Chapter - 1 The French Revolution

Chapter - 1 The French Revolution 

1. Introduction: The Revolution Begins

• The French Revolution began in 1789.
• It ended absolute monarchy and led to the rise of democracy in France.
• It inspired revolutions in Europe and other parts of the world.

French Society in the Late 18th Century

During the late 1700s (18th century), French society was divided into three estates – a system known as the Old Regime.

1. The Three Estates

                                                            First Estate – Clergy

• Included church officials (bishops, priests, etc.)
• Owned about 10% of the land
• Paid no taxes
• Collected tithes (tax from peasants)

Second Estate – Nobility

• Included nobles and lords
• Owned about 20-25% of the land
• Enjoyed privileges (hunting rights, exemption from taxes)
• Held high posts in government, army, and church

Third Estate – Common People

• About 97% of the population
• Divided into 3 groups:
• Peasants – worked on land, paid heavy taxes
• Workers and servants – lived in cities, often poor and hungry
• Middle class (bourgeoisie) – merchants, lawyers, teachers; educated and influenced by Enlightenment ideas
• Paid all the taxes (to king, nobles, church)
• Had no political rights

Problems Faced by the Third Estate

• High tax burden
• No voice in decision-making
• Food shortages and rising prices
• Social inequality and lack of justice

Reasons for the Struggle to Survive:

• Growing Population
• The population of France increased rapidly.
• More people meant higher demand for food, jobs, and resources.
• Slow Growth in Production
• Agricultural production could not keep up with the rising population.
• There was no improvement in farming techniques.
• Food Shortages
• Poor harvests led to short supply of grain.
• Bread was the main food, and its price rose sharply.
• The poor could not afford to buy food.
• Low Wages and Unemployment
• Many workers were unemployed or poorly paid.
• The price of essential goods rose faster than wages.
• Heavy Taxes
• Only the Third Estate paid taxes to the king, nobles, and church.
• This made life harder for common people.

Outcome/ Result:

• People were angry and frustrated.
• Their basic needs were not met, and they had no rights or support.
• This struggle to survive created a strong feeling of unrest, which contributed to the French Revolution.

A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges

Who were the Middle Class? :- In 18th century France, a new middle class was growing. It included:

• Merchants
• Lawyers
• Teachers
• Bankers
• Businessmen and professionals
• They were wealthy and educated, but they still belonged to the Third Estate, and had no political rights or privileges.

What Did They Want? :- They were inspired by Enlightenment thinkers like:

• John Locke – believed in natural rights (life, liberty, property)
• Rousseau – believed in equality and social contract
• Montesquieu – promoted separation of powers in government
• These ideas made the middle class believe that:
• Everyone should be equal before the law
• Privileges of the First and Second Estates should end
• Power should be in the hands of the people, not just the king and nobles

Their Role in the Revolution:

• The middle class played a leading role in demanding liberty, equality, and fraternity.
• They spread new ideas through books, newspapers, and discussions.
• They helped bring about the end of feudal privileges and the rise of democracy in France.

The Outbreak of the French Revolution

1. Estates-General Meeting (May 5, 1789)

• King Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates-General to discuss the financial crisis.
• All three estates (Clergy, Nobles, Common people) were invited.
• Each estate had one vote, which was unfair to the Third Estate (they were the majority, but had the same vote as the minority).

2. Third Estate Protests

• The Third Estate demanded voting by head (one person = one vote), but the king refused.
• On June 20, 1789, they declared themselves the National Assembly.
• They took the Tennis Court Oath, promising not to separate until they had written a new constitution.

3. Fall of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)

• People feared that the king would use the army against the National Assembly.
• Angry crowds in Paris stormed the Bastille (a royal prison and symbol of tyranny).
• The Bastille was destroyed, and this marked the beginning of the revolution.

4. Revolt in the Countryside

• In the countryside, peasants attacked noble landlords.
• They looted grain stores and burned tax records.
• This period is called the Great Fear.

5. Important Changes

• August 1789: National Assembly passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
• It declared freedom, equality, and fraternity.
• 1791: France became a constitutional monarchy.

France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy

1. Background

• Before the revolution, France was an absolute monarchy, where King Louis XVI had all the powers.
• The Third Estate protested against this system and formed the National Assembly in 1789.

2. Drafting a Constitution

• The National Assembly began drafting a new constitution.
• In 1791, the first constitution of France was completed.
• This limited the powers of the king and created a constitutional monarchy.

3. Key Features of the 1791 Constitution

• The king became the head of the state, but his powers were checked by the National Assembly.
• Laws were made by the Assembly, not by the king.
• Only active citizens (men above 25 who paid taxes) could vote (no voting rights for women or the poor).
• It guaranteed some basic rights like freedom of speech and equality before the law.

4. Impact

• The absolute power of the king was ended.
• A new system of separation of powers was introduced.
• Although not fully democratic, it was a major step toward modern democracy.

France Abolishes Monarchy and Becomes a Republic

1. War and Crisis

• In 1792, France went to war with Austria and Prussia.
• People feared that foreign kings might help Louis XVI regain power.
• Inside France, people were angry at the king for betraying the revolution.

