 APEURO Lecture 5B Mrs. Kray (some slides taken from Susan Pojer)

Attitudes & actions of monarchy & court Fear of Counter- Revolution Religious divisions Political divisions War Economic Crises The Causes of Instability in France

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 Members of the legislative assembly sat together in separate sections of a meeting hall  This is where the terms right, center, and left come from o Conservatives who supported the king made up the Right o Moderates who comprise a large group sat in the Center o Radicals who distrusted the king and wanted the revolution to continue sat to the left

 The Jacobin Club o Political clubs grew in popularity in the early part of the revolution o The Jacobins held their meetings in the library of a former Jacobin monastery in Paris. o Started as a debating society; membership mostly middle class; created a vast network of clubs.  Jacobins were split into two factions: Montagnards and Girondins

Montagnards  Wanted to overthrow the monarchy and create a republic  Power base in Paris  Supported by the sans- culottes  Important leaders: Georges- Jacques Danton, Maximilien Robespierre  Considered the more radical of the two factions Girondins  Wanted to involve France in a war that would discredit the monarchy and extend France’s revolutionary ideals across Europe  Power base in the provinces  Feared the growing influence of the sans-culottes and the city of Paris

 Crowd gathers to demand overthrow of the king and the declaration of a republic o Lafayette’s National Guard kills 50  Radicalized public opinion and led to further distrust of the monarchy

 Aug. 1791: Leopold II of Austria (Marie Antoinette’s brother) and Frederick William II of Prussia issued the declaration o Declared that the “restoration of absolutism in France was of “common interest to all sovereigns of Europe”  April 1792: Legislative Assembly declared war against Austria and Prussia o Girondins believed the only way to save the Revolution was to spread it across Europe by force (feared emigres, actions of the king, implications of Declaration of Pillnitz) o Louis XVI supports declaration of war but for different reasons Leopold II

 The French armies were ill- prepared for the conflict  ½ of the officer corps had emigrated  Many men disserted  New recruits were enthusiastic, but ill-trained  French troops often broke ranks and fled in disorder  By the summer of 1792 Austrian and Prussian forces were advancing towards Paris

 Duke of Brunswick issues manifesto declaring “if royal family is harmed, Paris will be leveled”  The military crisis undermined the Legislative Assembly and inflamed violent opposition to the monarchy FRANCE AUSTRIA PRUSSIA BRITAIN SPAIN PIEDMONT War of the First Coalition

 Faced with defeat, recruits rushed to Paris singing the Marseillaise  The rejuvenated French forces stopped the Austro-Prussian army thus saving the Revolution Battle of Valmy Sept. 1792

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 Parisian working-class  Small shopkeepers; tradesmen; artisans  They shared many of the ideals of their middle class representatives in government but opposed Girondin half-measures.  Ripe for radical persuasion!

Jean-Paul Marat,  Journalist  The Friend of the People  Demanded the deaths of traitors and for heads to roll Georges Danton,  Skilled politician  Worked to create a revolutionary government in the capital – Paris Commune  Would play a major role in forcing moderates to adopt more aggressive measures

 Summer 1792: Sans-culottes took control of the Paris Commune o The now revolutionary Paris Commune intimidated the Legislative Assembly into deposing Louis XVI and issuing a call for the election of a national convention o The new body would then form a more democratic government  September Massacres, 1792 o Dark side of the revolution o Rumors that the anti-revolutionary political prisoners were plotting to break out & attack the rear the armies defending France from the rear o Buveurs de sang [“drinkers of blood.”] s killed! o Discredited the Revolution among its remaining sympathizers abroad. This 2 nd revolution would be dominated by radicals

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 Newly elected National Convention abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic  Debating Louis XVI’s Future o For the Montagnards, the king was a traitor. o The Girondins felt that the Revolution had gone far enough and didn’t want to execute the king (maybe exile him). o After a contentious debate, the National Convention passed a resolution condemning Louis XVI to death – passed by one vote The trial of the king was hastened by the discovery in a secret cupboard in the Tuilieres of a cache of documents that proved conclusively Louis’ knowledge and encouragement of foreign intervention

 Under pressure from sans- culottes, the Jacobin Montagnards branded the Girondins as counterrevolutionaries  The Paris Commune arrested and executed Girondin leaders

