-
Causes of the french revolution
Economic crisis (Bad harvests)
Financial Crisis (Lack of money)
Enlightenment
Poor social structure (Peasants and Bourgeoisie not represented). -
The tennis court oath
The Estates-general were called to adress the country´s crisis, but the representatives of the third state were banned from the call because of the proposal they made to change the way of voting (wich would mean the third state to gain power). They decided to meet in the tennis court to create a new parliament called national assembly, They swore to be assembled to write a constitution for all frenchmen.
They were supported by the citizen and the bourgeoisie -
The great fear
Right after the storming of the Bastille (which represented royal authority) the nobility and clergy feared for their lives
Louis XVI, frightened, accepted the National Assembly, changing France into a constitutional Monarchy (supposed the end of the old regime).
The National Assembly abolished feudalism.
The main threat for the revolution: the king and privileged classes did not accept the changes because they did not want to lose their privileges. -
Constitutional Monarchy
Moderate bourgeoisie
new parliament by census suffrage and a constitution.
The national assembly made legal reforms: feudal rights were abolished + declaration of the Rights of man and the citizens. ( freedoms, equality and brotherhood).
In the parliament the royalist (conservatives) on the right, on the left the radical revolutionaries (progresistas) and in the center the moderates
the king had the right to veto any law .
The national guard were to defend the revolution from the conservatives. -
Flight to Varennes (start of social republic)
The Royal Family tried to escape, they made it as far as Varennes: There they were recognised, kidnaped and brought back to Paris.
The king lost credibility as a constitutional monarch, -
Social republic: Girondin convention
End of the constitutional monarchy, the king was executed. -
Social Republic: The Terror
the government, jacobins, imposed a dictatorship to finish with conspiracies.
Freedoms were suspended and those who propested or criticised the government were imprisoned or executed (50.000-100.000)
social laws introduced:
control prices (law of the maximum for food)
Lands owned by the church sold
Primary education became compulsory -
Social republic: Jacobin convention
Radicals
The executive power was applied by the Committee of Public Safety led by Maximiliane Robespierre
main goal: keep the republic
main threats to the republic: the monarchs and the royalists
European coalition and war against them --> citizens forced to join the army by a mass conscription, 50000 citizens. -
Conservative republic (directory)
New moderate liberalism (moderate bourgeoisie-Napoleon)
Revolutionaries wanted all male citizens to be considered equal and free, to ban feudal privileges and to take part in politics.
wrote a constitution
96- people on exile began to return