French Revolution Flashcards
1
Q
What were the initial reasons for revolution?
A
- Poor Leadership
- Hunger / Poverty
- War
- Mass Support
- Leadership
- An alternative
2
Q
What was the Ancien Regime?
A
- ‘Old System’
- Political:
- Political structure
- Advisors (Intendants)
- Limitations
- Parlements (Law Court)
- Censorship (Power of the Clergy
- Monarchy
- Divine Right
- Louis XVI (1774-1793) - Social:
- 1st Estate
- Clergy
- Influence
- Pluralism (100,000)
- Absenteeism
- 2nd Estate
- Nobility
- Noble Courts
- Exempt from Service
- 3rd Estate
- Bourgeoise, Peasants, Urban Workers
- Corvée: Forced labour on roads
- Middle Class
- Taxation - Economic:
- Direct Taxation (Taille Tithe)
- Land tax
- Third Estate paid
- System of exemptions
- Indirect Taxation
- French gov. never made enough - borrow
- Farmers-General
- Gabelle - Salt tax
3
Q
Nature of rule
A
- Parlements:
- The 13 High Courts of appeal. All edicts handed down by the crown had to be registered by the Parlements before they could be enforced as a law. - Bourbon:
- The family name of the Monarch - Lit de Justice:
- Formal sessions of Parlements in which the king could override objections - Absolutism:
- A system of government where the ruler has all power - Estates-General:
- Elected representatives of all three estates of the realm - Lettre de cachet:
- Sealed instructions from the crown allowing detention without trial.
4
Q
The Enlightenment
A
- “Movement of Philosophies”
- Political, Religous and Social criticisms harming the Ancien Regime. - Key figures:
- Montesque: Seperation of powers
- Voltaire: Anti-Clerical
- Rousseau: Social Equality
- Diderot: Knowledge - Diderot and the Encyclopedia
- Thousands of Articles
- Scientists and Scholars
- Banned in France
5
Q
The Seven Years War
A
- 1961-1968
- Britain vs France
- France lose
6
Q
American War of Independence
A
- 1776: America rebels against British rule
- 1778: France sends troops to support America
- 1781: America / France win
- However two major consequences:
- French Soldier exposed to ‘ideas of liberty’
- Financial implications - Huge Debt!
7
Q
The Controller Generals
A
- Jaques Turgot:
- 1774-1776
- Agriculture should be freed from restrictions of taxes to stimulate the wealth of the country.
- Introduced a number of economic policies
- Tried to introduce free trade on grain
- Coincided with a bad harvest, led to huge amounts of criticism
- Sparked violence in the North - ‘Flour war’
- Tried to tax whole country - Jacques Necker:
- 1776-1781
- Funded French involvement in US war of independence
- 1777-1781: Necker raised 520m livres in loans
- Ordinary income and expenditure could be brought in by organising budget structures.
- Order in financial structure would engender more confidence which in its place would enable the king to borrow more money to mee the expenditure.
- Hated by the King and Ministers
- Removed cost of war from Compte Rendu
- Effective piece of government propaganda. - Charles de Calonne:
- 1783-1787
- 653m livres borrowed
- Seeked more loans
- 3 point plan
- Single land tax - At harvest, no exemptions
- Loans: A show of support (Assembly of Notables)
8
Q
Assembly of Notables
A
- 1786
- 144 representatives - mostly Nobility (Clerical Nobility)
- After illness to Calonne, the Assembly did not meet until 22 February 1787.
- After death of Calonne’s friend the representatives had time to think about what they wanted.
- Created an influential pressure.
- Calonne dismissed - replaced by Brienne
- Creates rebellion from parlements
- Brienne only lasted a year.
9
Q
To what extent was France ready for revolution by 1781?
A
- Political:
\+ Ancien Regime
\+ US War of Independence
- Obedience to Louis XVI
- Social:
\+ Enlightenment
- Illiteracy
- Lack of opposition movement
- Economic:
\+ Necker - Debt - Compte Rendu
\+ Bad Harvests
- Confidence in Economy (due to false info on CR)
10
Q
‘What is the Third Estate?’
A
- January 1789
- Political pamphlet
- Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès
- Written in response to Necker asking how the Estates-General should be organized.
- Sieyès believed that the 3rd Estate constituted a nation in its own right and the other two were dead weight.
- “What is the 3rd Estate?
Everything!
What has it been in the political order until now?”
Nothing!
What does it ask?
To become somthing!”
