EVENTS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (COURSE OF THE REVOLUTION)

On the advice of Necker, King Louis XVI had called the estates general assembly basically to discuss the financial affairs of France.

Before the estates for cahiers and about 60,000 cahiers had been collected but most of them 4 m of 3rd state for example there were demands for the reform of taxation, abolition of the nobility privileges, abolition of feudal dues, abolition of letters de cachet and regular meetings of the estates general.

At the meeting which took place on 15th may 1789. The third estate (Peasants and bourgeoisies) had 321 representatives, 305 clergy and 285 members of the nobility.

This type of representative had given hope to the peasantry and positive changes. The king wanted the reports to meet separately in estates, as was the tradition.

The members of the third estate were not ready for such a system since this type of decisions of the third estate would over ridden between the 16th may and 9th June, a series the meeting occurred between with the third estate insisting that the other estates child join from in discussing matters of the estate.

On the 12th June, the reports of the third estate took decisive steps and declared themselves the national assembly and invited the other members to join then to form a government for France

Significance of the event

It indicated the weakness and inconsistence of the making decisions because in spite of his initial position, he later on 27th June allowed the reports of the other two estates to join the third estates reports and thus gave official recognition of the national assembly.

It led to a complete break with the old order of the ancient regime because it was now the third estates decisions that prevailed over those of the other classes.

It marked the making of the representative government for the first time in France because it was now the representatives of the majority who made the political decision.

It marked the triumph of the third estate against the 1st and 2nd estates a reversal of what had been established ordered in France.

It marks the real beginning of the revolution because for the 1st time, members of the 3rd estate defied the orders of the King and got away with it.

It ended the weeks of wrangling and time wasting over procedures and sitting arrangements.

It- showed the military vulnerability of the ancient regime because the king couldn’t and hesitated to use the army against the 3rd estate reports because he was unsure of its loyality.

The storming of the Bastille (14th July 1789)

The poor economic conditions in the country side had led to the formation of mobs in Paris and the states easily exploited etc.

The nobles began to mobilize forces under marshal brogile with the aim of fighting the revolutionaries.

The Paris mobs became fed up with the preserve of the troops and feared for counter revolution.

To stop this likelihood, for example decided to protect them by getting arms to help them in fighting a counter revolution.

The already tense situation was made worse by   the dismissal of Necker on 11th July and yet the people had begun to view Necker is of advocate of their cause.

Violence further increased when they heard rumors that there were a lot of arms from the Bastille and that the King was entertaining some regiments for a counter revolution.

On the night of 14th July, the mobs incited by the Drators stole arms from the hater de Ville and the great military depot and hospital les invalids.

They invaded the Bastille killed the governor, the attendants and freed some prisoners.

IMAGE SHOWING THE STORMING BASTILLE

Significant of the storming Bastille

It marked the beginning of violence of the revolution.

Declaration of the national assembly had been peaceful but the storming of the Bastille had changed the tone of the revolution.

It marked the beginning of extreme disorder and bloodshed through the country as the people of the countryside followed the example of the Parisians and killed people indiscriminately and burn the manors of the nobles (place of work, important investment.

It led to format ion of the Paris commune by the Parisians to organize security for them. The Paris commune became the center of anti-royalists feeling and played the decisive role later in the course of the revolution.

It led to the formation of the National Guard under General Lafayette as the defense organ of the revolution against the counter revolution.

It led to the fleeing of the king’s brothers Comte de Artois and Comte de Provace to the neighboring countries marking the beginning of the problem of emir gees.

It led to the formation of tri-colors flag which was red white and blue to replace the white flag of the bourbons and to signify that power was in the hands of the national assembly.

It led to the disbandment of the foreign regiments on demand of the NA.

It led to the dedication of the 14th July as France National holiday and this has remained up to date.

After the storming of the Bastille, the 3rd estate (N/A) was recognized and empowered to make laws for France and for this purpose transformed itself into the constitutional assembly.

The revolutionaries decided to force the King to move to Paris to get him out of the contaminated influence of the nobles.

It led to the reinstatement of Necker as the controller of France finance and the dismissal of duke de brogile, although it was too late to salvage the financial situation of the country.

There was breakdown of law and order. Set a wave of action by the peasants against appression to the neighborhood countries for example Austria and Russia.

             4TH AUGUST DECREES                                   

This was called as a result of the unrest especial in the countryside members of the 1st and 2nd estates recognized equality before the law, equality of taxation they agreed to put an end to a number of feudal burdens and the abolition of the gone laws Gabelle tax as suggested by the bishop.

