The political, social, economic and military movement that arose in France in 1789 is known by the name of the French Revolution.; The French Revolution brought as a consequence the collapse of the absolutist monarchy, which until then had ruled in France, at the same time that it originated the establishment of a democratic republican government and also, the initiation of a new era called the contemporary era. The French Revolution spread throughout the world the ideals of liberty and fraternity, as well as that of popular sovereignty.; and he disseminated, primarily, the knowledge of the fundamental rights of man and citizen.
Causes of the French Revolution
- The fundamental causes that originated the French Revolution were:
Monarchical absolutism, which was characterized by the unlimited power of the sovereign, whose authority was not subject to any control. - Social, political and economic inequality.
- The lack of freedoms and rights. To these causes must be added an important factor: the powerful influence of new ideas.
Background of the French Revolution:
the old regime
The old regime is called the political, social and economic state that France went through before the revolution. Said state was characterized by the predominance of royal absolutism, as well as injustices, inequalities and privileges, which constituted, as we have already said, the true causes of the French Revolution.
in the political
France was ruled by an absolute monarchy that ruled with unlimited power. The king, who believed himself designated by God to govern, proceeded arbitrarily, since he did not give an account of his actions to anyone; he spent as and when he wanted the income of the State; he named the officials; declared war and made peace; he dictated laws; he created taxes and could even dispose of the assets of his subjects when he considered it appropriate. There was no individual freedom, since the sovereign could order the arrest of any citizen without just cause; there was also no freedom of conscience and no book or newspaper could be published except under the control of censorship. On the other hand, the laws, which were diverse, were not applied equally or with the same rigor: thus we have that for the same crime the penalty was not the same, in the case of a nobleman and a farmer.
in the social
The social organization of France was based on inequality and privilege. Three social classes were distinguished, namely: Clergy, Nobility and Commonwealth, being the first two privileged.
The clergy
It was the first social class due to its great prestige and influence as well as its vast wealth. His extensive properties covered precisely a quarter of the total area of France, and, on the other hand, said economic heritage grew considerably thanks to the tithes that the faithful contributed as well as the exemption from the payment of fixed taxes that they enjoyed. It was divided into High and Low Clergy. Most of the wealth benefited only the High Clergy made up of bishops and abbots, who were mostly of noble origin and lived in Versailles at the King’s court. The lower Clergy, formed by priests and vicars, exercised their mission in the provinces, were of modest economic condition and came from the Llano State, due to this, they sympathized with the Revolution.
The royalty
The nobles formed the second privileged class in France; They owned large tracts of land, and, likewise, received from the peasants who worked on them, the so-called feudal rights; they paid taxes only in certain cases. They held top positions in the government and the church, as well as in the armed forces. The nobility were divided into Great Nobility, who led a life of luxury, pomp and wealth in the Palace of Versailles with the king, and the small nobility or nobility of the provinces. The latter was of moderate means and resided in her possessions in contact with the people whose needs she knew and with whose ideals she equally sympathized.
The Flat State
It was made up of the largest population in France, but, in turn, by the one with the least privileges and wealth. At the head of this social class was the bourgeoisie, made up of industrialists, merchants and professionals; who, over the years, had managed to achieve a solid economic situation and a vast cultural preparation, which made them, precisely, the promoters of the revolution.
At a lower level were the artisans and laborers or peasants, who led a truly miserable life, since they had to bear heavy economic burdens imposed by the government, the church and the nobles, such as the payment of tithes to the clergy, that of the census and other taxes to the lords and the state, keeping only 20 percent of their total income. The bourgeoisie was the social class that made the revolution. It is estimated that of the population of France (1789), estimated at 23 million inhabitants, only 300 thousand belonged to the privileged classes (Clergy and Nobility).
In the economic
From an economic point of view, the situation in France had the following characteristics:
- Monopoly of wealth, especially land, for the benefit only of the Clergy and the Nobility.
- Payment of taxes, like other fiscal charges, exclusively by the third state or flat state.
- Decline of commerce and industry, due to the lack of means of production as well as the existence of internal customs obstacles that made commercial exchange difficult. They joined such causes: low wages, as the lack of freedom for agriculture, industry and commerce.
