HISTORY CHAPTER 1 – (THE FRENCH REVOLUTION)

NOTES
TOPICS:
 OVERVIEW / INTRODUCTION
 FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY
o THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE
o HOW A SUBSISTENCE CRISIS HAPPENS?
o A GROWING CLASS ENVISAGES AN END TO PRIVILEGES
 OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
o FRANCE BECOMES A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY
 FRANCE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A
REPUBLIC
o THE REIGN OF TERROR
o A DIRECTORY RULES FRANCE
 DID WOMEN HAVE A REVOLUTION?
 THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
 THE REVOLUTION AND EVERYDAY LIFE
 CONCLUSION
 EACH AND EVERY IMPORTANT DATE FROM THE CHAPTER

 OVERVIEW / INTRODUCTION:
 On July 14, 1789, the city of Paris was in a state of alarm due to rumours
that the king would order the army to open fire on citizens
 7,000 men and women formed a peoples’ militia and broke into
government buildings in search of arms
 A group of people stormed the fortress-prison, the Bastille, to find
hoarded ammunition, and in the fight that followed, the commander was
killed and prisoners were released
 The fortress was demolished and its stone fragments were sold as
souvenirs
 The events ultimately led to the execution of the king in France, although
this outcome was not anticipated at the time
 FRENCH SOCIETY DURING THE LATE EIGHTEENTH
CENTURY:
 1774: Louis XVI becomes king of France at 20 years old
 Married to Austrian princess Marie Antoinette
 France's treasury was empty upon Louis XVI's accession
 War and maintaining an extravagant court at Versailles drained France's
finances
 France helped the American colonies gain independence from Britain
 War added over a billion livres to France's debt
 Lenders began charging 10% interest on loans to the French government
 French government spent increasing percentage of budget on interest
payments
 Taxes were increased to meet regular expenses
 French society was divided into three estates, with only the third estate
paying taxes
 Peasants made up 90% of the population but only a small number owned
the land
 Nobles, the Church, and richer members of the third estate owned 60% of
the land
 First two estates, clergy, and nobility, enjoyed privileges including
exemption from taxes
 Peasants were obligated to provide services and pay taxes to the Church
and state
 The burden of financing state activities t hrough taxes was borne by the third
estate

o THE STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE:

 France's population increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in
1789
 The demand for foodgrains rose rapidly due to the population increase
 Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand, leading to a
rapid rise in the price of bread
 Most workers were employed in workshops where their wages did not
keep up with the rising prices
  Subsistence crises occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime,
especially when natural disasters reduced the harvest
o HOW A SUBSISTENCE CRISIS HAPPENS:

SCARC- - RISING THE POOREST

BAD
TY FOR FOOD CAN NO
HARVEST
GRAINS PRICES LONGER BUY
BREAD

DISEASE
EPISDEMICS

INCREASED FOOD WEAKER

NUMBER OF RIOTS BODIES
DEATHS

o A GROWING MIDDLE CLASS ENVISAGES AN END TO

PRIVILEGES:
 Peasants and workers revolted against increasing taxes and food scarcity
 Lack of means and programmes prevented them from bringing about
significant change
 The prosperous groups within the third estate, including the middle class,
had access to education and new ideas
 The middle class earned wealth through overseas trade and
manufacturing
 The third estate included professions such as lawyers and administrative
officials
 They believed in a society based on freedom, equal laws, and
opportunities for all
  Philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu
proposed ideas for government based on merit and social contract
 The American constitution and its guarantee of individual rights
influenced political thinkers in France
 The ideas of these philosophers were spread through salons, coffee-
houses, books, and newspapers
 Louis XVI's plan to impose further taxes generated anger and protest the
system of privileges

 THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION:

