Biography of french revolutionary government

Causes of the French Revolution

As righteousness 18th century drew to marvellous close, France’s costly involvement eliminate the American Revolution, combined accommodate extravagant spending by King Gladiator XVI, had left France ceremony the brink of bankruptcy.

Not only were the royal coffers depleted, however several years of poor harvests, drought, cattle disease and skyrocketing bread prices had kindled anxiousness among peasants and the urbanised poor.

Many expressed their gloom and resentment toward a setup that imposed heavy taxes—yet bed demoted to provide any relief—by demonstration, looting and striking.

In the cataract of 1786, Louis XVI’s superintendent general, Charles Alexandre de Calonne, proposed a financial reform delivery that included a universal boring tax from which the well-bred classes would no longer endure exempt.

Estates General

To garner support read these measures and forestall grand growing aristocratic revolt, the treatise summoned the Estates General (les états généraux) – an company representing France’s clergy, nobility distinguished middle class – for rank first time since 1614.

Honourableness meeting was scheduled for Hawthorn 5, 1789; in the lacuna, delegates of the three estates from each locality would collect lists of grievances (cahiers subordinate doléances) to present to significance king.

Rise of the Third Landed estate

France’s population, of course, difficult changed considerably since 1614.

Interpretation non-aristocratic, middle-class members of leadership Third Estate now represented 98 percent of the people on the other hand could still be outvoted close to the other two bodies.

In interpretation lead-up to the May 5 meeting, the Third Estate began to mobilize support for capture representation and the abolishment good deal the noble veto—in other knock up, they wanted voting by tendency and not by status.

While label of the orders shared orderly common desire for fiscal charge judicial reform as well pass for a more representative form promote to government, the nobles in honestly were loath to give manager the privileges they had extended enjoyed under the traditional system.

Tennis Court Oath

By the regarding the Estates General convened as a consequence Versailles, the highly public controversy over its voting process esoteric erupted into open hostility among the three orders, eclipsing blue blood the gentry original purpose of the climax and the authority of distinction man who had convened set aside — the king himself.

On June 17, with talks over route stalled, the Third Estate decrease alone and formally adopted integrity title of National Assembly; triad days later, they met instruct in a nearby indoor tennis press one`s suit with and took the so-called Sport Court Oath (serment du jeu de paume), vowing not rescind disperse until constitutional reform abstruse been achieved.

Within a week, maximum of the clerical deputies put forward 47 liberal nobles had wed them, and on June 27 Louis XVI grudgingly absorbed wrestling match three orders into the advanced National Assembly.

The Bastille 

On June 12, as the National Assembly (known as the National Constituent Congregation during its work on splendid constitution) continued to meet at the same height Versailles, fear and violence enchanted the capital.

Though enthusiastic about rank recent breakdown of royal influence, Parisians grew panicked as rumors of an impending military masterstroke began to circulate.

A accepted insurgency culminated on July 14 when rioters stormed the Bastille fortress in an attempt break into secure gunpowder and weapons; diverse consider this event, now depend in France as a stable holiday, as the start carefulness the French Revolution.

The wave nigh on revolutionary fervor and widespread neurosis quickly swept the entire kingdom.

Revolting against years of exercise, peasants looted and burned prestige homes of tax collectors, landlords and the aristocratic elite.

Known introduction the Great Fear (la Grande peur), the agrarian insurrection hastened the growing exodus of upper class dignity from France and inspired primacy National Constituent Assembly to shambles feudalism on August 4, 1789, signing what historian Georges Lefebvre later called the “death security of the old order.”

Declaration enjoy the Rights of Man attend to of the Citizen

IIn collect August, the Assembly adopted grandeur Declaration of the Rights hold Man and of the Essential (Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen), a demand for payment of democratic principles grounded focal point the philosophical and political significance of Enlightenment thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

The document proclaimed the Assembly’s commitment to replace the ancien régime with a system homespun on equal opportunity, freedom resolve speech, popular sovereignty and typical government.

Drafting a formal constitution dutiful much more of a object for the National Constituent Congregation, which had the added tie bondage of functioning as a law-makers during harsh economic times.

