1. The Failure of the National Assembly The French Revolution

2. National Assembly  The National Assembly had replaced the flawed Estates-General.  Although the Assembly was in charge it still looked to the king for his approval of its actions.  Louis was no longer the central authority but still had limited power over the government in France.

3. National Assembly Reforms  The National Assembly was working to reform the government of France.  Having established itself as the government authority in France, it started implementing reforms such as: It created a written constitution and renewed the French legal system. It reorganized France into units called departments. It sold Church estates (freed land for more productive uses) Set up the Civil Constitution of the Clergy stating that bishops and priests were to be elected.

4. The Revolution continues…  As time wore on it became apparent that the National Assembly and limited monarchy were not going to be the final phase of revolution in France.  The Legislative Assembly that created the Constitution of France met for less than a year and during this time there were bitter arguments amongst the people in the group.

5. Reactions  The workers of France felt that the revolution had not gone far enough and the bourgeoisie (middle class) and nobles felt that things had gone entirely too far.  The bourgeoisie and the workers were very far apart on their ideas of what changes were necessary for France.

6. Third Estate Undecided  The majority of the Third Estate had no idea what it wanted.  Primarily the Third Estate was unable to decide whether to support the limited monarchy like that in England or to have the revolution go even further like in the United States.

7. Indecision  This indecision made the National Assembly vulnerable to a few strong-willed people who knew exactly what they wanted. These people were given their opening in the Legislative Assembly when new members were needed.  Two groups: Jacobins and Girondins

8. Jacobins  The workers were supported by the Jacobin Clubs, which were made up primarily of radical Parisian labourers.  They felt that the revolution had been sold out by French nobles now living in other countries out of reach.  The Jacobins were led by a man named Maximilien Rosbespierre, a radical thinker who believed in the good of the community over the good of the individual.

9. Girondins  Another group emerged in the National Assembly was the Girondins.  The Girondins were a more moderate group that did not want to extend political rights to the working class.  Mostly from the middle class (Bourgeoisie)

10. Reaction in Europe  At first, the other countries in Europe had little concern for the revolution in France.  They saw it as a way to weaken France and it was primarily domestic in its reforms.  However, as time went on, many European countries became concerned that the revolution was out of control.  They feared that radical thinking might spread to their own countries and they took steps to stifle it.  Both Prussia and Austria threatened retaliation if the French royal family were harmed in any way.

11. Back in France  These threats angered radicals in the National Assembly who pushed for France to declare war.  Louis XVI had hoped for foreign intervention to allow him to be the mediator between the invaders and the National Assembly. In this way, he might regain some of his powers over the government in France.  In-fighting in the National Assembly resulted over the issue and finally war was declared.  From 1792 until Napoleon’s defeat in 1815, France would be at war with numerous countries fiercely protecting its territory while aggressively looking to claim territory from others.

12. Wars and the Royal Family  The wars did have a side-effect on the royal family as well.  France was at war with Austria whose monarch was Marie Antoinette’s brother.  The people of France began to look on the royals with suspicion and their popularity plummeted.  This lack of popularity would be a contributing factor in Louis’ ultimate demise during the Reign of Terror.

13. Royal Family Attempts to Escape  Also Louis and his family tried to escape France but were caught and returned to Paris.  After an armed attack on the Tuileries Palace in Paris the royal family was taken into custody resulting in no clear political authority in charge for almost a month.

14. The Convention  Eventually, authority was claimed by the Jacobins with Robespierre in the lead.  The National Assembly was promptly dissolved and a new Convention was formed.  In the early stages of the Revolution, the main desire was to end social privileges and was, for the most part, carried out with respect as the National Assembly worked to bring about social reform.  As time wore on, however, the legalistic manner broke down and more radical approaches forced those who disagreed into submission.

15. Revolution in the Countryside  Many nobles were nervous about the current situation in France and began to emigrate to safer countries.  The clergy recognized that their rights and lands were at risk and most of the population was very concerned about the amount of violence.  However, peasants in the countryside were eager to remove any signs of the oppressive feudal system but were generally resistant to the revolution.

16. Peasant reactions  In particular, peasants did not like the religious reforms implemented by the National Assembly.  These laws: denied the authority of the Pope over the French Catholic Church closed monasteries and convents confiscated Church lands  Peasant dissatisfaction with the revolution would cause two instances of civil war in France (the west in 1793 and the southeast in 1799)  The Changes to the Church and the stripping of the papacy’s authority in France would cause much conflict in the years to come