“The eighteenth century was....

above all in
France, the nursery of the modern world.
Ideas and social forces, the seeds of which
were sown much earlier, can be seen now
pushing above the surface, not in the
neatly arranged rows of the careful
gardener but in the haphazard tangle of
nature.”
Alfred Cobban A History of Modern
France, 1963.
Histori ography a nd the French
Revol utio n
Th er e is di sagr eem ent be twee n h ist orian s co nc ern ing
the rev olut ion ’s:

* Cau ses

* Con seq uen ces

* Na ture
CAU SES
 The post war Marxist orthodoxy emphasised the
French Revolution as inevitable; a result of long term
economic change and the class struggle.

This is no longer accepted by revisionist historians. They

question aristocratic dominance in the ancien regime.
Schama emphasises short term factors in causing the
revolution (how the king dealt with debt) and the impact
of ideas- “citizenship”, “liberty” and “patriotism” on a
section of the aristocracy involved in the American war
of Independence.
CON SEQ UEN CES
 Marxists emphasise change- an abrupt shift
from a feudal to a modern capitalist state.
 Revisionists stress continuity. For example,
Schama argues that capitalism was well
developed in France before the Revolution.
Others state that the break up of church land
into small portions retarded economic
development in post revolutionary France.
NAT URE
 Essentially the conflict is over violence in the
French Revolution, particularly the September
1792 massacres and the Terror 1793-1794.

 Left wing historians usually focus on the

agency of the sansculottes in the Revolution
arguing that violence was justified to avoid
counter revolution.
 For Schama the violence was inexcusable and
anticipated the genocides of the 20th Century.
WHY THE FR ENC H
REVOLUTI ON W AS
IMPOR TANT
 It brought the PEOPLE into the forefront
of politics
 Set the model for later revolutions
 Changed the political map of Europe
forever
Te rminology

 Parlements
 Estates General
 Taille
 Gabelle
 Citizen
 Bourgeoisie
 Sansculottes
En lig htened Be lie fs
These include:

 The rule of law

 Welfare and the general “good”
 Progress
 Efficient administration
 Better education and poor houses
 Toleration (religious)
 Abolition of torture and persecution
 A free press
 The emancipation of serfs
 The aboliton of priviledge
BR IEF CHRON OL OGY OF
THE FRENCH
REVOLUTI ON
 1788-1789 The French State undergoes a
massive revolution in politics but also in society
and the way people think. The calling of the
Estates General in 1789 was the catalyst for
the Revolution.
 1789-1792 Liberal Revolution
 1792-1794 Radicalisation
 1795-1799 Ineffective reaction
 1799-1815 Napoleon
 THE ARISTORCRATIC
THE ARISTOCRATIC REVOLT
REVOLT
August 1786 to June 1789
August 1786 to June 1789

THE BOURGEOIS REVOLT

May to July/August 1789

THE REVOLT OF THE PEOPLE OF PARIS

July 1789

THE PEASANT REVOLUTION

THE GREAT FEAR
20TH July to 6th August 1789
The Ke y R evolts : May 1787 to
August 1 789

 The Aristocratic Revolt (May 1787 to August 1788).

The nobles established a stranglehold on the monarchy and stifled reform. The
bourgeoisie supported the nobles against what they claimed was the despotic
power of the king.
 The Bourgeois Revolt (May to July 1789).

An angry bourgeoisie and 3rd Estate changed from an ally of to the enemy of the
aristocracy. The crucial moment was when the nobles decided that, when the
Estates-General met in 1789, the system of voting adopted would always mean
aristocratic dominance at the expense of the bourgeoisie who would always be
outvoted. The 3rd Estate had turned against the nobility and formed themselves
into a National Assembly.

 Population of Paris Revolt (July/August 1789)


In the 3rd revolution, the population of Paris fought to prevent the
king and nobles from using the army to recover their lost power.

 The Peasant Revolt (July/August 1789).