11
Q
The Estates-General
A
- When they met on May 5 1789 the government had the opportunity to control the situation
- The government took no initiative to introduce reforms.
- Necker talked about ‘fairer tax’ but this was the closest they came to reform.
- No mention of a new constitution.
- Met as three seperate groups and voted by order (each group gets one vote).
12
Q
Cahiers
A
- Drawn up by the electors of the three estates
- List of grievances and suggestions for reform
13
Q
Weather and harvest
A
- Hailstorms in Summer 1788
- Bread prices increase by 88%
14
Q
Reasons for the storming of the Batille
A
- Influx of troops into Paris
- High food prices
- Falling living standards
- Popular movement
- Camille Demouslins
- Dismissal of Necker (12/07/89)
- Economic Crisis (Inability of government)
15
Q
Events of the storming of the Bastille
A
- 12th and 13th: Poorer citizens in Paris begin looting weaponry for battle
- Poorest = Sans Culottes (Without knee-breeches)
- They’re hungry - Wealthy become alarmed
- Set up their own committee - the commune
- Created their own militia - The National Guard
16
Q
Storming of the Bastille: key words
A
- Sans-Culottes:
- (Without knee breeches)
- The Urban poor - Journees:
- A day of popular action and disturbance linked to great political change - Menu peuple:
- Ordinary people living in towns (3rd estate) - (Local) Commune:
- Representatives of the 60 electoral districts that had chosen the deputies to Estates-General. - Citizens Militia / National Guard:
- A Bourgeois defence force set up to protect the interests of property owners in Paris. After the storming of the Bastille it became the National Guard.
17
Q
Control of Paris - July 1789
A
- Sans-Culottes
- King+Army
- National Assembly
- Commune with the National Guard (Town Council)
18
Q
The rural revolt
A
- The peasants played no part in the revolution until 1789, due to the bad harvest of 88.
- Suffered from the failure of the textiles industry.
- The food riots were important due to the political events going on at the time.
- The fall of the Bastille meant that risings followed in Normandy and Franche-Comté
- Main features:
- Grain stores were looted
- Chateaux were attacked and frequently burnt
- ‘Terriers’ which listed peasant obligations were destroyed.
19
Q
The events of 1789
A
- June:
- The Tennis Court Oath
- The National Assembly (3rd Estate members of the Estates-General) met but feareda royal attack.
- They fled to a local tennis court and swore an oath vowing:
“not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established.” - July:
- Storming of the Bastille
- Urban unrest
- Great fear (peasant unrest)
- 20 July - 6 August - August:
- August Decrees
- Declaration of the Rights of Man
- Guidline for new constitution - October:
- Nationalise Church land
- Ocotober days
20
Q
France by October/November 1789
A
- Changes:
- Constituent Assembly
- King subjected to the law
- August decrees passed
- Levelling of society
- Émigres fleeing from cities
- Commune / National Guard
- King and Assembly in Paris - Continuity:
- Financial Crisis
21
Q
Jacobins
A
- Free entry
- Bourgeoise
- Centralisation
- Liberal, yet become extreme
- Enlightened
- Robespierre
22
Q
Cordeliers
A
- Free
- Sans-Culottes
- Insurrection
- Direct democracy
- Extremist
- Desmouslins
- Marat: L’ami de Peuple (Friend of the People)
- Brissot
- Danton
23
Q
Louis undermines the National Assembly
A
- The Constituent Assembly was working hard to create a moderate constitution.
- Underminded in two different ways.
- The increasing pressure which the radicals from the political clubs were placing on the assemblies.
- The unreliability of Louis. Although supported the changes he merely gave the impression that he was biding until his authority was re-exerted.
24
Q
The fall of monarchy
A
- April 1792: War
- Military problems
- Desertion and Mutiny - poor moral - Paris: 20,000 Federes
- King vetos demands - 20 June 1792: Storming of the Tuileries pt. 1
- 1 August 1792: Brunswick Manifesto
- 10 August 1792: Storming of the Tuileries pt. 2
- King taken to Temple Prison
- Republic proclaimed
- Fall of Legislative Assembly (August 1792)
25
Q
France as a republic
A
- Legislative Assembly replaced by National Convention
- New Government
- War continues throughout
- 1792: September Massacres
26
Q
The September Massacres
A
- Due to the intensifying aituation, the assembly granted powers to any local authorities to arrest those suspected of ‘counter productive behaviour’.
- Rumours spread that imprisoned priests and nobles were trying to escape.
