Historiography: French Revolution 1. R. R. Palmer  The Age of the Democratic Revolution: A Political History of Europe and America, (1959 & 1964)  Fr. Rev. just one of many Atlantic Revolutions of era.  Age of revs. began in Low Countries (late 16 th c.) 2. Eric Hobsbawm  The Age of Revolution: Europe, (1962)  “dual revolution”  Fr. & Industrial Rev.  Twin events which propelled bourgeoisie into lead class; reshaped social & econ. institutions 3. Simon Schama  Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989)  Focuses on how aristocrats were seeking dramatic change prior to 1789 & played key part in initiation of the rev.  Emphasizes the violence from its early stages

Crane Brinton’s Anatomy of a Revolution Crane Brinton’s Anatomy of a Revolution YAmerican political scientist YWritten in 1938 YCompared a revolution to a disease:  Revolutionary “fever” begins w/ appearance of “symptoms”  Proceeds to a crisis stage – “delirium”  Crisis ends when “fever” breaks  Period of recovery follows w/ a relapse or two before it is complete

Crane Brinton: Stages of a Revolution 1. Fall of the Old Order  Ruler becomes weak  Weakness results in problems (starvation, heavy taxes, etc.)  Anger builds; people see need for change 2. Rule by Moderates  Reform gov’t established; people relax  Original problems persist  Foreign or Civil War results 3. Radicalization of the Revolution  Fear creates divisions among revolutionaries  Radicals take control; push for extreme changes  Violence & repression

Crane Brinton: Stages of Rev. (cont.) 4. Turn from Radical Rule  Threat of war or war itself turns/ends  Violence sickens people; terror ends  Former radicals adopt gradual plan for change 5. Military Rule  People begin to doubt revolutionary ideals  Power vacuum exists; most effective rulers are dead  Military leader grabs power; becomes dictator 6. Restoration  Dictatorship ends; power vacuum reemerges  Old order (one that existed before the rev.) is restored

Europe on the Eve of the French Revolution

Ancien Regime Map, 1789

The French Monarchy: Marie Antoinette & Louis XVI

Commoners 3rd Estate 98% of pop. Nobility 2nd Estate 1.5% of pop. Clergy 1st Estate 0.5% of pop. The Old Regime in France Louis XIV insisted that the ancient distinction of the three orders be conserved in its entirety.

The French Urban Poor

Financial Crisis of 1789 YFrench gov’t went bankrupt ($ 4 billion in debt) due to uncontrolled spending on wars & luxuries YQueen Marie Antoinette (“Madame Deficit”) spent millions each year on gowns, jewels, gambling & gifts. YKing Louis XVI was a weak leader; ignored problem until it was too late

Louis XVI’s Response: RAISE TAXES !!!!

Convening the Estates General May 5, 1789 Last time it was called into session was 1614!

Commoners 3rd Estate Aristocracy 2nd Estate Clergy 1st Estate The Suggested Voting Pattern: Voting by Estates Louis XIV insisted that the ancient distinction of the three orders be conserved in its entirety.

Commoners 3rd Estate Aristocracy 2nd Estate Clergy 1st Estate The Number of Representatives in the Estates General: Vote by Head!

French Social Order: Political Cartoon What message does this cartoon send about the causes of the French Revolution? What message does this cartoon send about the causes of the French Revolution?

Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes 1 st What is the Third Estate? Everything! 2 nd What has it been heretofore in the political order? Nothing! 3 rd What does it demand? To become something therein! Abbé Sieyès

“The Tennis Court Oath” by Jacques Louis David June 20, 1789

Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789 YA rumor that the king was planning a military coup against the National Assembly. YRoyal armory YAttacked by Parisian mob in search of weapons YForce prison governor & royal garrison to surrender

The Great Fear: Peasant Revolt (July 20 – August 4, 1789) YRumors that the feudal aristocracy [the aristos] were sending hired brigands to attack peasants and pillage their land.