Finally, the peasant revolution pushed events to a conclusion, with
the attack on landlords and the end of the feudal control, as the
peasants seized land and swept away ancient rights and dues
PRE REV OL UTI ON ARY
CRI SI S – key poin ts
 Short term cause- debt
 Royal Authority
 The Nobility
DEB T
Despite the potential resources of France
•Population
•Trade
•Industrial Production

By 1780s national debt increasing-

•1763 50 million livres
•1786 112 million livres

Debt due to-

•Internal tariffs hindering productive capacity
•Wars
•Inefficient and unfair tax system
•Servicing short term international loans

Dilemma- how to increase revenue without burdening the 3rd Estate

with more taxes?
CA LONNE ’S TAX REFORM
PROP OSA LS OF AUGUST
1786
 A general land tax to be paid by all
 Provincial assemblies with government
intendants to work out the level of tax
 Reduction of the taille
 Abolition of internal customs allowing for a free
trade in corn
 Abolition of the corvee (forced larbour on the
roads done by all commoners- except those
that could pay to avoid it
ROY AL AUTH ORI TY

 Louis XV1 and the royal government

makes genuine attempts to reform
taxation and the law in general.
 The government tries to create/recall
institutions to give consent to these
reforms and thus legitimacy.
 But in doing the above the government is
perceived to be absolutist and despotic.
TH E NOBI LITY
 Even though it is the nobility that obstructs reform, they
successfully present themselves to the nation as the
guardians of French liberties.
 The political lobbying and pamphleteering raised
general issues of “legitimacy” and “consent” in
particular that a national/ representative body was
needed to consent to new laws .
 By the end of 1788 France was not it revolution,
however royal government had collapsed.
 THE ARISTORCRATIC
THE ARISTOCRATIC REVOLT
REVOLT
August 1786 to June 1789
August 1786 to June 1789

THE BOURGEOIS REVOLT

May to July/August 1789

THE REVOLT OF THE PEOPLE OF PARIS

July 1789

THE PEASANT REVOLUTION

THE GREAT FEAR
20TH July to 6th August 1789
The Ke y R evolts : May 1787 to
August 1 789

 The Aristocratic Revolt (May 1787 to August 1788).

The nobles established a stranglehold on the monarchy and stifled reform. The
bourgeoisie supported the nobles against what they claimed was the despotic
power of the king.
 The Bourgeois Revolt (May to July 1789).

An angry bourgeoisie and 3rd Estate changed from an ally of to the enemy of the
aristocracy. The crucial moment was when the nobles decided that, when the
Estates-General met in 1789, the system of voting adopted would always mean
aristocratic dominance at the expense of the bourgeoisie who would always be
outvoted. The 3rd Estate had turned against the nobility and formed themselves
into a National Assembly.

 Population of Paris Revolt (July/August 1789)


In the 3rd revolution, the population of Paris fought to prevent the
king and nobles from using the army to recover their lost power.

 The Peasant Revolt (July/August 1789).

Finally, the peasant revolution pushed events to a conclusion, with
the attack on landlords and the end of the feudal control, as the
peasants seized land and swept away ancient rights and dues
May to June 27 1789
The “Bourgeoi s”
Revo luti on
• France moves from an absolute to a
constitutional monarchy.
Louis accepts that taxes can only be raised with
consent from the Estates. The Estates General
call themselves first the National Assembly and
then the National Constituent Assembly.
* The nobility agree to give up many feudal
priviledges.
Th e Te nnis Co urt Oa th

June 20 th 1 789
WHY THE FR ENC H
REVOLUTI ON W AS
IMPOR TANT
 It brought the PEOPLE into the forefront
of politics
 Set the model for later revolutions
 Changed the political map of Europe
forever
The Popul ar Revol t:
Paris ians and Peasants
Jul y through Augus t 17 89
Key Causes:
• Fear of counter revolution
• Economic crisis and bad harvests
• Politicisation/ conspiracy theories.
Su mma ry
 By July 1789, France has changed from an
absolute to a constitutional monarchy.
The King must have consent to raise taxes.
• The August Decrees (5-11th August) where the
Constituent Assembly (that had emerged from
the Estates-General) abolish feudal privileges
and church tithes.
Effectively this weds the peasants to the
revolution and the Assembly.
Cons tit uti onal Monarchy
to Republ ic: Septembe r
1789 to January 1793
In August 1789 there were very few voices
calling for a republic in France. Doyle
argues with the August Decrees there
was a consensus in France that the
revolution was complete as it had
achieved its core objectives:
*the end of feudal privilege
*constitutional monarchy
Why did t he
Co nstit utional
Mo narchy fa il?
* The king (and royal family’s) inability to accept
his diminished role and the consequences this
has on his relations with the legislature (the
Assembly) and the perception of him by the
people of Paris.
• The activities of the radical Parisian clubs (the
Cordeliers and the Jacobins).
• Dearth
• War with the European powers (from 1792)