Week 15- Political, judicial and administrative reforms; economic and social change Flashcards
What had to be decided before political reforms could be passed?
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.
What issues were there with political reforms?
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.
What form did the constitution take to ensure the King’s absolute power was destroyed?
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.
How many chambers in the governing body were decided upon?
In September 1789, a vote was taken in favour of one chamber.
What form of veto was it decided the king should have?
In September 1789, a decision was taken in favour of a suspensory veto
What powers would the King have?
He retained the right to select and appoint ministers to form a cabinet.
What title would the King hold?
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.
How would the King be supported?
He retained a private income and was granted a ‘civil list’ of 25 million livres.
How often were elections to be held and how would they be organised?
They would be held once every two years.
Elections would occur through an indirect system of electoral colleges.
Who would have the rights to vote?
A distinction was made between Active and Passive citizens in December 1789.
Active citizens had the right to vote and passive ones didn’t.
What powers would the elected Assembly have?
They would have the powers to make laws, collect taxes, and decided on issues of war.
When did Louis XVI accept the new constitution?
September 1791.
What administrative reforms were made to the provinces?
In November 1789, a resolution passed abolished the old provinces.
Instead, France would be divided into areas of equal size.
83 départements were created.
How would administrative bodies function?
Each département was to have its own elected council of 36.
This would appoint a directorate of 8 who would administer each area.
What was significant of about the new administrative system?
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.