- Excessive waste of fiscal money in the maintenance, mainly, of the court of Versailles.
Stages of the French Revolution
We distinguish the following stages in the development of the French Revolution.
Monarchical Stage (1789 – 1792)
The monarchical stage includes from the outbreak of the French Revolution (June 1789) until September 21, 1792, the date on which the monarchy was abolished.
Estates General (1789)
The Estates General were summoned by Louis XVI, King of France. They met in Versailles on April 5, 1789. The Estates General were a kind of assembly (parliament) made up of 1,200 deputies (300 for the clergy, 300 for the nobility and 600 for the Third Estate or State Level).
The economic crisis forced the French sovereign to bring them together, so that they could adopt the most convenient measures.. The Third Estate wanted to take advantage of said assembly to present favorable petitions to the people; the king and the nobility did not take these reforms into account. The request that they did not take into account was the right to vote by head, which was favorable to them because they were a majority, since they wanted the vote by order to subsist (which favored the privileged classes: the clergy and the nobility). Then the Third Estate defied the order of Louis XVI and met separately.
National Assembly (1789)
The National Assembly was created on June 17, 1789, it is the one that marked the outbreak of the revolution. The king closed the session room to the National Assembly which occupied the ball game room in which the deputies swore not to part until they had given a constitution to France.
Constituent Assembly (1789 – 1791)
The French sovereign gave in to the events of the National Assembly, inviting the three social classes to meet. This is how the Constituent Assembly arose. The king had lost his authority and the absolute Monarchy was coming to an end. The main events were:
Storming of the BastilleOn July 14, 1789, the people of Paris attacked the Bastille fortress and occupied it. The Bastille was the symbol of despotism.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, was promulgated by the Assembly on August 26, 1789. Feudal rights had previously been abolished on August 4, 1789. The declaration of the rights of man and citizen consists of 17 articles. They refer mainly to the fact that all men are equal; that sovereignty resides in the nation; that natural rights, such as liberty, equality, property, security, and resistance to oppression, should not be violated, nor should freedom of thought and belief.
The Constitution of 1791 was promulgatedwith a monarchical tendency that sanctioned the declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen, as well as the existence of three powers: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was promulgatedby which the assets of the Church passed into the hands of the State and the appointment of the ecclesiastical authorities would be made from now on by the people’s election.
Flight of the KingLouis XVI tried to flee abroad but was discovered in Varennes and then arrested and imprisoned in the Tuileries.
The Legislative Assembly (1791 – 1792)
This assembly was more hostile to the monarchy, the main events that arose during them were:
Declaration of war on Austria, where the first actions favored the Austro-Prussians; but the revolutionary armies, under Doumouriez, won great victories at Valmy and Gemapes (1792).
The Storming of the Tuileries and the final prison of Louis XVI.
Emergence of Political Partiesthe fuldences (monarchists), the Girondins (moderate republicans) and the Jacobins and the mountains (radical left).
Republican stage (1792 – 1804)
The Republican Stage that includes from September 21, 1792 to November 9, 1799, in which Napoleon Bonaparte gives the coup, called the 18 Brumaire and establishes the consulate for his benefit. The government of the consulate, with Napoleon as absolute owner of France, was, properly speaking, a stage of transition from the republic to the empire and lasted until 1804.
The Convention (1792-1795)
Once the Legislative Assembly was dissolved, the National Convention was formed. The main acts of said Convention were:
– I decree the abolition of the monarchy and proclaim the republic.
– I sanction universal suffrage (the right to vote for all citizens).
– Tried and sentenced Louis XVI to death. Execution that took place in January 1793.
arises the time of terror.
The Time of Terror; In this, a revolutionary government was formed which, under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, implanted the era of terror and sent thousands of detainees and suspects to the gallows. Violence and cruelty reigned, because even the leaders themselves such as Marat, Danton, etc., succumbed violently, as well as Marie Antoinette, the wise Lavoisier and finally Robespierre himself, was also executed by his enemies of the convention. The government of terror was made up of three committees: That of public safety, that of general security and the revolutionary court.
The Directory (1795 – 1799)
The National Convention promulgated the constitution of Year III, which established the Directory, a moderate republican government that had the following organization:
The executive powerin charge of the board of directors, made up of 5 members or…