French Revolution

 

 FRENCH REVOLUTION

v     Important Points

 

·     In 1774,louis XVI of the bourbon family of kings axends the throne of France.He was 20 years old and married to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette.

·     The term old regimw is usually used to describe the society and institution  Of France before 1789.

·     The members of the first two estates ,that is the clergy and the nobility ,enjoyed certain privileges by birth.

 

Causes of French Revolution 1789

1.Society of France

 1 st estate -Clergy ,pops Bishops.

2 nd estate – Nobility ,knights

3 rd estate -Workers,Peasants,Artians

 

·     Before 1789 the society and institution of France was described by the old Regime.

·     The society was of the fedral system Feud-a piece of land .This land was given by the church and the kings to their servants who provide their services to the nation.

·     The constitutin assembly was banned by the 20 years .During the period of bourbon bourbon family.

·     Their was force fully recruitment in the  army army during war session of bourbon family this system influenced by the Autrian empire.

 

Social Causes

·     In the sixteenth century the society of France was divided into three estates 1,2,and3 estates in which peasant  made up  90%  of population  ,novels own 60% land was owned by the church  and the other reach members.

·     The clergy and the nobility enjoyed certain privileges based on work.

·     They were exempted from paying taxes to states.

·     Fedural Privileges of Nobles:

Feudal extracted from the peasants were obliged to give theirs services to the land ,In their serve, in the army ,the construction work.

 

ECONOMIC CAUSE

 

·     The Austrian princes and the wife of loius drained the treasury of the France.

·     Long years of war drained the financial resources including the maintainance the court and the palace of versailes.

·     Under Louis XVI France helped the war of American indepenced added more a billion livres to a debt.

·     The cost of bread maintaining in army  the court ,the government officers and university were force state to increase the taxes.

·     A number of indirect taxes which were levied on articles of everyday consumption like salt or tobacco.

INITIAL CAUSE

·     In 1789,the population of France rose about 23 million to 28 million this increases the demand of food grains.

·     The production of grains could not keep pace with the demand of population .

·     The bread was the  staple diet of working class population who employed  in workshop.

·     Their owner fixed their wages  so they could not afford their staple diet by their wages.

·     After the rumor of increase of taxes of bread by the princess marie Antoinette struggle started on 14 july 1789.

 

v    Role Of Thinkers-important topic

·     French Philosphers were instrumental in the French revolution writers such as Voiltaire,Jean-Jacques Rosseau,Diderot,Locke etc,were the essential the backbone of the revolution .Basically ,the ideologies of the French Philosphers was the basis of the French Revolution .Two Treatises of government Locke sought to refute the doctrine of the divine and absolute right of the monarch .In the spirit of the laws ,Montesquieu proposed a division of power with the government between the  legislative the executive and thejudiciary.

 

 

 

v    Result of French revolution OR New Government in France after 1789

 

·     After July 1789 louis XVI gave recognition to national assembly and accepted the principle now to be check by constitution.

·     On the night of 4 august 1789 the assembly past decree abolishing the feudal system of oblcation and taxes.

·     Clerical priveleges were forced to give up, were abolished and church’s land were confiscated.

 

 

 

ü     Constitutional Monarchy

 

·     Nationally assembly completed the draft of the constitutional in 1789, and main object limit the power of monarchy.

·     The power were sepecated among legislative,exutive, judiciary this made trans ‘a consti-tutional monarchy’.

·     The constitutional was indirect elected, not all citizens had the right to note.

·     The constitution began with a declaration of right of mans and citizens the rights such as –

1)right to life

2)freedom of opinion

3)equality before law

4)Naturai and inalienable’ rights

 

 

 

 

                 New government of France

-Jacobins Government

 

·     The consititution of 1791 gave the political rights only to the reachers sections and now political clubs became important to discuss govt. policies and plan their own.The most successful of these clubs was jacobins.

·     1)The meber   of the club belong    to the less prosperous of society .Theuy included smallshopkeppers ,pastry ,cooks ,watch ,makers ,printers and dialy wages workers.

·     2)Their leader was maximilian Robespierre. These jacobins came to be known sans-culottes those without knee-breeches

·     In 1792 on the morning of 1-0  Aug Jacobins eiiunastormed the paris the tuileria massacud king guard nad held the king as hostage.

·     Later the royal framilyn was imprisonment and elections were held from now all the men above 21 years regardless of wealth got right to note.

·     The newly elected assembly was convention on 21 september 1792 monarchy was abolished and France was declared a replubic.

·     Loius XVI sentenced to death ,On 21 jan 1793 he was executd publicly and the queen met with the same fate shortly after.

 

 

Reign Of Terror

·     From 1793 to 1794 is ruled by the Robesspierre as reign  of terror followed the policy of control and punishment .

·     All the whom he saw enemies of republic nobles ,clergy  members political party and his own party member who did not agree with his method were imprisonment and if the court found guilty they were guilloten.

·     This government issue laws placing masximum ceiling on wages and prices , meat and bread were rationed an  peasants forced to transport their drain at fixed prices by the government.

·     Now citizens were not agree to continue his policies and began to demand his moderation and finally he was convicted by a court in July 1794.

 

 

 

 

 

Ø     Directory Rules

 

·     After the fall of jacobin govt.  middles class seized power. A constitution was introduced which  denied the vote to non .property section it provided to legislative , elected legislative councils appointed directory and executed made up of five members this political instability of directory paved the rise of napoleon Bonapart.

 

Conclusion of France Revolution

·     In 1789 an effective law that came into effect was abolished of cencorship in old regimed all the written material and activity had been the rule of sencorship .

 

·     The declaration the right of men and citizen proclaimed freedom of speech  and expression as natural right ,they discussed the changes taken place in France place ,song ,procession could grass and identify with the idea as liberty for justice rote by the philospheres .

 

 

 

 

v   Role of women in French revolution

 

·     In the begning of women were active participants in French society to brought many changes .

·     Most women of the third estate had to work for living -seamstresses, laundresses,sad flowers ,fruits and vegetables and employed as domestic servants.

·     In third estate women did not have axes to aducation or job training only daughters of nobles or wealthier member of third estate could study .

·     Working women had to care for their family and their wages were lower than men .

·     The demand of the revolutionery society  and replublical women was that women enjoy the same political rigits as men but they were dis appoi-whit from   the constitution of 1791.

·     In revolutionary govt. lose were introduced to figres of women position whit creations of school ,marriage lose , divose was made legal for both , training for jobs and run small buisnesses.

·     During the reign of terror the government issued the laws ordery closer of womens club, political actiwity and all the rights .

·     Women movements for woting rights and equal wages continued two hundred years and finally they won the right to two in 1946 in France

 

 

 

 

The abolition of Slavery

·     Through out 19^th there was little critism  in france, national assembly held long debates but did not pass any laws finally slavery was abolished in 1848 from all the French colonies.