- Marat, a commune leader, called for conspirators to be killed.
- 2nd-6th: The Sans-culottes begin to ‘visit’ the prisons and kill the inmates.
- Between 2000-2600 prisoners in Paris were killed. Most had little to do with the Revolution.
27
Q
National Convention
A
- Went on while the elections for the convention were taking place
- Atmosphere of crisis and fear - Many Girondin deputies from the provinces turned against the Jacobins and Sans-Culottes calling them ‘buveurs du sang’ (blood drinkers)
- The French secured an unlikely victory against Prussia at Valmy on the same day the convention opened reversing the tide of war.
- 20 September - It seemed the revolution was starting to reep rewards.
- Elections included intimidation of royalists
- All elected for the Paris department (24 members) were Jacobins and Republicans - Robespierre headed.
- Convention consisted of radicals.
28
Q
The start of war 1792
A
- France went to war with Austria and Prussia in 1792 because of many different factors:
- Austrian Connection
- Foreign powers felt France was weak
- Emigré influence
- Can’t allow Republicanism
- Export revolution
- Nationalism / Patrionism - Decalration of Pitnitz:
- Austria and Prussia’s declaration of support of Louis.
29
Q
National Convention
A
- All Republican
- Voted in - wouldn’t have been elected
- Pro-War
- Bourgeoise
- Montagnards:
- Danton, Marat, Robespierre
- ‘Mountain’ (high seats)
- Loyalty of sans-culottes
- Left wing
- Centralised
- Hate priviledge
- Against the church
- Price control - Girondins
- Hate priviledges
- Liberal
- Free market
- Decentralised
- Right Wing
- Hated Robespierre
- Gironde region
- Brissot
- Diminish power of Paris - Plain:
- ‘Middle Ground’
- Need support
- Scared of radicalism.
30
Q
Evidence for Louis’ prosecution
A
- Where does it leave the revolution?
- War
- What to do with him?
- Civil War? - Monarchy undermines the revolution
31
Q
Evidence for Louis’ defence
A
- Fear of extremism
- Ethical ‘Regicide’
- Louis did as the people asked
- Doesn’t kill Frenchmen
- Greed of people
32
Q
Louis’ execution
A
- 21 January 1793
- Place de la Concorde (Guillotine)
- Massive victory for the Montagnards + Sans Culottes.
- The Montagnards now begun to dominate the Convention.
33
Q
Rebellion in the Vendée
A
- February 1793
- Counter revolution
- Provincial
- V. Religous (lots of non-jurers)
34
Q
Fall of the Girondins
A
- Robepierre allies with the Sans-Culottes
- Rising against the Jacobins after Lyon
- Sans-Culottes become armed (01/06/93)
- 02/06/93: 80,000 guardsmen outside convention
- 29 deputies arrested.
35
Q
The need for ‘the Terror’
A
- Economic issues
- Anti/counter revolution
- Extremist clubs
- Ally with the Sans-Culottes - War (September Massacres)
36
Q
The Terror
A
- July and September 1793
- Committee of Public Safety
- Responsible to the convention
- Responsible for the war effort
- 27 July 1793: Robespierre joins
- 1794: ‘de facto’ in charge of France. - Deputies reluctantly join the Montagnard’s Jacobin minority after what they did to the Girondin
- Members were all Montagnards or deputies of the Plain.
- The revolutionary tribunal:
- To try all those suspected of anti-revolutionary activities - Representatives-on-missions:
- Deputies appointed to speed up conscription and conduct of army generals. - Comutes de Surveilance:
- Set up in each commune to watch any suspected betrayer - The Committee of General Security: Controlled an extensive spy network, rooting out counter-revolutionaries
- The Armées revolutionnaires: Volunteer Sans-Culottes who acted as a police force, attacked those who went against the revolution
- The maximum: Established a max. price for grain.
37
Q
Levée en Masse
A
- 23 August 1793
- Appeal for war effort
- Everything to help the war effort
- Citizen army
- Public support
- Proclaimed by Lazare Carnot
- “If we are bold, forever bold, and bolder still, then France is saved!”
- Danton
38
Q
The Federalist Revolt
A
- Federalist:
- De-centralised
- Provincial power - ‘Anarchic terror’
- No law and order
- Revolts in 60/83 departments
- Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseilles and Toulon all call troops from the front. - Isn’t anti-revolution as vendée was, but anti-Jacobin.
