Lecture Notes: 18th Century French Society and Revolution

Learning Objectives

• Understand and describe the 18th-century French society
• Elaborate on the discontent in the 18th-century French society
• Describe the causes of the outbreak of the Revolution
• Explain how France abolished monarchy to become a Republic
• Detail the beginning and end of the Reign of Terror
• Explain the impact of the Revolution on women
• Describe the events that led to the abolition of slavery in France
• Explain the rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte

18th Century French Society

• Louis XVI's Reign:
  • Ascended to the throne in 1774 at age 20
  • Married to Austrian princess Marie Antoinette
  • Faced an empty treasury and mounting debts (over 2 billion livres)
  • Increased taxes to meet expenses
• Three Estates:
  • First Estate: Clergy
  • Second Estate: Nobility (privileged, exempt from taxes)
  • Third Estate:
    • Big businessmen, merchants, officials (affluent)
    • Peasants, artisans (little money)
    • Landless peasants, laborers, servants (poorest)
  • Only the Third Estate paid taxes
• Feudal System:
  • Society evolved under the feudal system from the Middle Ages
  • Tithes collected by the Church
  • Direct and indirect taxes paid by the Third Estate

Causes of Discontent

• Population Growth:
  • Led to food scarcity and rising bread prices
• Economic Hardship:
  • Poor wages, increasing gap between rich and poor
  • Severe droughts and hail reduced harvests
  • Subsistence crisis threatened basic livelihoods
• Middle Class Emergence:
  • Educated lawyers and administrators opposed privileges by birth
  • Philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu advocated freedom, equal laws, and division of power
  • American Constitution inspired French political thinkers

Outbreak of the Revolution

• Estates General Meeting (May 5, 1789):
  • Louis XVI proposed tax increase
  • Third Estate demanded voting by assembly (one member, one vote)
  • Rejected by King, Third Estate walked out
• National Assembly Formation:
  • Assembled on June 20, in Versailles
  • Drafted a constitution for France, abolished feudal system (August 4, 1789)
  • France became a constitutional monarchy in 1791
  • Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

France Abolishes Monarchy

• Post-Revolution Tensions:
  • Louis XVI sought help from neighboring states
  • National Assembly declared war on Prussia and Austria (1792)
• Jacobins and the Convention:
  • Led by Maximilien Robespierre
  • Jacobins stormed the Tuileries palace, held the king hostage
  • Elections granted voting rights regardless of wealth
  • France declared a Republic (September 21, 1792)
  • Louis XVI executed (January 21, 1793), followed by Marie Antoinette

The Reign of Terror (1793-1794)

• Robespierre's Policies:
  • Strict control and harsh punishments
  • Enemies arrested and executed
  • Maximum ceiling on wages, prices fixed
  • Forced sale of grains at government prices
  • Equality bread, new citizen addresses
  • Churches converted into barracks or offices
• Robespierre's Fall:
  • His own supporters demanded moderation
  • Arrested and executed in July 1794

Directory Rules France

• Post-Jacobin Government:
  • Power seized by wealthier middle class
  • New constitution denied voting rights to non-property owners
  • Two legislative councils and an executive committee (Directory)
  • Political instability led to Napoleon’s rise

Women's Role in the Revolution

• Active Participation:
  • Women worked as laundresses, sellers, domestic servants
  • Deprived of education, lower wages
  • Formed clubs (e.g., Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women)
  • Demanded right to vote, hold political office
  • Schools opened for women, marriage laws reformed
  • Right to vote granted in 1946

Abolition of Slavery

• Triangular Slave Trade:
  • Labor shortage met by slave trade between Europe, Africa, Americas
  • Prosperity of port cities like Bordeaux and Nantes
• Abolition Efforts:
  • National Assembly debated rights of man for colonies
  • 1794: Convention abolished slavery under Jacobins
  • 1804: Napoleon reintroduced slavery
  • 1848: Slavery finally abolished in all French colonies

Everyday Life Post-Revolution

• Revolutionary Changes:
  • Abolition of censorship (1789)
  • Freedom of speech and expression
  • Rise in literature, cultural activities

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Rise and Fall:
  • Crowned Emperor of France (1804)
  • Conquered neighboring countries
  • Initial reforms, later seen as invader
  • Defeated at Waterloo (1815)

Summary

• 18th-century French society was divided into three estates
• France faced subsistence crisis due to food scarcity and economic disparity
• Draft of the constitution limited the monarch's power, created a constitutional monarchy
• France became a Republic, executed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
• Reign of Terror led by Robespierre, ended with his execution
• Women fought for and eventually gained rights
• Slavery abolished in 1848
• Napoleon's rise and fall marked significant changes in Europe
• Revolutionary ideals influenced global movements for liberty and democracy