The Path of the “Great Fear”

Night Session of August 4, 1789 Y Before the night was over:  The feudal regime in France had been abolished.  All Frenchmen were, at least in principle, subject to the same laws and the same taxes and eligible for the same offices. Equality & Meritocracy! Equality & Meritocracy!

National Constituent Assembly August Decrees August 4-11, 1789 (A renunciation of aristocratic privileges!) Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité!

The Tricolor (1789) The WHITE of the Bourbons + the RED & BLUE of Paris. Citizen! Citizen!

The Tricolor is the Fashion! Bonne Rouge: “Liberty Cap” Revolutionary Playing Cards

Revolutionary Symbols Cockade Revolutionary Clock La Republic Liberté

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen August 26, 1789 VLiberty! VProperty! VResistance to oppression! VThomas Jefferson was in Paris at this time.

Olympe de Gouges ( ) Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen (1791) VWomen played a vital role in the Revolution. VBut, The Declaration of the Rights of Man did NOT extend the rights and protections of citizenship to women.

Women’s March on Versailles, October 5-6, 1789 We want the baker, the baker’s wife and the baker’s boy! A spontaneous demonstration of Parisian women for bread.

The “October Days” (1789) The king was thought to be surrounded by evil advisors at Versailles so he was forced to move to Paris and reside at the Tuileries Palace.

The French Constitution of 1791: A Bourgeois Government VEstablished a Constitutional Monarchy  King is just head of state VPermanent, elected, single chamber National Assembly  Elected by Active Citizens (50% of male pop.)  Power over taxation  Reorganized France into 83 depts.  Standardized weights & measures  Banned guilds, workers’ organizations & monopolies VA newly elected LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. GOAL  Make sure that the country was not turned over to the mob!

Louis XVI “Accepts” the Constitution & the National Assembly. 1791

How to Finance the New Govt.? 1. Confiscate Church Lands (1790) One of the most controversial decisions of the entire revolutionary period.

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy The Civil Constitution of the Clergy July 12, 1790 Jurying vs. Non-Jurying [refractory] Clergy The oath of allegiance permanently divided the Catholic population!

2. Print Assignats V Issued by the National Constituent Assembly. V Interest-bearing notes which had the church lands as security.

The Royal Family Attempts to Flee Y June, 1791 Y Helped by the Swedish Count Hans Axel von Fusen [Marie Antoinette’s lover]. Y Headed toward the Luxembourg border. Y The King was recognized at Varennes, near the border

Opposition from Abroad VOther kings & nobles from other countries tried to intervene to protect the French monarchs VDeclaration of Pillnitz (August 27, 1791) Austria & Prussia join forces and threaten to invade France Austria & Prussia join forces and threaten to invade France Invited other monarchs to join them Invited other monarchs to join them VLegislative Assembly declares war on Austria (April 20, 1792) “War of People vs. Kings!” “War of People vs. Kings!”

French Soldiers & the Tricolor: Vive Le Patrie! VThe French armies were ill-prepared for the conflict. V½ of the officer corps had emigrated. VMany men disserted. VNew recruits were enthusiastic, but ill-trained. VFrench troops often broke ranks and fled in disorder.

Attitudes & actions of monarchy & court Fear of Counter- Revolution Religious divisions Political divisions War w/ Austria (later the 1 st Coalition) Economic Crises The Causes of Instability in France

The “Second” French Revolution  The National Convention:  Girondist Rule:  Jacobin Rule: [“Reign of Terror”]  Thermidorian Reaction:  The Directory 

The Jacobins Jacobin Meeting House  They held their meetings in the library of a former Jacobin monastery in Paris.  Membership mostly middle class.  Created a vast network of clubs

The Sans-Culottes: The Parisian Working Class  Small shopkeepers.  Tradesmen.  Artisans. Fighting for economic revolution, making demands that would benefit the urban poor!

