FRENCH REVOLUTION OVERVIEW
The French Revolution was a major event in the history of Western societies, and had a profound effect on the world today. Beginning in 1789, the French Revolution saw the French people overthrow their absolute monarchy and bring about a republic that was based on the principles of equality, liberty and fraternity. Before the French Revolution, French society was structured in the relics of feudalism, in a system known as the Estates System. The estate to which a person belonged was very important because it determined that person’s rights and status in society. Usually a person remained in one estate for his or her lifetime, and any movement from upwards in the estate system could take many generations. The first estate was the clergy, the second estate was the nobility and the third estate was the peasants. While the peasants made up the vast majority of the people in French society, over 96%, they lacked any political or economic power.
By 1789, this began to cause anger amongst the peasant class, as many of them began to question the authority of their monarch, Louis XVI. Additionally, several other elements combined to cause the French Revolution to begin. For example, in the decades before the French Revolution, Europe was being transformed by the Age of Enlightenment. The Enlightenment involved an intellectual movement, in which famous thinkers and philosophers challenged some of the basic foundations of society, including: role of the government, basic human nature, sources of authority and ideas centered on liberty. These new ideas cause people in France to begin questioning the role and authority of Louis XVI and inspire French commoners to work to overthrow their absolute monarch.
The revolution itself unfolded as a series of significant events that displayed the growth of the peasant class and the fall of the French monarchy. The first step of the revolution began in 1789 when Louis XVI called the Estates-General of 1789, a meeting of representatives of each of the three estates. Louis XVI called the meeting in order try to solve the economic crisis facing the country at the time. Unfortunately, the three estates could not decide how to vote during the Estates-General and the meeting failed.
Angered with the inaction of the Estates-General and upset with their position in French society, many of the third estate representatives left and met to take the Tennis Court Oath. It was here that the third estate established the National Assembly, the new revolutionary government, and pledged "not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established."
Tennis Court Oath
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Storming of the Bastille
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Next, the French Revolution took a violent turn when the Parisian citizens carried out the storming of the Bastille. The Bastille was a prison fortress in Paris that the French monarchy used to store weapons and imprison enemies of the state. For many the Bastille symbolized the king’s absolute authority. On July 14, 1789 a Paris mob stormed the Bastille and demolished it brick by brick with their hands. Considered by many historians to be the “spark” of the French Revolution, the storming of the Bastille was a significant event because it saw the third estate citizens successfully challenge the authority of Louis XVI.
Then, on August 26th, 1789, the National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Declaration was written by Marquis de Lafeyette, a French military officer who fought in the American Revolution and was inspired by the ideals of liberty expressed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was vitally important to the French Revolution because it directly challenged the authority of Louis XVI. For example, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen set out a series of individual rights protected by law. Today, many historians view the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as an important document in both the history of the French Revolution and the history of democracy and individual rights in the world.
Declaration of the Rights of Man
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Parisian Women March to Versailles
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The next major event of the French Revolution saw a mob a Parisian women march to the Palace of Versailles in order to force the royal family to return to Paris. Louis XVI and his family had left Paris for Versailles earlier on in the revolution. On the 5th of October 1789, the group of working class women were protesting the price of bread and on the 6th of October they marched from Paris to Versailles to confront the king. Upon arriving, the women killed several of the king’s guards and forced the royal family to return to Paris with them. From this point on, Louis XVI and his family were effectively held prisoners by the revolutionaries and citizens of France.
Returned to Paris, Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were held prisoners in the Tuileries Palace, while the revolutionaries transformed the country. The National Assembly had passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which had limited the authority of Louis XVI. Seeing his power dwindle, and fearing the continued growth of the revolutionaries, Louis XVI and his family attempted to flee the country.
Returned to Paris, Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were held prisoners in the Tuileries Palace, while the revolutionaries transformed the country. The National Assembly had passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which had limited the authority of Louis XVI. Seeing his power dwindle, and fearing the continued growth of the revolutionaries, Louis XVI and his family attempted to flee the country.
On the night of June 20th, 1791, Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their children fled the Tuileries Palace to try to make it to Austria, in order to gather support from Marie Antoinette’s country of birth. The family snuck out of the palace in Paris disguised as servants and took a carriage throughout the French countryside towards France’s border with Austria. When the carriage arrived in the small French town of Varennes, it was stopped by a town official and the royal family was recognized. The revolutionaries forced Louis XVI and his family to return to Paris and removed the little remaining authority he still had. Louis XVI was, from that point on, viewed as a traitor to the revolution.
