revolt in Paris Flashcards
popular movement definition
crowds of politically active Parisians periodically taking to the streets to protest
economic crisis in Paris - wages
normally workers spent up to 50% of income on bread
August 1788 - price of 1.8kg loaf - 9 sous (1 livre = 20 sous)
March 1789 - price risen to over 14 sous per loaf
Spring 1789 - 88% of income going to bread
- led to hardship and unrest in Paris
economic crisis in Paris - riots
28th April 1789
factory of wallpaper manufacturer, Réveillon, set on fire
- due to rumour he was reducing wages
- violent protest against scarcity & high price of bread rather than wages
- at least 50 people killed or wounded by troops
economic crisis in Paris - Estates-General
volatile situation when they met
- economic issues were pushing France towards revolution
- falling living standards led to discontent
- political opponents utilised discontent to bring crowds out in support of National Assembly
- workers & traders’ protest were directed against government
the popular movement
late June - Palais-Royal became unofficial headquarters for movement
- home of the Duc d’Orléans
- popular venue for ordinary Parisians to gather and listen to revolutionary speakers e.g. Camille Desmoulins
Louis’ reaction to the popular movement
11th July
- he stationed ~25,000 troops in the Paris-Versailles
Louis dismissed Necker at the height of his popularity
- this news reached Paris on 12th July
- inspired large-scale popular demonstrations against King
Deputies of Estates-General expected Louis to use force to dissolve Assembly
- Parisians were called on to take up arms
- clashes with royal troops guarding Tuileries
- Gardes-françaises deserted in favour of the people when ordered to withdraw
Gardes-françaises
elite royal infantry regiment
-deserted in July 1789 to join opponents of King
By 14th July 1789
- 5 out of 6 battalions had deserted
Bastille significance
royal prison
permanent reminder of power of the ancien régime
the storming was the first of the Journées
Capture of Bastille
search for weapons by Parisians
- led them to Les Invalides
- 28,000 muskets and 20 cannons seized
- continued on to Fortress of the Bastille
crowd outside Bastille denied entry by de Launay (governor)
- no initial plan to storm Bastille BUT
- Launay ordered troops to open fire on a group who entered inner courtyard
- 98 killed
- crowd retaliated using cannons from Les Invalides
- Gardes-françaises helped
- overpowered, murdered and decapitated de Launay
who took part in the storming of the Bastille
sans-culottes
- not wealthy middle class
- at height of rebellion; 1/4 of 1 million Parisians were under arms
the journées
days of popular action and disturbance linked to great political change
significance of storming of Bastille
- King had lost control of Paris -> had set up a commune
- Lafayette appointed commander of National Guard
- Assembly (National Constituent Assembly from 9th July) prepared to draw up a constitution
- real power had moved to Assembly; Louis couldn’t tell them anything cause he had lost the army
- the Bastille fall intensified peasant activity elsewhere
- revolt of Paris led to emigration of 20,000 nobles - led by Comte d’Artois; king’s brother
Paris commune
15th July
- Paris electors (representatives of the 60 electoral districts) set up new governing body
- known as the Commune
- at the forefront of clash between Parisians & King
- Sylvain Bailly - elected mayor
citizens’ militia
10th July
- electors proposed to form it
bourgeois defence force
- sans-culottes excluded from its ranks
- had to defend Paris from royal troops
Lafayette appointed commander
- became National Guard after Bastille
King’s response
17th July
travelled from Versailles to Paris
- hostile reception
he recognised the new revolutionary council & National Guard
- wore the red and blue colours of Paris along with the white of the Bourbons