2. Fall of the Monarchy

• On August 10, 1792, revolutionaries stormed the palace of the king in Paris.
• King Louis XVI was arrested and imprisoned.
• On September 21, 1792, the National Convention (new elected assembly) abolished the monarchy.

3. France Becomes a Republic

• The monarchy was officially ended.
• France was declared a republic – a country without a king, where representatives are elected by the people.

4. Execution of the King and Queen

• In January 1793, King Louis XVI was tried and found guilty of treason.
• He was executed by guillotine.

The Reign of Terror (1793–1794)

1. What Was the Reign of Terror?

• The Reign of Terror was a period of extreme violence and fear in France.
• It lasted from 1793 to 1794.
• It was led by Maximilien Robespierre, the head of the Jacobins and the Committee of Public Safety.

2. Actions Taken During the Reign of Terror

• Robespierre believed that terror was necessary to protect the revolution.
• Anyone suspected of being against the revolution (even slightly) was arrested and executed by guillotine.
• Thousands of people, including nobles, clergy, former revolutionaries, and even ordinary citizens, were killed.

3. Strict Controls by Robespierre

• Censorship of the press.
• Fixed prices of bread and other essential goods.
• Banned luxury goods.
• Promoted equality in clothing and speech (called each other "citizen").

4. End of the Reign of Terror

• People became afraid and angry at Robespierre’s harsh rule.
• In July 1794, Robespierre was arrested and executed by guillotine.
• This ended the Reign of Terror.
• In October 1793, Queen Marie Antoinette was also executed.

A Directory Rules France

1. What is the Directory?

• After the fall of Robespierre in 1794, a new government was formed in France.
• A new constitution was introduced in 1795.
• It established a Directory – a group of five members who shared executive power.
• It was meant to prevent any one person from becoming too powerful like Robespierre.

2. Structure of the New Government

• There were two elected legislative councils (law-making bodies).
• The five Directors were chosen by the councils to run the government.
• This system tried to create a balance of power.

3. Problems During the Directory Rule

• The Directors often fought among themselves.
• They were corrupt and inefficient.
• Political instability and economic problems continued.
• The government was weak and unpopular.

4. Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

• Due to the failure of the Directory, people lost trust in it.
• In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, a popular military general, overthrew the Directory in a coup.
• He later declared himself Emperor of France.

Did Women Have a Revolution?

1. Role of Women in the Revolution

• Women were actively involved in the French Revolution.
• They demanded equality, education, and fair wages.
• Many women from the Third Estate had to work hard to support their families and still had no political rights.

2. Women’s Demands :-Women wanted:

• The right to vote.
• The right to be elected to government.
• Equal education and job opportunities.
• End to discrimination against them.

3. Famous Example: The Bread March (October 1789)

• Thousands of women marched from Paris to Versailles, demanding bread and lower prices.
• They forced the king to move to Paris, closer to the people.

4. Olympe de Gouges and Women’s Rights

• Olympe de Gouges was a French writer and activist.
• She wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen (1791).
• She demanded equal rights for women, including in marriage and politics.
• She was executed in 1793 for her views.

5. After the Revolution

• The new government did not grant women equal rights.
• In 1793, women's political clubs were banned.
• Women were told to stay at home and focus on family duties.

The Abolition of Slavery

1. Background

• In the 18th century, France was involved in the transatlantic slave trade.
• Slaves were brought from Africa to work on sugar, coffee, and tobacco plantations in the Caribbean colonies like Saint Domingue (now Haiti).
• The trade made French merchants very rich, but it was based on extreme cruelty and inhuman treatment of African people.

2. Demands to End Slavery

• During the French Revolution, many people began to speak out against slavery.
• Enlightenment thinkers believed in freedom and equality for all humans.
• Slaves and free people of color in the colonies also revolted and demanded freedom.

3. Abolition of Slavery (1794)

• In 1794, the revolutionary government in France abolished slavery in all its colonies.
• This was a huge step toward human rights.

4. Slavery Restored and Abolished Again

• Later, when Napoleon Bonaparte came to power, he reintroduced slavery in 1802.
• Finally, slavery was permanently abolished by the French government in 1848.

The Revolution and Everyday Life

The French Revolution didn't just change politics – it also changed people’s everyday lives in many important ways:

1. End of Censorship and More Freedom

• Before the revolution, the king controlled what people could say, write, or print.
• After the revolution, censorship was removed.
• Freedom of speech and expression became a right.
• Newspapers, books, and pamphlets spread new ideas of liberty and equality.

2. New Ideas through Education

• Revolutionaries believed that education was important to create good citizens.
• Schools were opened to spread revolutionary ideas and values.
• The aim was to educate people about their rights and duties.

3. New Laws and Equality

• Old laws based on birth and privilege were removed.
• Everyone was equal before the law.
• A new legal system was created that treated all citizens fairly.

4. New Way of Speaking and Dressing

• People started using words like “citizen” and “citizeness” instead of “sir” or “madam”.
• Wearing simple clothes (like the sans-culottes) became a symbol of equality and support for the revolution.

5. Changes Came at a Cost

• Many people lost their lives during the revolution (especially during the Reign of Terror).
• While some rights were gained, not everyone benefited equally – especially women and the poor.

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