- Death of Marat: Key cause
- 13 July, Charlotte Corday, revenge
39
Q
Thermidorian reaction
A
- Decline of Robespierre’s popularity (by June 1794).
- Great terror:
- Bloodshed
- Laws of Prairial (speed up) - Executions of Danton and Desmoulins (April 1794)
- CPS control (laws of Frimaire) Dictatorial
- Laws of Ventose: Private proerty seized - Cult of supreme being (June 1794)
- Propaganda
- Virtuous - June 1794:
- CPS/CGS: Threatened by Ropespierre
- Robespierre sets up secret police to spy on CPS - Catholics: Dechristianisation / ignoring the Pope / Cult of Supreme Being
- Sans-Culottes: Disagreed with maximum + wage controls
- Execution of Hébertistes.
40
Q
Robepierre’s downfall
A
- 18-26 July: Leave Paris, returns to threaten CPS.
- 27 July: Shouted down in Convention - “Down with the Tyrant”
- Warrant for arrest is issued, voted by convention (along with brother Augustin, Couthon, Saint-Just and Hanriot (Commander of Paris National Guard))
- Flees to Paris Commune
41
Q
The Coup of Thermidor
A
- 26 July (8 Thermidor):
- Robespierre makes a speech attacking colleagues who he claimed were plotting against the government.
- This was his undoing - 27 July (9 Thermidor)
- Robespierre shouted down at convention - Refuge in the Commune
- After a confussion with the National Guard attempting to help the Commune, Hanriot had the Convention at his mercy until a failure of his nerve.
- After failed suicide attempts Robespierre and the others were arrested.
- He was executed along with 21 other people.
- The Coup of Thermidor ended the Terror but the violence continued.
42
Q
Ending the terror
A
- From August 1794: Terror ended and dismantled
- Ended the Commune
- Dismantled the Tribunal
- Renounced Conservative Church (Seperate Church)
- Released prisoners
- Limit control of Committees
- December 1794: Restored privatisation
- Fall in value of the Assignat + huge inflation
- May 1795: 4% of its original value in 1790. - Winter 94/5:
- Severe weather and closed down factories
- Led to crime, suicide and famine - Also led to the uprising of Germinal and Prairial
43
Q
The uprising of Prairial
A
- Armed rising like those of 10 August 1792 - 2 June 1793
- 1 Prairial (20 May 1795): Large crow of Housewives, workers and some National Guard units marched on the convention to demand bread.
- A deputy was killed and the crowd became more hostile.
- Forces supporting the comvention confronted the crowd and tension increased.
- The crisis was resolved when the convention accepted a petition from the corwd to set up a food commission.
- Loyal National Guards arrived in the evening to clear the Assembly.
- 3 Prairial (22 May): Convention took the offensive.
- The rebel suburbs were surrounded by 20,000 army troops.
- Forty montagnards were arrested and six were executed.
- A military commission condemned a further 36 to death, including the gunners who had joined the rebels.
- About 6000 militants were disarmed and arrested. - Prairial marked the end of the Sans-Culottes as a political and military force.
- The defeat of the popular movement marked the end of the radical part of the revolution
44
Q
Reasons for the failure of Prairial
A
- The workers of Paris were divided while the National Guard remained loyal to the convention.
- No institution like the Paris Commune to organise their activity.
- Politically inexperienced - let opportunity slip
- Last support of the radical bourgeoisie.
- The army was used against the citizens of Paris for the first time since Spring 1789.
45
Q
The white terror
A
- Attack on ex-terrorists by royalists
- Returning émigres amd non-juring Priests took advantage of the anti-Jacobin revulsion.
- ‘Companies of the Sun’ were formed by Royalists to attack former terrorists.
- Most of the people who took part were not Royalists
- They were mainly concerned for the vengeance on all who had been members of popular societies and watch committees
- The whites were people who had been victims of the Revolutionary Tribunals and they turned on anyone who had done well out of the revolution.
- Purchasers of State land, constitutional priests and government officials - Confined to the North and West of the Loire and South of Lyon
- Activities in Paris were dominated by the Jeunesse dorée (Gilded youth).
- Wealthy Middle Class
- Dressed extravagantly and intimidated Jacobins and Sans-Culottes. - Guerilla warfare revived in the Vendée in 1794.
- Chouan movements began in Brittany that were lead by Jean Cottereau. They oppossed conscription and began attacking government officials.
- 1794-1796: Chouans controlled most of Brittany - Under Royalist leadership they sought help from the English.