The National Convention took over power from the Legislative Assembly and was much more radical in nature. As such, the National Convention moved quickly to put Louis XVI on trial. Louis XVI was charged with treason due to his attempt to flee the country and was convicted by the National Convention. The famous revolutionary, Maximilien Robespierre, commented that “Louis must die so the nation may live.” Louis’ punishment was death and on, January 21st, 1793, Louis VXI was beheaded by guillotine.
Execution of Louis XVI
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Execution of Marie Antionette
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In the months that followed, the National Convention declared war against several European nations, including: Britain, the Dutch Republic and Spain. As well, the National Convention created the Committee of Public Safety in April of 1793, which was tasked with protecting the new French republic against foreign attack and internal revolts. However, the Committee of Public Safety would be best known for its role in the Reign of Terror.
The Reign of Terror occurred from September of 1793 until July of 1794, and was a time period of extreme violence and paranoia. The more radical revolutionaries, the Jacobins, were concerned that foreign and internal groups would threaten the revolution and used their power to stop any perceived threat. The paranoia would cause the deaths of tens of thousands with most being beheaded by guillotine. It was during this time that the queen, Marie Antoinette was tried and executed.
The Reign of Terror occurred from September of 1793 until July of 1794, and was a time period of extreme violence and paranoia. The more radical revolutionaries, the Jacobins, were concerned that foreign and internal groups would threaten the revolution and used their power to stop any perceived threat. The paranoia would cause the deaths of tens of thousands with most being beheaded by guillotine. It was during this time that the queen, Marie Antoinette was tried and executed.
Marie Antoinette was originally from Austria and married to Louis XVI at a young age. During her time as the queen of France, the people would often blame her specifically for France’s financial woes. This reputation earned her the name “Madame Deficit”. By the time her execution approached in October of 1793, she was imprisoned by the revolutionaries and without her husband as he had been executed earlier that year. She was officially tried with treason on October 12th of 1793 and beheaded by guillotine on the 16th of October.
After the execution of Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution continued down a violent path as the Reign of Terror grew and became even more extreme. It was at this time that Maximilien Robespierre began is own rise to power within the revolution. For many months throughout 1794, Robespierre battles against other revolutionaries in the National Convention in relation to each of their loyalties towards the revolution itself. It is during this time that many prominent revolutionaries within the National Convention are guillotined for their perceived betrayal to the revolution and Robespierre maneuvers his way to the head of the convention. Finally, on June 4th, 1794, Robespierre is elected the president of the National Convention.
After the execution of Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution continued down a violent path as the Reign of Terror grew and became even more extreme. It was at this time that Maximilien Robespierre began is own rise to power within the revolution. For many months throughout 1794, Robespierre battles against other revolutionaries in the National Convention in relation to each of their loyalties towards the revolution itself. It is during this time that many prominent revolutionaries within the National Convention are guillotined for their perceived betrayal to the revolution and Robespierre maneuvers his way to the head of the convention. Finally, on June 4th, 1794, Robespierre is elected the president of the National Convention.
Robespierre
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Robespierre then declared a new religion called the Supreme Being and carried out a series of celebrations based around the new faith. On June 8th, 1794, Robespierre oversaw the Supreme Being Festival in Paris that would be celebrated based on a new calendar. Some members of the National Convention and Committee of Public Safety were visibly upset with the celebration and the actions of Maximilien Robespierre. In fact, Robespierre had begun to make many enemies within the revolution after he claimed to have a list of people that were enemies of the revolution. By threatening to release the names, Robespierre angered others who began to work against him and accuse him of acting like a dictator.
Based on the actions of Robespierre the National Convention voted to arrest him. On July 28th, 1794, soldiers stormed into where Robespierre was staying. As the soldiers arrived, Robespierre attempted to commit suicide by gunshot to the head, but was instead only injured in the jaw, shattering it. For the rest of the day, Robespierre was held captive until he was guillotined without a trial that afternoon. |
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After the execution of Robespierre and the excess of the Reign of Terror, the National Convention was replaced by the Directory in 1795. The Directory was made up of five members called directors who held great power. For the four years that the Directory was in power, Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military general that played a vital role in stopping uprisings in Paris and in foreign battles. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte carried out an overthrow of the Directory. In November of 1799, soldiers loyal to Bonaparte took control over key points in Paris and begin the process of ending the reign of the Directory. By the end of the first day, Bonaparte had complete control over the country and appointed himself First Consul. The French Revolution was over.
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Napoleon Bonaparte
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