Overview
This lecture covers the French Revolution, its causes, key events, major figures, and enduring impacts, focusing on how it changed French society and spread ideas of liberty and equality.
Background and Causes
- France faced an economic crisis from debt, war costs, and an extravagant monarchy, leading to increased taxes.
- Society was divided into three estates: clergy (1st), nobility (2nd), and the common people (3rd), only the 3rd paid taxes.
- Rapid population growth, food shortages, and rising bread prices led to frequent subsistence crises.
- The middle class, gaining wealth and education, challenged privilege by birth and promoted merit and equality.
The Outbreak of Revolution
- Louis XVI called the Estates General in 1789 to raise taxes; the 3rd estate demanded voting reforms.
- The 3rd estate formed the National Assembly, swore the Tennis Court Oath, and aimed to create a constitution.
- Protests escalated with the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, symbolizing revolt against royal power.
- Peasant uprisings led to the abolition of feudal dues and clerical privileges; church lands were confiscated.
Building a New France
- The 1791 Constitution established a constitutional monarchy, separating powers among legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
- Only active male citizens with property could vote; women and poor men remained excluded.
- The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen asserted liberty, equality, and natural rights for all men.
Radicalisation and the Republic
- Political clubs like the Jacobins, led by Robespierre, pushed the revolution further, representing the poorer classes ("sans-culottes").
- In 1792, France was declared a republic; monarchy was abolished, and Louis XVI was executed for treason.
The Reign of Terror and Aftermath
- From 1793-94, Robespierre's government punished perceived enemies by mass executions (guillotine) and economic controls.
- The Directory, a new government formed in 1795, restricted democracy and was unstable, enabling Napoleon’s rise to power.
Women and the Revolution
- Women actively participated, forming clubs and demanding rights; some legal and educational advances were made.
- Women were later barred from political activity; full voting rights in France were only won in 1946.
- Olympe de Gouges wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, demanding full equality.
Abolition of Slavery
- The Jacobins abolished slavery in French colonies in 1794, but it was reinstated under Napoleon and finally ended in 1848.
Everyday Life and Legacy
- The revolution led to freedom of the press, changed social customs, and promoted new symbols and ideas.
- Napoleonic reforms spread revolutionary ideals across Europe, abolishing many feudal systems.
- The French Revolution inspired global movements for democracy and national liberation.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Old Regime — The social and political system in France before 1789.
- Estates — Social classes: clergy, nobility, and commoners.
- Tithe — Tax to the church, 1/10th of produce.
- Taille — Direct tax paid by the Third Estate.
- Subsistence crisis — A period when basic survival needs are endangered.
- National Assembly — Body representing the Third Estate, formed in 1789.
- Sans-culottes — Radical workers and small shopkeepers, literally “without knee breeches.”
- Republic — Government without a hereditary monarch; leaders are elected.
- Guillotine — Device for executing by beheading.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Write a short biography of a revolutionary figure (e.g., Robespierre, Olympe de Gouges).
- Make a list of democratic rights that originated with the French Revolution.
- Compare the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen with modern rights.
- Discuss the contradictions in the application of universal rights during the Revolution.