 Spring 1793: First Coalition armies converged on France  Girondin and royalist Catholics rebelled against the National Convention and the “tyranny” of the Montagnard Jacobins  Faced with foreign invaders and domestic rebellion, the National Convention established the Committee of Public Safety to defend France and safeguard the Revolution o Robespierre given dictatorial power o Carried out a Reign of Terror in the name of creating a Republic of Virtue o Executed his chief rivals, and thousands of “dangerous” class enemies Maximilien Robespierre

 Robespierre Quotes o “Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible.” o “Let terror be the order of the day!”  The Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris alone executed 2,639 victims in 15 months.  The total number of victims nationwide was over 20,000! The Reign of Terror 28% 31% 25% 8% 7%

 Law of 22 Prairial o Passed June 10, 1794 o Trials were now limited to deciding only on liberty OR death, with defendants having no rights.  Were you an “enemy of the people?” o the law was so broadly written that almost anyone could fall within its definition!

 It was premised upon Enlightenment principles of rationality.  The metric system of weights and measures o Was defined by the French Academy of Sciences in 1791 and enforced in o It replaced weights and measures that had their origins in the Middle Ages.  The abolition of slavery within France in 1791 and throughout the French colonies in  The Convention legalized divorce and enacted shared inheritance laws (even for illegitimate offspring) in an attempt to eradicate inequalities.

 The Catholic Church was linked with real or potential counter- revolution.  Religion was associated with the Ancien Régime and superstitious practices.  Therefore religion had no place in a rational, secular republic!  Program was very popular among the sans-culottes.

 The adoption of a new Republican Calendar: o abolished Sundays & religious holidays; months named after seasonal features; 7-day weeks replaced by 10-day decades. o the yearly calendar was dated from the creation of the Republic symbolizing a divorce between state from the Church!!  Cult of the Supreme Being o Public exercise of religion was banned o Cathedral of Notre Dame renamed “Temple of Reason” -- “Come, holy Liberty, inhabit this temple; Become the goddess of the French people.”  The Paris Commune supported the: o destruction of religious & royal statues. o ban on clerical dress. o encouragement of the clergy to give up their vocations. o The deportation of priests denounced by 6 citizens. New Secular Holiday – Festival of the Supreme Being Temple of Reason

 While the Terror crushed domestic dissent, Robespierre turned to the danger posed by the First Coalition  1793: “levee en masse” o Decreed compulsory military service for all men between 18 and 40 o Promotion based on merit o Created a national military based upon mass participation o Marked the first example of the complete mobilization of a country for war  Motivated by patriotism and led by a corps of talented young officers, France’s citizen soldiers defeated the First Coalition’s professional armies French Victory at Fleurys June 26, France defeated Austria. This opened the way to the reoccupation of Belgium

 Despite crushing internal dissent and defeating the First Coalition Robespierre continued to pursue his fanatical dream of creating a Republic of Virtue  Fearing for their lives and yearning for stability, the National Convention reasserted its authority by executing Robespierre  Radical phase of the French Revolution ended

 Curtailed the power of the Committee for Public Safety.  Closed the Jacobin Clubs.  Churches were reopened.  1795  freedom of worship for all cults was granted.  Economic restrictions were lifted in favor of laissez-faire policies.  August, 1795  a new Constitution is written o more conservative republicanism.

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 The Paris Commune was outlawed.  The Law of 22 Prairial was revoked.  People involved in the original Terror were now attacked  “White” Terror  Inflation continues  Rule by rich bourgeois liberals.  Self-indulgence  frivolous culture; salons return; wild fashions.  Political corruption.  Revival of Catholicism.

 5-man executive committee or oligarchy o Trying to to avoid a dictatorship.  Tried to avoid the dangers of a one-house legislature. o Council of 500  initiates legislation. o Council of Elders [250 members]  married or widowed males over 40 years of age. They accepted or rejected the legislation. o Both houses elected by electors who owned or rented property worth days’ labor [limited to 30,000 voters]. o The electors were elected by all males over 21 who were taxpayers.

 April, 1795  Inflation; bread riots.  May 20, 1795  Revolt of Prairial [Year III]  October, 1795  Vendée and Brittany revolted. o Military suppressed them.  May, 1796  First “communist” revolt o Gracchus Babeuf and the Conspiracy of Equals”

A British Cartoon about Napoleon’s Coup in 1799

ClergyNobilityBourgeoisiePeasantry Land in France owned by each group6-10%20-35%25-30%40-45% Each group as a percentage of the population 2%1.5%8.4%82-87%