The Storming of the Tuilieres: August 9-10, 1792 This was triggered in part by the publication in Paris of the August 3 Brunswick Manifesto, which confirmed popular suspicions concerning the king’s treason.

The September Massacres, 1792 (The dark side of the Revolution!)  Rumors that the anti-revolutionary political prisoners were plotting to break out & attack the French army from the rear, while the Prussians attacked from the front.  Buveurs de sang [“drinkers of blood.”]  over 1000 killed!  It discredited the Revolution among its remaining sympathizers abroad.

The National Convention (September, 1792)  Its first act was the formal abolition of the monarchy on September 22,  The Year I of the French Republic.  Members elected by universal manhood suffrage  The Decree of Fraternity  it offered French assistance to any subject peoples who wished to overthrow their governments. When France sneezes, all of Europe catches cold!

The Politics of the National Convention ( ) Montagnards Girondists  Power base in Paris.  Main support from the sans-culottes.  Saw Paris as the center of the Revolution.  Would adopt extreme measures to achieve their goals.  More centralized [in Paris] approach to government.  Power base in the provinces.  Feared the influence of the sans-culottes.  Feared the dominance of Paris in national politics.  Supported more national government centralization [federalism].

Louis XVI’s Head (January 21, 1793)  National Convention voted 387 to 334 to execute the monarch  “I die innocent of all the crimes laid to my charge; I Pardon those who have occasioned my death; and I pray to God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France.”

Marie Antoinette Died in October, 1793

War of Resistance to the Revolution: The Vendee Revolt, 1793 Vendee Symbol: For God & the King!

Response to Crises: The Committee of Public Safety ( )  Created by the National Convention to defend France from foreign & domestic threats:  Met the demands of the sans-culottes  Pursued a radical, socialist economic & military program  Est. max prices of key products (esp. bread)  Rationed bread & regulated its production  Nationalized small workshops (war production)  Requisitioned materials & grain

Leaders of the Committee of Public Safety Maximilian Robespierre ( ) Georges Danton ( ) Jean-Paul Marat ( )

The Reign of Terror Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible. Let terror be the order of the day! - Robespierre  Goal  crush opposition at home  Revolutionary courts arrested & tried 300,000 “enemies” w/o due process.  The Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris alone executed 2, 639 victims in 15 months.  The total number of victims was b/t 16,000-50,000

Different Social Classes Executed 28% 31% 25% 8% 7%

“The Death of Marat” by Jacques Louis David, 1793

Religious Terror: De-Christianization ( )  The Catholic Church was linked with real or potential counter-revolution.  Religion was associated with the Ancien Régime and superstitious practices.  Very popular among the sans-culottes.  Therefore, religion had no place in a rational, secular republic!

The New Republican Calendar Vendemaire(Vintage) 22 September-21 October Brumaire(Fog) 22 October-20 November Frimaire(Frost) 21 November-20 December Nivose(Snow) 21 December-19 January Pluviose(Rain) 20 January-18 February Ventose(Wind) 19 February-20 March Germinal(Budding)21 March-19 April Floreal(Flowers)20 April-19 May Prairial(Meadows)20 May-18 June Messidor(Harvest)19 June-18 July Thermidor(Heat)19 July-17 August Fructidor(Fruit) 18 August-21 September New NameMeaningTime Period VendemaireVintageSeptember 22 – October 21 BrumaireFogOctober 22 – November 20 FrimaireFrostNovember 21 – December 20 NivoseSnowDecember 21 – January 19 PluvioseRainJanuary 20 – February 18 VentoseWindFebruary 19 – March 20 GerminalBuddingMarch 21 – April 19 FlorealFlowersApril 20 – May 19 PrairialMeadowMay 20 – June 18 MessidorHarvestJune 19 – July 18 ThermidorHeatJuly 19 – August 17 FructidorFruitAugust 18 – September 21

