revolution in the provinces

Question 1

Municipal Revolution

Answer 1

whole month of July 1789
- similar challenges to Crown as Bastille storming
- King’s authority collapsed
- most provincial towns waited for action in Paris before acting
- bourgeoisie played a leading part

Question 2

Revolution:
1) in Bordeaux
2) in Lille, Lyon
3) in Dijon, Pamiers
4) Marseille
5) Rouen

Answer 2

1) Electors of 3rd Estate seized control - like in Paris
2) old municipal corporations operating during ancien régime overthrown by force
3) former councils allowed to stay in office; integrated into committee in which they were a minority
4) citizens’ militia set up before National Guard in Paris
5) revolutionaries seized power at the start of July - after food riots - ahead of Paris & old municipal corporations operating during ancien régime overthrown by force

Question 3

National Guard

Answer 3

formed in every town
designed to:
- control popular violence
- prevent counter-revolution
- King lost control of Paris and towns

Question 4

rural revolt

Answer 4

Spring 1789
- triggered by bad harvest of 1788

affected by:
- rise in bread prices
- rise in textile & clothing prices

riots would have died out in the summer
- when new crop was harvested
- more food would’ve stopped the violence

Question 5

why were the rural riots different from usual?

Answer 5

due to political climate in Paris
- calling of the Estates-General aroused excitement in peasants
- believed King intended to address their grievances in their cahiers

Bastille storming
- led to risings in Normandy & Franche-Comté
- demonstrations against tax, tithe, feudal dues spread

Question 6

main features of rural protest

Answer 6

• grain stores where grain was held in bulk were looted
• Châteaux were attacked & burnt
• terriers (documents listing peasant obligations) were destroyed

Question 7

Great Fear

Answer 7

20th July
- attacks on châteaux started
- became part of the Great Fear (Grande Peur)
- lasted until 6th August
- spread throughout France

hundreds of châteaux burnt & ransacked
- BUT little bloodshed
- landowners only killed when they resisted

Question 8

how was Great Fear triggeredB

Answer 8

rumours of local brigands planning to destroy harvests
- in the pay of aristocrats
- they never came
- peasants turned on aristocrats

Question 9

which regions remained unaffected?

Answer 9

Brittany, Alsace, the Basque region