Significance

Feudalism came to an end

The old taxation system was declared illegal but then did not provide an alternative source of funding.

Destroyed the older

Peasants got almost all the wanted from the revolution

N.B

The whole fabric of the laws was altered French

Declaration of the right of man (12th August)

Mainly the work of Layette. It was to act as a procedure to the French constitution.

Following the declarations of surrender privileges by the nobles, on 4th august, it was felt that the new constitution should point out the rights of to avoid further exploitations

The declaration pointed that people had a right to rule themselves that men were by nature equal and that no man should enslave the other.

It was pointed out that in a country, there should be freedom of speech, press and association and that every citizen had a right though his report to make laws and impose taxation and that nobody was to be imprisoned and people were to enjoy freedom of worship.

Implication of the declaration of the rights of man

It led to the destruction of feudalism and tax laws and this helped to improve the economic activities.

It established freedom of speech, press and association as well as freedom of worship.

It laid a background for the foundation of Human Rights on which the UNO was based.

I was an idealistic document that raised idealistic expectations of people and which later could not be implemented.

As one writer commented, the declaration of the rights of man took the French mane to the top of the mountain and showed them the Promised Land but told them they would not enter.

It remained people of their rights but not their duties and later bought disorder and chaos as the people struggled for their rights.

It led to the destruction of the old order of the ancient regimes where the King alone is the prerogative of deciding what rights the people should enjoy.

It later created a problem of the source of revenue. This was because people refused to pay taxes and the government later had to take despot measures like the seizure of church lands.

The declaration provided the definition of a program on which the revolutionaries would base their political organization.

It acted as a prelude to the 1st French constitution which was completed in December 1789 and enacted in September 1791.

The executive whereby France was to be ruled by a King who was a hereditary monarchy and would rule by the grace of God the will of people.

The king had the power to choose dismiss ministers, he was the head army forces, he could mint money and had six years suspense veto powers, but could not initiate legislation and his appointments could be questioned.

The legislature:

It had a chamber of 745 deputies and was to be chosen every 2 years in order to avoid corruption.

The members of the legislature were to be chosen by a tax paying electorate made up of people who had land could stand as candidates for election.

The deputies had to be over 40 years of age.

The Kings ministers were not allowed to sit on the legislature and the king couldn’t dissolve the legislature.

Local government and local provinces of France were abolished and in their place 83 departments of equalize were established:

Each department was divided into 7 or 8 a rondisement and each arondisement was divided nine (9) cantons and each canton was divided communes each made up of 40,000 people.

The major intension was to streamline the political organization in France and facilitate national.

Democracy:

To uphold democracy in France which had been trampled on by dictatorial ancient regime?

The constitution provided that state official, judges, magistrates, treasures, internal guards and commanders of the army were to be elected by the people.

The constitution limited the powers of the King, United the French people, the question of the Kings Veto powers and taxpaying electorate.

The women March to versatile (8th October 1789)

The problem of the king’s right of veto and his refusal to sign the declaration of the rights of manmade the people view these as undermining the revolution.

At the same time there was economic distress, unemployment, the price of bread had gone up by 65% yet the wages had only increase by 30% since 1786 while the people were starving, the king was hosting a regiment super for the flonders at Versailles in preparation for a counter revolution influence of the critoards at Versailles who were influencing him against the assembly.

On the 5th of October the women marched to Versailles to demand a reduction in the price of bread and to ensure the punishment of the officers who had insulted the tri-color flag. General Lafayette and the National Guard also accompanied the women.

Implication of the march

Paris got special food supplies from Versailles. The king was forced to agree to the decrees of the 4th august and the declaration of the rights of man.

The king was compelled to move from Versailles to Paris and from then on wards Paris became the political scene of the revolution.

It resulted into the king’s vulnerability because he was no longer his own master, he had no troops which he could use at his will for his defense, he was ledged at the fuilleries palace under the watchful eye of the revolutionaries.

From then onwards the trators, the pamphleteers, took increasing control of the political situation.

It signified the further increase in the breakdown of law and order as the public was now allowed to listen to the debates of the assembly, cheering the extremists so that the moderates began to keep away from the meetings.

It was a demonstration of the equality between man and women in the struggle to make their lives better.

The N.G was now entrusted for the defense of Paris and Versailles against prospective moves of counter revolution.

Symbolic because women were known mothers of the nation and popularity regarded as cowards but if they were out to use force then the conditions must have been worse thus strengthen the morder of the revolutionaries to join the struggle hence the spirit of nationalism.