Week 15- Political, judicial and administrative reforms; economic and social change

Question 1

What had to be decided before political reforms could be passed?

Answer 1

They had to decide what form of government would be best and most in accordance with the interests of the ‘general will’.
This took considerable time.

Question 2

What issues were there with political reforms?

Answer 2

What form the constitution took to ensure the King’s absolute power was destroyed.
How many chambers the governing bodies should have.
Should the king have a suspensory or absolute veto.
What other powers should the king have.
What title should the king have.
How often should elections be held.
Who should have the right to vote.
What powers should the elected assembly have.

Question 3

What form did the constitution take to ensure the King’s absolute power was destroyed?

Answer 3

In July/ August 1789 a system of representative democracy was decided upon.
An elected governing body acted as the legislative.
The King and Royal ministers made up the executive.
The judiciary was made independent.

Question 4

How many chambers in the governing body were decided upon?

Answer 4

In September 1789, a vote was taken in favour of one chamber.

Question 5

What form of veto was it decided the king should have?

Answer 5

In September 1789, a decision was taken in favour of a suspensory veto

Question 6

What powers would the King have?

Answer 6

He retained the right to select and appoint ministers to form a cabinet.

Question 7

What title would the King hold?

Answer 7

In October 1789, it was decided he was to be called ‘King of the French’.
This intended to show that the King’s power was emanated from the people, not from Divine Right.

Question 8

How would the King be supported?

Answer 8

He retained a private income and was granted a ‘civil list’ of 25 million livres.

Question 9

How often were elections to be held and how would they be organised?

Answer 9

They would be held once every two years.

Elections would occur through an indirect system of electoral colleges.

Question 10

Who would have the rights to vote?

Answer 10

A distinction was made between Active and Passive citizens in December 1789.
Active citizens had the right to vote and passive ones didn’t.

Question 11

What powers would the elected Assembly have?

Answer 11

They would have the powers to make laws, collect taxes, and decided on issues of war.

Question 12

When did Louis XVI accept the new constitution?

Answer 12

September 1791.

Question 13

What administrative reforms were made to the provinces?

Answer 13

In November 1789, a resolution passed abolished the old provinces.
Instead, France would be divided into areas of equal size.
83 départements were created.

Question 14

How would administrative bodies function?

Answer 14

Each département was to have its own elected council of 36.

This would appoint a directorate of 8 who would administer each area.

Question 15

What was significant of about the new administrative system?

Answer 15

New councils had no central government representation in them.
This was called decentralisation.
This prevented any possible return of monarchical absolutism.
Ruling councils were elected by active citizens and therefore accountable to their communities.

Question 16

What problems were there with the administrative reforms?

Answer 16

The income qualifications for voting meant that local government largely fell into the hands of the propertied and educated bourgeosie.
In some communes there were too few literate people to fill the offices.

Question 17

What Judicial reforms were put in place?

Answer 17

A hierarchy of courts were created which followed new administrative divisions.
Justices of the Peace, District courts, Courts in the capital of the département, and the tribunal de cassation.

Question 18

What were JPs?

Answer 18

They would hear minor civil cases.

They would be elected by active citizens

Question 19

What were district courts?

Answer 19

They would deal with more severe civil cases.

Question 20

What would the courts in the capitals of each département deal with?

Answer 20

They would deal with criminal cases.

They would operate with a ‘duel’ 12-citizen jury system.

Question 21

What was the tribunal de cassation?

Answer 21

A single central high court of appeal.

Question 22

What legal rights were established?

Answer 22

Accusations, proceedings and judgements were to be open to the public, the accused were assisted by a lawyer, torture, branding and hanging were abolished, sentences were to be fair and proportionate, equal for all.

Question 23

What financial reforms were introduced?

Answer 23

From December 1789, the Assembly began issuing assignats which were government bonds.
In June 1789, the Assembly ordered a one-off ‘patriotic contribution’.

Question 24

How were assignats used?

Answer 24

The purchaser ‘loaned’ money to the government.
They could exchange them for church lands.
They were soon being used as paper money and the assembly used them to pay off depts.

Question 25

How did assignats have a negative impact?

Answer 25

The excessive printing of the assignats caused inflation.

It put off France’s economic issues rather than solving them.

Question 26

What happened to taxes?

Answer 26

The gabelle was abolished in March 1790.

The aides and municipal tolls were abolished in 1791.

Question 27

What was the ‘patriotic contribution’?

Answer 27

A payment of 25% of income over 2 years, by those whose income exceeded 400 livres a year.
This aimed to allow the reduction in taxation.

Question 28

What was the economic restructuring programme?

Answer 28

It would replace the direct taxes of the taille and vingtième and compensate for the loss on indirect taxation in the later months of 1790.

Question 29

What did the economic restructuring programme set up?

Answer 29

A land tax (contribution foncière), a poll or property tax and a limited tax on commercial activity (patente)

Question 30

How successful was the economic restructuring programme?

Answer 30

It was difficult to assess the new taxes fairly.
So the tax burden varied across the country.
For many, the taxation load was no lighter.
However, the system was fairer and provided a basis for further reform.

Question 31

What social reforms were introduced?

Answer 31

Titles, venality and privilege were abolished in the August Decrees.
However, this did not get rid of individual’s wealth and influence.
The removal of barriers, barring the way to high office, offered new opportunities for social mobility.

Question 32

How did religious and administrative reforms impact societal change?

Answer 32

A reduction in the influence of the church reduced restrictions on individuals.
The new court system also offered fairer justice.

Question 33

How impactful were the societal reforms?

Answer 33

Although workers enjoyed greater freedom of opportunity, but were forbidden from conducting strikes or forming trade unions to protect themselves.

Question 34

Who were the ‘winners’ of revolutionary changes?

Answer 34

The bourgeoisie.
Their interests predominated in the assembly and in the thinking of the new rulers.
The new opportunities provided due to these reforms allowed them to gain land, official positions and political influence.