 Louis XVI had to increase taxes due to financial reasons
 Monarch in France of the Old Regime could not impose taxes at will
 The Estates General had to pass proposals for new taxes
 The Estates General was a political body with representatives from the
three estates
 The monarch alone could decide when to call a meeting of the Estates
General
 The last meeting of the Estates General was in 1614
 On May 5, 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates
General
 The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, while the third
estate had 600 members
 The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated
members
 Peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry to the assembly
 Grievances and demands of the third estate were listed in 40,000 letters
brought by the representatives
 Voting in the Estates General had been conducted with each estate having
one vote
 Members of the third estate demanded voting be conducted by the
assembly as a whole
 The king rejected this proposal, leading to the third estate walking out in
protest
 The third estate declared themselves a National Assembly on June 20
  They swore not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution to limit the
monarch's powers
 The National Assembly was led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès
 Mirabeau came from a noble family but advocated for the end of feudal
privilege
 Mirabeau delivered powerful speeches at Versailles
 The events led to the French Revolution.
 Abbé Sieyès wrote ‘What is the Third Estate’ pamphlet
 National Assembly drafting constitution at Versailles
 France in turmoil due to bad harvest and rising bread prices
 Angry women stormed into shops due to bread scarcity
 King ordered troops to move into Paris
 Bastille stormed and destroyed by agitated crowd on 14 July
 Peasants attacked chateaux in fear of brigands destroying crops
 Louis XVI recognized National Assembly and accepted constitution
principle
 Feudal system abolished by Assembly decree on 4 August 1789
 Government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres

o FRANCE BECOMES A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCH:

 The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791 to
limit the powers of the monarch
 France became a constitutional monarchy with powers separated and
assigned to different institutions
 The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National
Assembly, which was indirectly elected
 Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days
of a labourer’s wage were given the status of active citizens
 The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen, establishing natural and inalienable rights for each human being

 FRACE ABOLISHES MONARCHY AND BECOMES A

REPUBLIC:
 France was tense after Louis XVI signed the Constitution
 Louis XVI entered secret negotiations with the King of Prussia
 Neighbouring countries were worried about France's developments
 Plans were made to send troops to put down the events in France
 The National Assembly declared war against Prussia and Austria in 1792
 Thousands of volunteers joined the army, seeing it as a war of the people
against kings and aristocracies
 The Marseillaise, composed by Roget de L'lsle, became the national
anthem of France
 Revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties
 Women had to cope with earning a living and looking after families while
men were away fighting
 Large sections of the population wanted the revolution to be carried
further
 Political clubs, like the Jacobins, became important rallying points
 Jacobins included small shopkeepers, artisans, servants, and daily-wage
workers
 Maximilian Robespierre led the Jacobin club
 The Jacobins wore long striped trousers to set themselves apart from the
fashionable sections of society
 The Jacobins came to be known as the sans-culottes, meaning 'those
without knee breeches'
 Sans-culottes men wore the red cap symbolizing liberty
 Women were not allowed to wear the red cap
 Women formed their own clubs and were active throughout the period
 The Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections
of society
 Section 4 of the chapter provides more information about women's
activities and demands
 Summer of 1792: Jacobins planned insurrection in Paris over food
shortages
 August 10, 1792: Parisians stormed Palace of the Tuileries, killed king's
guards, held king hostage
 Royal family imprisoned, elections held, all men 21 and older gained right
to vote
 Newly elected assembly called the Convention
 September 21, 1792: Convention abolished monarchy, declared France a
republic
  Republic: people elect government, no hereditary monarchy
 Louis XVI sentenced to death for treason, executed publicly on January
21, 1793
 Queen Marie Antoinette met same fate shortly after
 Republic: form of government without hereditary monarchy
 Encouragement to investigate other countries that became republics

o THE REGIN OF TERROR:

 Reign of Terror from 1793 to 1794

 Robespierre enforced severe control and punishment
 Arrested and imprisoned "enemies" of the republic
 Revolutionary tribunal tried and guillotined those found guilty
 Guillotine invented by Dr Guillotin
 Government issued laws on wages and prices
 Meat and bread rationed; peasants forced to sell grain at fixed prices
 Use of white flour forbidden; citizens required to eat equality bread
 Forms of speech and address changed to Citoyen and Citoyenne
 Churches shut down and converted into barracks or offices
 Robespierre's supporters began demanding moderation
 Robespierre was convicted, arrested, and sent to the guillotine in July
1794
o A DIRECTORY RULES FRACE:

 Fall of Jacobin government led to wealthier middle classes seizing power

 New constitution denied vote to non-propertied sections of society
 Two elected legislative councils appointed a Directory of five members
 Directors clashed with legislative councils, leading to political instability
 Rise of military dictator Napoleon Bonaparte due to Directory's
instability

 DID WOMEN HAVE A REVOLUTION:

 Women were active participants in events in French society
 They hoped their involvement would lead to improvements in their lives
 Most women of the third estate had to work for a living
 They had limited access to education and job training
  Working women had to care for their families and their wages were lower
than men's
 Women started their own political clubs and newspapers
 The Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women was the most
famous women's club
 Women demanded the same political rights as men
 The Constitution of 1791 reduced women to passive citizens
 The revolutionary government introduced laws to improve women's lives
 Schooling was made compulsory for all girls
 Women could no longer be forced into marriage against their will
 Divorce was made legal and could be applied for by both men and women
 Women could now train for jobs, become artists, or run small businesses
 During the Reign of Terror, women's clubs were closed and their political
activities were banned
 Many prominent women were arrested and executed
 Women's movements for voting rights and equal wages continued for two
hundred years
 The fight for the vote was carried out through an international suffrage
movement
 French women won the right to vote in 1946
 The example of French women's political activities during the
revolutionary years inspired women's movements around the world
 THR ABOLITION OF SLAVERY:
 Jacobin regime abolished slavery in French colonies
 Caribbean colonies supplied tobacco, indigo, sugar, and coffee
 Europeans reluctant to work in distant lands led to labour shortage
 Triangular slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas
 French merchants bought slaves from African chieftains
 Slaves were branded, shackled, and packed into ships for the Atlantic
voyage
 Exploitation of slave labour met the demand for European markets
 Bordeaux and Nantes prospered from the slave trade
 Little criticism of slavery in France in the 18th century
 National Assembly debated extending rights of man to all French subjects
  Convention legislated to free all slaves in French overseas possessions in
1794
 Napoleon reintroduced slavery ten years later
 Plantation owners saw their freedom as including the right to enslave
Africans
 Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848
 French colonies included Martinique, Guadeloupe, and San Domingo
 French merchants sailed from Bordeaux and Nantes for the slave trade
 Slave trade began in the 17th century
 The Atlantic voyage from Africa to the Caribbean took three months
 The exploitation of slave labour met the growing demand for goods in
European markets
 Economic prosperity of port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes depended on
the flourishing slave trade

 THE REVOLUTION AND EVERYDAY LIFE:

 Politics in France after 1789 resulted in changes in clothing, language, and
reading material
 Revolutionary governments passed laws to translate liberty and equality
into everyday practice
 The abolition of censorship was an important law that came into effect
after the storming of the Bastille
 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed freedom of
speech and expression as a natural right
 Newspapers, pamphlets, books, and printed pictures flooded the towns of
France and spread into the countryside
 Freedom of the press allowed for opposing views to be expressed and for
convincing others of different positions
 Plays, songs, and festive processions were used to grasp and identify with
ideas such as liberty and justice
 Political philosophers wrote about these ideas in texts that only a handful
of educated people could read
 The changes brought about by the revolutionary governments affected the
lives of men, women, and children
  The changes were aimed at translating the ideals of liberty and equality
into everyday life
 CONCLUSION:
 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804
 He sought to conquer neighbouring European countries and create
kingdoms with his family members as rulers
 Napoleon aimed to modernize Europe and introduced laws for the
protection of private property and a uniform system of weights and
measures
 Initially, he was seen as a liberator but later his armies were viewed as
invading forces
 He was defeated at Waterloo in 1815
 The legacy of the French Revolution included the spread of ideas of
liberty and democratic rights throughout Europe
 Feudal systems were abolished in Europe during the 19th century because
of these ideas
 Colonized peoples used the idea of freedom from bondage to create
movements for sovereign nation states
 Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy were individuals who responded to the
ideas from revolutionary France
 Many of Napoleon's measures had a lasting impact on Europe even after
his defeat
 EACH AND EVERY IMPORTANT DATE FROM THE CHAPTER:
o 14th July 1789: the king of Paris ordered the troops to move into the city.
o 1774: Louis XVI of Bourbon family ascended The Throne of France
o 1614: the monarch for the last time could decide when to call a meeting
of his body.
o 5th May 1759: Louis XVI called together and assembly of the estates
general to pass proposals for new taxes
o 28 June 1789: the representatives of the third estate assembled in the
Hall Of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles.
o 14th July 1789: the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the bastille.
o 4th August 1789: the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal
system of obligation and Taxes
o 1791: the national assembly completed the draught of the Constitution in
1791
o 1792: the national assembly voted to declare war against Prussia and
Austria
o Summer of 1792: the Jacobins planned and insurrection of the large
number of Parisians who when a angered by the short supplies and high
prices of food.
o 21st September 1792: the newly elected assembly abolished the
monarchy and declared France as a Republic
o 21st January 1793: Louis XVI was executed publicly at the place de la
Concorde.
o Period between 1793 and 94: regarded as the reign of terror.
o 1791: declaration of the rights of women and citizen was written by
olympe de Gouges
o 1794: all the slaves were freed in French
o 1848: slavery was finally abolished in France
o 1815: the battle of Waterloo.

