LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY

The fortress-prison (BASTILLE) demolished

14 July, 1789 – city of Paris
❑ Rumours spread that the king had ordered troops to move into Paris to fire
upon the citizens. Fearing for their lives, some 7000 men & women broke into
a no. of govt. buildings in search of arms.

❑ Agitated crowd stormed & destroyed the prison Bastille. The days that
followed saw more rioting both in Paris & the countryside.

❑ Most people were protesting against the high price of their daily bread.

This was the beginning of the chain of events

EXECUTION OF KING IN FRANCE

 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
( SUB-TOPICS )

1. French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century

2. The Outbreak of the Revolution

3. France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic

4. Did Women have a Revolution ?

1
5. The Abolition of Slavery

6. The Revolution and Everyday Life

7. Conclusion
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1. French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century

2.

3.

4.

5. 1

6.

7.
 ECONOMIC CAUSES

IMMEDIATE CAUSES POLITICAL CAUSES

INTELLECTUAL CAUSES SOCIAL CAUSES

ECONOMIC CAUSES
 ECONOMIC CAUSES

➢ Long years of war had drained the financial resources of

France.

➢ Under Louis XVI, France helped the thirteen American

colonies to gain their independence from the common enemy,
Britain.

➢ Lenders who gave the state credit, now began to charge 10

per cent interest on loans.

➢ To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining

an army, the court, running government offices or universities,
the state was forced to increase taxes.
POLITICAL CAUSES
 POLITICAL CAUSES

➢ In 1774, Louis XVI of the Bourbon family of kings

ascended the throne of France.

➢ He was 20 yrs old & married to the Austrian princess

Marie Antoinette.

➢ He ruled as an absolute monarch.

➢ He had maintained a huge army and built a big extravagant

court at the immense palace of Versailles (France).

➢ Common people had no say in administration. All

bureaucratic posts were occupied by the aristocrats.
SOCIAL CAUSES
A SOCIETY OF ESTATES
 SOCIAL CAUSES
INEQUALITY IN FRENCH SOCIETY
1. Peasants made 2. 60% of land was
up about 90% of owned by nobles, 3. 1st and 2nd
the population, clergy and the rich Estates enjoyed
owned small member of the third privileges by birth
amount of land estate

4. Exemption from paying 5. TAX SYSTEM

taxes, Feudal privileges
were enjoyed by 1st and
2nd Estates
The burden of financing activities
of the state through TAXES was
borne by 3rd Estate only
Tithe - A tax levied by the church,
comprising 1/10 of the agricultural
produce.
Taille -Tax to be paid directly to the state
Indirect Taxes – were levied on articles of
everyday consumption like salt or tobacco
 The Struggle to Survive
SUBSISTENCE CRISIS - An extreme situation when the
basic means of livelihood are endangered.

CAUSES -
➢ The population of France rose from about
23 million (1715 ) 28 million (1789 )

➢ This led to a rapid increase in the demand for food grains.

Production of grains could not keep pace with the demand which
led to inflation.

➢ Wages did not rise in proportion to price-rise & gap between

poor & rich widened.

➢ Things became worse whenever drought or hail reduced the

harvest.
A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges

➢ The 18th century witnessed the emergence of Middle class, who

earned through overseas trade & from manufacturing woolen, silk
textiles; that are either exported or bought by richer members of
society.

➢ The 3rd Estate, in addition to merchants & manufacturers included

professionals such as lawyers or administrative officials.

➢ These professionals were educated & believed that a person’s

social position must depend on his merit. Also, that no group in
society should be ‘privileged by birth’.

➢ They envisaged a society based on freedom, equal laws &

opportunities for all.
INTELLECTUAL CAUSES
 INTELLECTUAL CAUSES

ROLE OF PHILOSOPHERS

NAME JOHN LOCKE JEAN JACQUES MONTESQUIEU

ROUSSEAU
TWO TREATISES OF THE SOCIAL
BOOK THE SPIRIT OF LAWS
GOVERNMENT CONTRACT

Refute the doctrine of

Between people Division of power within
the divine control of the government
IDEA absolute right of the and their
representative between Legislature,
monarch Executive and Judiciary

The ideas of these philosophers were discussed in salons & coffee-

houses and spread among people through books & newspapers.
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2. The Outbreak of the Revolution

3.

4.

5. 1

6.