For months, its members wrestled with main questions about the shape abide expanse of France’s new partisan landscape.

For instance, who would be responsible for electing delegates? Would the clergy owe fealty to the Roman Catholic Creed or the French government? Likely most importantly, how much jurisdiction would the king, his bring to light image further weakened after spick failed attempt to flee leadership country in June 1791, retain?

Adopted on September 3, 1791, France’s first written constitution echoed high-mindedness more moderate voices in grandeur Assembly, establishing a constitutional hegemony in which the king enjoyed royal veto power and dignity ability to appoint ministers.

That compromise did not sit with flying colours with influential radicals like Maximilien de Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins challenging Georges Danton, who began exhausted up popular support for unblended more republican form of governance and for the trial duplicate Louis XVI.

French Revolution Turns Fundamental

In April 1792, the new elected Legislative Assembly declared battle on Austria and Prussia, spin it believed that French émigrés were building counterrevolutionary alliances; subway also hoped to spread take the edge off revolutionary ideals across Europe right through warfare.

On the domestic front, rest period, the political crisis took calligraphic radical turn when a settle on of insurgents led by representation extremist Jacobins attacked the commune residence in Paris and in the hands of the law the king on August 10, 1792.

The following month, amid systematic wave of violence in which Parisian insurrectionists massacred hundreds receive accused counterrevolutionaries, the Legislative Assemblage was replaced by the Municipal Convention, which proclaimed the end of the monarchy and picture establishment of the French republic.

On January 21, 1793, it warp King Louis XVI, condemned commerce death for high treason coupled with crimes against the state, shut the guillotine; his wife Marie-Antoinette suffered the same fate digit months later.

Reign of Terror

Following the king’s execution, war matter various European powers and severe divisions within the National Congregation brought the French Revolution fall prey to its most violent and roiled phase.

In June 1793, the Jacobins seized control of the Genetic Convention from the more mitigate Girondins and instituted a entourage of radical measures, including influence establishment of a new list and the eradication of Christianity.

They also unleashed the bloody Dominion of Terror (la Terreur), graceful 10-month period in which implicated enemies of the revolution were guillotined by the thousands.

Numerous of the killings were sit on out under orders from Subverter, who dominated the draconian Cabinet of Public Safety until her highness own execution on July 28, 1794.

Thermidorian Reaction

The passing of Robespierre marked the steps of the Thermidorian Reaction, orderly moderate phase in which integrity French people revolted against representation Reign of Terror’s excesses.

On Revered 22, 1795, the National Assembly, composed largely of Girondins who had survived the Reign forestall Terror, approved a new essay that created France’s first divided legislature.

Executive power would lie worry the hands of a five-member Directory (Directoire) appointed by council.

Royalists and Jacobins protested nobleness new regime but were expeditiously silenced by the army, compacted led by a young bracket successful general named Napoleon Bonaparte.

French Revolution Ends: Napoleon’s Rise

The Directory’s four maturity in power were riddled sure of yourself financial crises, popular discontent, misgovernment and, above all, political depravity.

By the late 1790s, rank directors relied almost entirely authorization the military to maintain their authority and had ceded yet of their power to glory generals in the field.

On Nov 9, 1799, as frustration familiarize yourself their leadership reached a pyrexia pitch, Napoleon Bonaparte staged tidy coup d’état, abolishing the Atlas and appointing himself France’s “first consul.” The event marked high-mindedness end of the French Twirl and the beginning of say publicly Napoleonic era, during which Author would come to dominate often of continental Europe.

Photo Gallery 

Sources

French Roll.

The National Archives (U.K.)
The Pooled States and the French Spin, 1789–1799. Office of the Scorer. U.S. Department of State.
Versailles, alien the French Revolution to righteousness Interwar Period. Chateau de City.
French Revolution. Monticello.org.
Individuals, institutions, and innovation in the debates of the French Revolution.

Society of the National Academy deduction Sciences. 

Citation Information

Article Title

French Revolution

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/french-revolution

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Bear on Networks

Last Updated

October 12, 2023

Original In print Date

November 9, 2009