Chapter 1.

The French Revolution

Structure of Old Regime

1st Estate – King and Bourbon Dynasty : King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette
Clergy(Church)
2nd Estate – Nobles
3rd Estate – Peasants and
Merchants.
TAXES :
3RD Estate - ‘Tithes’ direct 1/10 of produce
‘Tailles’ indirect on goods like tobacco
sugar,salt etc.
What a Cruel Injustice ?????? 1st and 2nd estate – NO Taxes + Services of 3rd Estate
90% Population – 3rd Estate –Had 40% Land.
60% Population - 1st and 2nd Estate Had 60%
Land.
 SUBSISTENCE CRISIS : 1715 - 1789

Subsistence Crisis – A situation where life’s necessities like Food, Clothing and Shelter are not met

 The Population of France rose from 23 million to 26

million.
 Many Mouths to feed ,Crop of Wheat became scarce
so price of bread rose.
 Workers working in the factory had fixed wages but
the prices were rising. This created a gap between
the Rich and the Poor.
 Bad Climatic conditions like Drought, Hail reduced
the Harvest further and the Life of the 3rd Estate
became miserable!!!!!!
REACTION OF THE PEOPLE IN FRANCE :
 18th Century saw growth of educated middle class who were export merchants,lawyers,administrative officers etc.
 They dreamt of Society without Birth priviliges.Equal Law opportunities for all
 Encouraged by Philosophers like John Locke “Two Treatises of the Government”attempting to give an administrative
model of USA.Refute the doctrine of the Divine and Absolute rights of the Monarch.
 Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote ‘The Social Contract” This was about representative Government
 Montesquieu wrote “ Spirit of the Laws” diving powers between legislature,Executive and the Judiciary.
 THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTION
Immediate Cause : Estate General Meeting 5th May 1789
 King Louis XVI called for a meeting of all the three Estates at the
Hall of Mirrors Versailles.
 Three hundred delegates of the first and second Estates sat facing
each other.
 Six hundred delegates of third estate consisting of artists, educated
people and women were made to stand behind.
 They had brought 40,000 letters of grievances which were ignored by
the king.
 Angered by this, they walked out of Verssailles in protest.

Oath of the Tennis Court 20th June 1789

o The Angered Crowd assembled in the Hall of an Indoor Tennis Court
on the grounds of Versailles.
o They were led by Mirabeau (born in a noble family) and Abbe’Sieyes’
(Priest) who wrote an influential pamphlet “What is the Third
Estate”.
o They called themselves ‘National Assembly’ and Pledged not to
Disperse until a new Constitution is drawn up for France Favoring the
Third Estate.
 Storming of the Bastille: 14th July,1789.

 Severe winter,bad harvest,rough climate made the price

of Bread rise.The Bakers hoarded the bread and created a
shortage of bread in the market.
 Women waited for hours outside the bakeries,irritated
they stormed the bakeries and looted the bread.
 Agitated by this chaos the King sent his Army to control
the women.Angered the men folk stormed the Bastille
prison and released the prisoners.
 This day 14th July is celebrated as the Independence Day
of France.

The Brigand Rumours :

Rumours were spread that the Aristocratic lords had sent brigands and anti social elements to loot the ripe harvest.
Farmers angered by this seized the farm implements like sickle and Hoe and attacked the castles of Nobles called
‘Chateaux’
And burnt down the records of Feudal dues and looted the stock of grains.
Louis XVI finally recognized National Assembly and passed a Decree to abolish Feudal Priviliges and Tithes.
Lands owned by the Church were confiscated amounting to 2 billion Livres.
 France becomes Constitutional Monarchy:

 A Constitution was drafted by National Assembly to limit the powers of the King.
 Men above 25 years and who paid taxes equal to 3 days labour wage were the active
Citizens who could vote.
 Women , Poor Peasants and children were Passive citizens.
 Division of powers between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
 Declaration of ‘Rights of Man and Citizen’ ensured freedoms, security of life and dignity
of people in France.

Rise of Political Clubs :

 The Prussian King and neighbouring rulers wanted to subdue the growing power of National Assembly.But
before they could act National Assembly declared a war on them. Thousands of people joined the Army.
 Roget de L’sle’s Patriotic song “Marseillaise”became the National Anthem of France.
 Jacobins club initiated by Maximillian Robespierre in St. Jacob convent became dominant.
 Shop keepers ,artisans, cooks,Labourers joined the Jacobin club.
 They called themselves ‘San Culottes’wearing dock workers pajamas and red cap showing liberty.
 On August10th,1789 they jailed the Royal Family and elected a new assembly called ‘Convention”
Reforms of the Jacobin Clubs :
 They abolished Monarchy and declared France as a Republic.
 Louis XVI and Marie were executed publicly.
 A maximum ceiling was placed on wages and prices.
 All citizens could eat common bread called as Pain D’egalite.
 Instead of traditional Monsieur(Sir) and Madame they will be called as ‘Citoyen’ and
‘Citoyenee’.
 Churches were shut down and converted into administrative blocks.
 Robespierre followed a reign of terror with his enemies executed.
 After the fall of the Jacobin govt wealthier middle classes seized power and a
Constitution was drafted.
 “Directory” with five executive Directors but they clashed with each other on political
issues.
 This Political Instability gave rise to a Dictator Napoleon Bonaparte to rule as Emperor of
France
 Napolean Bonaparte – 1804

 He crowned himself as the Emperor of France.

 He encouraged Right to Private Property.
 Introduced Uniform System of Weights and Measures.
 Standardised Decimal System was introduced.
 Revolutionary thoughts of “Liberty”,”Equality” and
“Liberty” still ring true in the world after Napoleon’s
death at Waterloo in 1815.

Women Status in France:

o The 3rd Estate women worked as seamstresses,
laundresses sold vegetables,flowers.
o No access to Education .Only rich women could learn.
o Marriages were arranged and their whole life was
caught
in fetching water,bread,looking after children.
o They started to form clubs to assert their rights” The
Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women” was
famous
Demands of Women’s Clubs :
 They demanded the right to vote,Right to be elected to the
Assembly and hold Political Office.
 Demanded creation of New Schools and made Girls education
compulsory.
 No Forced entry into Marriages It would be like a contract.
Divorce was made legal.
 Olympe de Gouges a revolutionary woman wrote ‘Declaration
of the rights of woman and citizen’and adderessed it to the
Queen and the Jacobin Club. She was executed and her
Charter was dismissed.

Slave Trade :
1. A triangular slave trade began between Europe,Africa and America.
2. Slaves were bought from the Caribbean Coast,Africa and San Domingo
to work on Plantations as the demand for Indigo,spices doubled.
3. The National Assembly debated to abolish slavery but Napoleon
revived it.
4. Ultimately Slavery was abolished in 1848 in all the French Colonies.