7.
IMMEDIATE CAUSES
 The Outbreak of the Revolution

➢ The news that Louis XVI panned to impose further taxes

generated anger & protest against the system of privileges.

➢ In France of the Old Regime (society & institutions of France

before 1789), the monarch can not increase taxes on his own. He
had to call a meeting of the Estates General which would then
pass his proposals for new taxes.

➢ The Estates General was a political body to which the three

Estates sent their representatives.

➢ However, the monarch alone can call a meeting of this body.

➢ Last time it was done in 1614 .

 The ESTATES GENERAL of 1789

➢ On 5 May-1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of the Estates

General to pass proposals for new taxes.

➢ The 1st & 2nd ESTATES sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows
facing each other on two sides.

➢ While the 600 members of the 3rd ESTATE had to stand at the back. The 3rd
ESTATE was represented by its more prosperous & educated members.

❑ Peasants, Artisans & Women were denied entry to the assembly. However, their grievances &
demands were listed in 40,000 letters which the representatives had brought with them.
 Voting procedure under Old Regime

➢ Voting in the past had been conducted according to the principle :

Each Estate One Vote
➢ This time too Louis XVI was determined to continue the same practice.
➢ But members of the 3rd Estate wanted that voting now be conducted by the
assembly as a whole, where : Each Member One Vote
➢ This was one of the democratic principles but the king rejected
this proposal which led to a ‘walk out of the assembly’ of the
members of the 3rd Estate.
➢ The representatives of the 3rd Estate viewed themselves as
spokesmen for the whole French nation.
 The Tennis Court Oath
( 20 JUNE 1789 )

❑ They assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court

in the grounds of Versailles.

❑ The 3rd Estate took an oath that they would not

disperse till they had drafted a Constitution for
France, that would limit the powers of the monarch.

❑ They declared themselves a National Assembly.

They were led by Mirabeau (born in a Noble family,) & Abbe

Sieyes (originally a priest ). Mirabeau delivered powerful
speeches to the assembled crowd & Abbe Sieyes wrote an
influential pamphlet called – ‘What is the Third Estate’ ?
 Storming of the BASTILLE
❑ While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a
Constitution, France was in turmoil.

❑ A severe winter led to bad harvest. Price of bread rose, bakers hoarded
supplies. Angry women stormed the shops, after being fed up spending
hours in long queues.

❑ At the same time, the King had ordered troops to move into the city.

❑ On July 14, agitated crowd stormed & destroyed the prison Bastille.

❑ Peasants attacked the residence of Nobles (Chateaux) & Landlord’s

mansion (Manor). They looted hoarded grain & destroyed documents which
contained their manorial dues.

❑ Louis XVI finally accorded recognition to the National Assembly &

accepted the principle that his powers from now be checked by a
Constitution.
 Main features of the Decree
( The Night of August 4, 1789 )

❑ On 4th August 1789 - The National Assembly passed a decree

abolishing feudal system of obligation & taxes.

❑ Clergy were forced to give up their privileges.

❑ Tithes were abolished.

❑ Land owned by Church was confiscated.

❑ As a result, the govt. acquired assets worth 2 billion livres.

 France becomes a Constitutional Monarchy
( CONSTITUTION of 1791 )

✓ In 1791, National Assembly drafted the Constitution.

✓ Main objective limit the powers of the monarch.

✓ The powers was separated & assigned to different

institutions – the legislature, executive & judiciary.

✓ This made France a constitutional monarchy.

❑ Rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of
opinion, equality before law, were established as ‘natural &
inalienable’ rights & could not be taken away.

❑ It was the duty of the state to protect each citizen’s natural

rights.

❑ The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in

the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.

Citizens VOTED Electors CHOSE The Assembly

 The Political system under the constitution of 1791

▪ The National Assembly was

vested the power to make
laws.
▪ Active citizens voted for a
group of electors, who in
turn chose the assembly.
▪ Active citizens comprised of
only men above 25 yrs of
age who paid taxes ≥ 3 days
of labour wage.
▪ The remaining men & all
women were called passive
citizens.

To qualify as an elector and then as a member of the Assembly, a

man had to belong to the highest bracket of taxpayers.

The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man & Citizen
The Declaration of Rights of Man and
Citizen
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2.

3. France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic

4.

5. 1

6.

7.
 War against Austria & Prussia
➢ Although King Louis XVI had signed the constitution, he entered into secret
negotiations with the King of Prussia.

