Notes on the French Revolution

Key Events Leading to the Revolution

• Date: 14th July 1789
• Location: Paris
• State of Alarm: Troops moved into the city; rumors of imminent violence against citizens.
• People's Militia: 7,000 gathered, formed a militia, and sought arms by breaking into government buildings.
• Storming of the Bastille:
  • Several hundred marched to the Bastille prison.
  • Commander killed; only seven prisoners were released.
  • Symbolic destruction of the Bastille, representing despotic power.
  • Fragments sold as souvenirs.

Aftermath of the Storming

• Widespread Protests:
  • Continued rioting in Paris and the countryside, primarily against high bread prices.
• Historical Perspective:
  • Viewed as the beginning of events leading to the execution of King Louis XVI.

French Society in the Late 18th Century

• King Louis XVI:
  • Ascended the throne in 1774 at 20 years old.
  • Married to Marie Antoinette.
  • Faced an empty treasury due to war costs and extravagant court expenses.
• Debt Crisis:
  • French support for the American Revolution added over a billion livres to existing debt.
  • Rising interest rates forced more budget allocation to interest payments.

Social Structure of France

• Three Estates:
  • 1st Estate: Clergy (exempt from taxes).
  • 2nd Estate: Nobility (feudal privileges).
  • 3rd Estate: Commoners (including peasants, laborers, bourgeoisie) paid all taxes.
    • Peasants: 90% of the population, but a small fraction owned land.
    • 60% of land owned by nobles, church, and wealthy members of the 3rd estate.
• Taxation:
  • Direct tax (taille) and many indirect taxes on everyday goods (like salt and tobacco).

Economic Hardships and Crises

• Population Growth:
  • Increased from 23 million (1715) to 28 million (1789).
  • Resulted in higher demand for food, particularly bread.
• Subsistence Crisis:
  • Definition: A situation where means of livelihood are endangered.
  • Factors: Bad harvests, rising food prices, and inability of the poor to afford bread.
  • Consequences: Weaker bodies, disease epidemics, food riots, and increased deaths.

The Rise of the Middle Class

• Emergence of New Social Groups:
  • Wealthy through overseas trade and manufacturing.
  • Included merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, and administrative officials.
• Philosophical Influences:
  • Advocated for merit-based society, rather than birth privileges.
  • Key Philosophers:**
    • John Locke: Critiqued the divine right of kings and advocated for social contracts.
    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: Expanded on social contracts.
    • Montesquieu: Proposed the separation of powers in government.
• Impact of American Revolution:
  • Ideas of individual rights and government structure influenced French political thought.**

Spread of Revolutionary Ideas

• Salons and Coffee Houses:
  • Places for discussion of philosophical ideas.
  • Books and newspapers disseminated new ideas, often read aloud for the illiterate.
• Growing Anger:
  • Louis XVI's plans for further taxes stoked resentment against the privileges of the upper estates.