A New Republican Calendar Year Vendemaire(Vintage) 22 September-21 October Brumaire(Fog) 22 October-20 November Frimaire(Frost) 21 November-20 December Nivose(Snow) 21 December-19 January Pluviose(Rain) 20 January-18 February Ventose(Wind) 19 February-20 March Germinal(Budding)21 March-19 April Floreal(Flowers)20 April-19 May Prairial(Meadows)20 May-18 June Messidor(Harvest)19 June-18 July Thermidor(Heat)19 July-17 August Fructidor(Fruit) 18 August-21 September I1792 – 1793 II1793 – 1794 III1794 – 1795 IV1795 – 1796 V1796 – 1797 VI1797 – 1798 VII1798 – 1799 VIII1799 – 1800 IX1800 – 1801 X1801 – 1802 XI1802 – 1803 XII1803 – 1804 XIII1804 – 1805 XIV1805 The Gregorian System returned in 1806.

The “Temple of Reason” Vendemaire(Vintage) 22 September-21 October Brumaire(Fog) 22 October-20 November Frimaire(Frost) 21 November-20 December Nivose(Snow) 21 December-19 January Pluviose(Rain) 20 January-18 February Ventose(Wind) 19 February-20 March Germinal(Budding)21 March-19 April Floreal(Flowers)20 April-19 May Prairial(Meadows)20 May-18 June Messidor(Harvest)19 June-18 July Thermidor(Heat)19 July-17 August Fructidor(Fruit) 18 August-21 September Come, holy Liberty, inhabit this temple, Become the goddess of the French people.

The Festival of Supreme Being Vendemaire(Vintage) 22 September-21 October Brumaire(Fog) 22 October-20 November Frimaire(Frost) 21 November-20 December Nivose(Snow) 21 December-19 January Pluviose(Rain) 20 January-18 February Ventose(Wind) 19 February-20 March Germinal(Budding)21 March-19 April Floreal(Flowers)20 April-19 May Prairial(Meadows)20 May-18 June Messidor(Harvest)19 June-18 July Thermidor(Heat)19 July-17 August Fructidor(Fruit) 18 August-21 September A new secular holiday

The Levee en Masse: An Entire Nation at Arms! – 1,000,000 Soldiers An army based on merit, not birth!

The “Cultural Revolution”Brought About by the Convention  It was premised upon Enlightenment principles of rationality.  The metric system of weights and measures  The abolition of slavery within France in 1791 and throughout the French colonies in  The Convention legalized divorce and enacted shared inheritance laws [even for illegitimate offspring] in an attempt to eradicate inequalities.

The Revolution Consumes Its Own Children! Danton Awaits Execution, April 1794 Robespierre Lies Wounded Before the Revolutionary Tribunal that will order him to be guillotined, July 28,1794.

Terror ended; Jacobin clubs closed in Paris Churches reopened; freedom of worship for all cults Laissez- faire economic policies adopted New Constitution written; more conservative republicanism Self- indulgence  frivolus culture; salons return; wild fashions Poor suffer; rise in prices & shortages of goods Thermidorian Reaction ( )

The Government Structure of the New Directory  5-man executive committee or oligarchy [to avoid a dictatorship].  Tried to avoid the dangers of a one-house legislature.  Council of 500  initiates legislation.  Council of Elders [250 members]  married or widowed males over 40 years of age accepted or rejected the legislation.  Both houses elected by electors who owned or rented property worth days’ labor, were males over 21, & paid taxes [limited to 30,000 voters].  Goal  continue wars against France’s enemies  Weak gov’t relied on military to maintain power & put down uprisings

French Expansion:

18 Brumaire Year VIII (Nov. 9, 1799)  Coup d’état by Napoleon.  Approved by a plebiscite in December.  Abbe Sieyès: Confidence from below; authority from above.

A British Cartoon about Napoleon’s Coup in 1799

Another British Cartoon about Napoleon’s Coup in 1799