➢ In June 1791, the royal family attempted to escape to the Austrian border, but
was caught by revolutionaries & brought back to Paris.

➢ In August 1791, Prussia & Austria demanded the king be unharmed

& restored to power, or military force would be used to restore the
monarchy.

➢ Before this could happen, on April 20, 1792, the National Assembly
declared war against Austria & Prussia.

➢ The poet Roget de L'isle composed patriotic songs , of which ‘Marseillaise’

which was sung by the 1st time by volunteers who marched into Paris ; now
became the national anthem of France.
 Effect of Revolutionary War
➢ The revolutionary wars brought losses & economic difficulties to the
people.

➢ While the men were away fighting at the front, women were left to
cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after their families.

➢ Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution

had to be carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights
only to the richer sections of society.

➢ The most successful of these clubs was that of the Jacobins under
the leadership of Robespierre, which got its name from the former
convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

➢ Political clubs became an important rallying point for the people who
wished to discuss government policies & plan their own forms of action.
 JACOBIN CLUB
➢ The most successful of Political clubs was that of Jacobins, whose
name came from the former convent of St. Jacob in Paris.

➢ The members of the Jacobin Club belonged to the less prosperous

sections of the society.

➢ Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.

➢ The Jacobins came to be known as the ‘sans-culottes’ ( literally

meaning ‘those without knee breeches’ ). They wore red cap, which
symbolised liberty.

➢ In summer of 1792, Jacobins planned an insurrection of a large

no. of Parisians, who were angered by the short supplies & high
prices of food.
 Storming of the ‘PALACE of TUILERIES’

❑ On 10 August 1792, the Jacobins stormed the Palace of the

Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as
hostage. Later the assembly voted to imprison the royal family.

❑ In the following elections, All men ≥ 21 yrs, regardless of wealth,

got the right to vote.

❑ The Jacobins under Robespierre won the elections.

❑ The newly elected assembly was called the Convention.

 Execution of the King

➢ On 21 September 1792, a National Convention was elected to

oversee the country under the new Constitution created by the
National Assembly.

➢ First action was to 'Abolish the Monarchy' & declare

France ‘A Republic’.

➢ The King was sentenced to death by a court on the

charge of treason.

➢ On 21 January 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined publicly at the

Place de la Concorde . The queen Marie Antoinette met with the
same fate shortly after.
 The Reign of Terror
( 1793 – 1794 )

➢ The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of

Terror.

➢ All those whom he saw as ‘enemies of the republic’: ex-nobles,

clergy, opposition members, even his own party members who
didn’t agree with Robespierre’s methods were arrested, imprisoned
& tried; by a revolutionary tribunal & guillotined if found guilty.

➢ He followed a policy of severe control & punishment.

The guillotine is a device consisting of two poles & and a blade

with which a person is beheaded. It was named after Dr. Guillotin
who invented it.
 Steps taken by Robespierre to establish Equality
❑ Robespierre’s government issued laws placing maximum ceiling
on wages & rationed meat. Peasants were forced to transport their
grain to the cities & sell it at prices fixed by the government.

❑ Expensive white flour was banned and all citizens were required
to eat the bread made of whole wheat.

❑ Equality was also sought to be practised through forms of speech

& address.

❑ Instead of the traditional Monsieur (Sir) and Madame (Madam)

all French men and women were henceforth Citoyen and Citoyenne
(Citizen).

❑ Churches were shut down and their buildings converted into

barracks or offices.
 The last victim of the Reign of Terror

➢ Even the radical Jacobins, the supporters of Robespierre,

demanded moderation & felt that the terror must be stopped.

➢ Finally he was convicted by a court in July 1794.

➢ Robespierre was arrested & sent to the guillotine the next day,
‘the last victim of the Reign of Terror’.
 A Directory Rules France

➢ The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle

classes to seize power.

➢ A new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-

propertied sections of society. It provided for ‘two elected
legislative councils’.

❑ These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five

members. This was meant as safeguard against the concentration of
power in a one-man executive as under the Jacobins.

❑ However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative councils,

who then sought to dismiss them. The political instability of the
Directory paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon
Bonaparte.
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2.

3.

4. Did Women have a Revolution ?

5. 1

6.

7.
 Did Women have a Revolution ?
➢ Women were active participants in the events which brought
about so many important changes in French society. They
hoped that their involvement would pressurise the revolutionary
government to introduce measures to improve their lives.

