The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) caused deep social discord in France.

Discuss the
impact this reform had on the clergy, the king and the French people in general. Use evidence to
support your response. 

context
Contention
Arg 1
Arg 2
Arg 3
questions
 
 
Tense? does it matter?
Can I put historian quotes/sources in intro?
Do have to call the NA the name that it had at the time, eg for this essay do I have to say "the national
constituent assembly" or does it not mattter?
 
Introduction
Following the National Assembly's many infringements on church power and wealth which included the
august 4th decrees that dismantled seigneuralism and the dispossession of church property, the Civil
constitution of the clergy, published on the 12th of July 1790, fully solidified the subordinated position of
the church within the new French society. The social and political impact of the reform significantly shook
the newly formed nation, marking the first emergence of popular resistance to the revolution. Not only did
the Civil constitution of the clergy alienate many members of the first estate (can I still use this term?
Since they technically abolished feudalism) causing irreconcilable political rifts, the reform also forced a
uncompromising dichotomy between religion and state within the broader French society. Ultimately, the
reform largely contributed to a developing disparity between reality (the demands of
government/navigating the conflicting positions that emerged) and the revolutionary ideals of 1789.
 
Arg 1
After the unity of the national assembly in the Night of patriotic delirium and the august decrees (august
4th 1789), the political impact of the civil constitution of the clergy brought upon irreconcilable rifts
within the national assembly. The abolishment of church taxation privileges (September 1789), the
nationalisation of all church-owned lands (November 1789) and finally the civil constitution of the clergy
(July 1790) all fundamentally changed the position of the church from a divine power to "being demoted
to some… department of state" (Simon Schama - can I quote like this?).Instead, all clergy “shall take a
solemn oath…to be loyal to the nation" (Title II, Article XXI of the civil constitution of the clergy), a
command that sparked strong outrage amongst the clergy who felt that their faith to the Pope and to God
would be compromised (they were being forced to betray the pope, as god's representative on Earth). This
fear was exacerbated by the pope himself who condemned the reform as "treacherous" and leading "to
death". Papal threats and the spectre of divided loyalties resulted in significant tensions within the
national assembly and between key individuals responsible for developing the initial ideals of the
revolution. became at odds with each other. Mirabeau's proposal for the nationalisation of church
property saw him enter into conflict with/fundamentally disagreeing with abbes Sieyes and Montesquieu
who argued that these reforms "lay siege to your soul" (Sieyes) by "sacrificing the holy clergy"
(Montesquieu). Indeed, these conflicting sentiments were reflected by throughout the national assembly
where only 1/3 of clerical deputies took the oath with the division finally reaching an impasse on October
1790, when several clerical deputies in the declared they would defy all the Assembly’s policies on
religion.
 
Arg 2
The social impact of the civil constitution of the clergy meant that the dichotomy between religion and
state not only forced divisions within the national assembly but also throughout France. Like their
national assembly counterparts, only 54% of the lower clergy within rural areas of France took the
clerical oath. As a considerable number of parish clergy had been warm supporters of the revolution, they
"now felt betrayed and unjustly victimized" (Schama) by the reform. This was a sentiment that was echoed
by the people in the countryside, who unlike in Paris, were deeply religious and felt that their parishes,
their priests and in extension their fundamental way of life were threatened. This sense of intimidation
was widely spread throughout the country through images and sculptures such as the Clergyman crushed
by the liberty bonnet. (Option to include another source, the cartoon of the priest being squeezed in a
vice) - Discussion of TWO possible reactions, approval vs condemnation, celebration vs. disgust
(Urban/Rural divide - urban poor/workers perhaps more likely to support the CCOTC, whereas rural
peasants far away from Paris, are more likely to see the CCOTC as an imposition forced upon them
and their priests by a distant power structure, not dissimilar to the former power structure associated
with royalty As the peasant population were generally illiterate, these portrayals were very accessible to
the French public replacing the previous depiction of a crushed third estate by the upper estates. This
deliberate allusion to subjugation and oppression sent a strong message to thousands of deeply religious
French citizens who now felt against the National constituent assembly. Consequently, women from the
town of Millau shouted "we want to conserve our religion!" and riots broke out in western France
according to McPhee,
 
Arg 3
Essentially, the civil constitution of the clergy had a hugely negative impact on the newly formed nation,
marking an emerging disparity between reality and revolutionary ideals (ideological discord).

The emergence of popular resistance revealed the fragility of revolution's unity, and the real risk of
chaos and disorder stemming from ideological discord

Wordsworth - "What bliss/joy it was in that dawn to be alive" - The initial optimism of the revolution and
its ideals of liberty unity fraternity, equality being rapidly replaced, and coming under threat, debate,
argument, dispute

As Schama puts it, "the assembly crossed the line" making it "impossible to reconcile a church… with a
revolution"

Reference to members of the National Assembly proposing the "Cult of Reason" or the "Cult of the
Supreme Being" as a replacement for the Christian faith
- The erection of an Altar to Reason in Notre Dame

Rather than aligning the church with the revolution as was hoped for by supporters of the reforms, the
civil constitution was the "beginning of a holy war" in which religion and state were now pitted against
each-other. This was also reflected by many public addresses in which both sides refused to backdown
and break the deadlock. For example, the radical newspaper Les Revolutions de Paris galvanised its
readers to view the church as being "concerned with their past glory and wealth" full of corruption. While
on the other side, the Pope's uncompromising stance against the national assembly urged all "beloved
catholic children in the kingdom of France" to "keep away" from adopting the civil constitution of the
clergy and to "listen to the lawful pastors" that have obeyed the God and have opposed the reforms.
Furthermore, the attacks on the church further alienated the king who was himself devoutly religious.
While he tolerated the revolution’s political reforms and the erosion of his own power, he could not
jeopardise his immortal soul by supporting the civil constitution of the clergy. Thus, this reform not only
broke any hopes of aligning church with state but also of aligning king with state, fuelling opposition, and
therefore making the new regime even more difficult to govern.
 
 
Conclusion
Ultimately, the civil constitution of the clergy had a massive impact on the stability, unity and success of
the new nation, marking the first emergence of resistance to the revolution. The reform not only created
irreconcilable divisions within French society and politics but also significantly contributed to the
developing discrepancy between reality and revolutionary ideals.