 TOTAL SUMMARY IN POINTS ALLTOGETHER:

The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille on July 14,
1789, due to rumours of the king's military actions against citizens.
French society in the late 18th century was marked by financial strain, with
Louis XVI's extravagant court and wars draining the treasury.
The population increase and food scarcity led to subsistence crises,
especially affecting the working class.
The third estate, which bore the brunt of taxes, envisioned an end to
privileges enjoyed by the clergy and nobility.
Influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like Locke and Rousseau, the middle
class advocated for equality and merit-based governance.
Louis XVI's attempt to impose further taxes sparked grievances, leading to
the convening of the Estates-General in 1789.
The third estate, representing the common people, declared itself a National
Assembly and sought to draft a constitution.
The storming of the Bastille and attacks on chateaux signalled the people's
discontent and the beginning of the Revolution.
France transitioned into a constitutional monarchy with the National
Assembly drafting the Constitution of 1791.
 The monarchy's attempt to regain power led to war with Prussia and
Austria, and ultimately, the abolition of the monarchy.
The Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre, saw the guillotine used
extensively to suppress opposition.
France became a republic in 1792, but political instability persisted, leading
to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Women played active roles in the Revolution, demanding political rights
and societal changes.
The French Revolution also led to the abolition of slavery in French
colonies, albeit temporarily.
Everyday life in France saw significant changes, including freedom of
expression and the spread of revolutionary ideas.
Napoleon Bonaparte's rule followed the Revolution, aiming for
modernization and conquest across Europe.
Despite initial support, Napoleon's reign eventually faced opposition,
leading to his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
The French Revolution's legacy included the spread of democratic ideals
throughout Europe and the abolition of feudal systems.
Colonized peoples used these ideas to fuel movements for sovereignty.
Figures like Tipu Sultan and Rammohan Roy were influenced by
revolutionary France.
Napoleon's measures, such as legal reforms and standardization, had lasting
impacts on Europe.
The Revolution's impact extended beyond France, shaping political
landscapes across continents.
The Revolution served as a catalyst for societal and governmental change.
It inspired movements for liberation and sovereignty worldwide.
The French Revolution remains a pivotal moment in history, with its effects
still felt today.

 TOTAL SUMMARY IN PARAGRAPH ALLTOGETHER:

The French Revolution, ignited by the stark socioeconomic disparities
and galvanized by the principles of the Enlightenment, precipitated an
epochal transformation in the fabric of society. Its tumultuous course
witnessed the seismic upheaval of the monarchy, heralding the advent
of a republic amidst fervent political tumult. Central to its impact were
the sweeping societal reforms, epitomized by the dismantling of
archaic feudal systems and the nascent assertion of women's rights.
This epoch-defining event reverberated far beyond the borders of
France, seeding the soil for burgeoning political movements
worldwide and fostering the dissemination of democratic ideals.
Despite the subsequent ascent and eventual eclipse of Napoleon, the
enduring tenets of liberty and equality, kindled by the flames of
revolution, persisted as guiding beacons, fundamentally reshaping the
contours of the modern world. The French Revolution stands as an
indelible testament to the power of collective action and ideological
fervour in precipitating transformative change on a global scale.