➢ Most women of the 3rd Estate :

- had to work for a living.
- did not have access to education or job training.
Only daughters of nobles or wealthier members of the 3rd Estate
could study at a convent, after which their families arranged a
marriage for them.

➢ Working women had also to care for their families, i.e.

cook, fetch water, queue up for bread & look after the children.
Their wages were lower than those of men.
 Steps taken to improve the lives of Women
▪ In order to discuss and voice their interests, women started about
60 political clubs and newspapers. The Society of Revolutionary &
Republican Women was the most famous of them.

▪ From the very beginning they demanded the right to vote, to be

elected to the Assembly and to hold political offices.

▪ During Jacobin regime, the government made schooling

compulsory for all girls.

▪ The fathers could no longer force their girls into marriages

against their will.

▪ Divorce was made legal & could be applied by women & men.

It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to vote
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2.

3.

4.

5. The Abolition of Slavery 1

6.

7.
 Triangular Slave Trade
❑ One of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin
regime was the abolition of slavery of French colonies.

▪ The colonies in Caribbean - Martinique, Guadeloupe & San Domingo –

supplied important commodities (tobacco, indigo, sugar & coffee).

▪ Reluctance of Europeans to go & work there, led to a triangular slave

trade between Europe, Africa & the America.

▪ In 17th century, French merchants sailed from the ports of Bordeaux or

Nantes to the African coast, where they bought slaves and took the 3 -
months voyage across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.

▪ Sold to plantation owners, the exploitation of slave labour made

possible to meet growing demand of important commodities in European
markets.
 The Abolition of Slavery
➢ Throughout the 18th century, there was little criticism of slavery in
France.

➢ The National Assembly held long debates about whether the rights
of man should be extended to all French subjects including those in
the colonies.

➢ It was finally the Convention which in 1794 legislated to free all

slaves in the French overseas possessions.

❑ However 10 yrs later , Napoleon reintroduced slavery.

❑ Plantation owners understood their freedom as including to

enslave African Negroes in pursuit of their economic interests.

Slavery was finally abolished in French colonies in 1848

 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2.

3.

4.

5. 1

6. The Revolution and Everyday Life

7.
 The Revolution and Everyday life
(changes in France – post 1789)

❑ The years following 1789 in France saw many changes in the

lives of men, women & children.

❑ The revolutionary govt. passed laws that would make ideals

of liberty & equality into everyday practice.

❑ As censorship was abolished, newspapers, pamphlets, books

& pictures flooded the towns & countryside of France.

❑ Freedom of press allowed opposing views of events could be

expressed.

❑ Plays, songs & processions allowed large no. of uneducated

people, to grasp & identify ideas like ‘liberty’ or ‘justice’.
 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
1.

2.

3.

4.

5. 1

6.

7. Conclusion
 Conclusion

▪ In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France. He set out

to conquer neighbouring European countries.

▪ He introduced laws such as protection of private property and

uniform system of weights & measures provided by the decimal
system.

▪ Initially many saw napoleon as liberator who would bring freedom

for the people. But soon Napoleonic armies came to be viewed
everywhere as an invading force.

▪ Finally, Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815.

▪ Many of Napoleon’s revolutionary ideas of liberty & modern laws

made a lasting impact in Europe.
 Legacy of The French Revolution

▪ The ideas of ‘LIBERTY’ & ‘DEMOCRATIC

RIGHTS’ were the most important legacy of The French
Revolution.

▪ These ideas spread from France to the rest of Europe during the
19th century, where feudal systems were abolished.

INFLUENCE OF IDEAS

❑ Colonised peoples reworked the idea of freedom from bondage

into their movements to create a sovereign nation state.

❑ Individuals like Tipu Sultan & Rammohan Roy are two

examples who were influenced by the ideas coming from
revolutionary France.
 Some important dates

1774 - Louis XVI becomes king of France, faces empty treasury and growing
discontent within society of the Old Regime.

1789 - Convocation of Estates General, Third Estate forms National Assembly, the
Bastille is stormed, peasant revolts in the countryside.

1791 - A constitution is framed to limit the powers of the king and to guarantee basic
rights to all human beings.

1792-93 - France becomes a republic, the king is beheaded. Overthrow of the Jacobin
republic, a Directory rules France.

1804 - Napoleon becomes emperor of France, annexes large parts of Europe.

1815 - Napoleon defeated at Waterloo.

THE END