793. Used guerrilla tactics - isolated ttacks rather than coordinated battles against the government
2
Economic issues
- To pay for the war more and more assignants were printed, reducing values - by 1793, the purchasing power fell by 50%, which doubled prices
- Lead to riots in grain stores and demands from sans-culottes for price control and gov intervention
2
External threats
- Austrians pushed into France in summer of 1793 and the spaniards invaded Roussillon in the south - if the allies did make a blunder that divided the army in two, France would have been defeated
- The fear that they might lose everything they had achieved through revolution prompted desperate measures
2
Fall of the Girodins
- 1793 disagreed with Jacobins over execution of the king which angered sans-culottes and tried to impose price controls to deal with the economic problems which backfired as it led to a black market grain as supplies fell and food prices rose further
- 2nd June, 8K National Guardsman surrounded the Convention and demanded the expulson of the Girodins from the assembly - convention was compelled to aggree to the arrest of 29 Girodin deputies and 2 ministers
Stimulus to the terror - the death of Marat
The death of Jean-Paul Marat on July 13, 1793, served as a key catalyst for the Reign of Terror. Marat, a radical revolutionary and leader of the Jacobins, was assassinated in his bath by Charlotte Corday, a Girondin sympathizer who believed his extreme views were pushing France toward violence and chaos. Marat’s death deeply shocked the revolutionary community, and his martyrdom was used by radical figures like Maximilien Robespierre to galvanize support for more extreme actions against perceived enemies of the revolution. The murder fueled paranoia and hysteria, leading to an intensification of revolutionary violence. Marat became a symbol of revolutionary sacrifice, and his death helped to justify the expansion of the Terror, with increased purges, executions, and repression of both internal and external enemies of the revolution.
The Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety was established on April 6, 1793, during the French Revolution to protect the newly formed First French Republic from internal and external threats. Led by key figures like Maximilien Robespierre, Georges Danton, and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, the Committee wielded extraordinary power, especially after the fall of the Girondins and the onset of the Reign of Terror. The Committee’s primary role was to oversee the defense of the revolution and manage wartime strategies against foreign coalitions, such as Great Britain, Prussia, and Austria. It also took charge of purging suspected counter-revolutionaries. Under its rule, the Law of Suspects was passed, leading to widespread arrests and executions. The Committee’s actions helped centralize power in revolutionary hands, but its authoritarian control also fueled violence and fear, ultimately culminating in the downfall of many of its own members, including Robespierre, in 1794.
2
Extreme measures to make sure they did not lose the war
- August 1793 CPS ordered the levee en masse - massive conscription to make an enormous revolutionary army - nearly 1/2M conscripts
- Committee also sent out special representatives on mission to check up on the generals and make sure the army was properly run - 1793-94 84 generals were guillotined, 352 dimissed on suspicion of defeatism
