FREV - The Moderate Phase (Lesson)

The Moderate Phase.

The New Government.

Many changes were underway once the the August 4th Decrees paved the way for a new constitution. Some of the biggest changes occurred with the church as the state nationalized the church, confiscating Catholic church property, and required the clergy to swear allegiance to the nation. Sovereignty came from membership in the nation as opposed to a political group. "Equality of opportunity" still allowed for property rights. Distinguishment between wealth, education, and talent were considered natural and legitimate thus wealth, not blood becomes the distinguishing marker. However, rights applied to men only.

From 1789 to 1791, the National Assembly acted as a constituent assembly in order to produce a constitution. In 1790, nobles officially lost titles and became indistinguishable from other citizens. The constitution created a limited monarchy with separation of powers, and a single house legislature elected by indirect voting. The king was to name and dismiss ministers. Every adult male who owned land and satisfied the minimal tax-paying requirements, gained right to vote. There were, however, higher restrictions for electors, emphasizing civic duty rather than natural right.

Sieyes quote - Those who contribute nothing to the public establishment should have no direct influence on government.

The Bread March.

On October 5th, 1789, women from neighborhoods around the Bastille, angry over insufficient market goods and high prices, gathered before the town hall. Some 10,000 began walking to Versailles to convince the king to provide bread. Several occupied the hall of the National Assembly, claiming power in the name of popular sovereignty. Louis met the women and promised bread. Lafayette, who became the head of the National Guard with the fall of the Bastille, sent a guard to keep the peace and made it there himself in time to intervene and save the family when the mob went after Marie Antoinette. Louis met the National Assembly that night and officially accepted the August 4th decrees in hopes of appeasing the women. The next morning, many tried to force their way into the chateau, killing 2 guards and forcing Louis and his family to march to Paris. The women dubbed the royal family: "the Baker, baker's wife, baker's little boy." Many believed that if Louis were to actually help with the bread crisis, he needed to be in Paris. Also - if the revolution had any hopes of succeeding (at this point it was still considered to be a constitutional monarchy), Louis and the National Assembly needed to be at the heart of the revolution. The National Assembly followsed suit and leaves Versailles for Paris.

 

The Moderate Phase continues.

For the next two years, until 1791, the government showed consolidation of a liberal revolution:

  • Nobility abolished
  • Constitutional monarch (Louis accepts 1790)
  • Women gain ability to get a divorce, inherit property, seek financial assistance for illegitimate children, but still no voting rights or ability to hold office

France was turned into 83 departments rather than its traditional 27 regions. Each department was to have the same institutions, subdivided into districts, cantons and communes to promote local autonomy. They were, however, subordinate to the legislature in Paris. There were instruments for promoting national integration and uniformity:

      • Created boundaries for new judicial system
        • justice of the peace in each canton
        • civil court in each district
        • criminal court in department
        • judges to be elected

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was perhaps the greatest mistake made in the Revolution? In the Middle Ages Pope Gregory and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV argued over the practice of Lay Investiture. Ultimately most believed it was the role of the Pope, not government to appoint bishops. With the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, not only was the National Assembly appointing bishops, but they required all religious figures (priests, bishops, etc) to swear an oath of allegiance to France. Many felt their loyalty was to the church rather than one nation and only 7 Bishops and 54% of parish priests swore the oath. Of those that did not, several spoke out against it and were arrested. The people of France faced a tough decision - do they continue to follow the priest who has not sworn the oath, or turn to another?

      • civil cases had no jury, but felonies to be tried by juries
      • defendant's right to council
      • encouraged arbitration and mediation to avoid formal litigation
      • justice was to be faster and more accesible.
  • Economic freedom
    • monopolies, guilds, trade barriers gone
    • free trade
    • no government regulation over wages or quality of goods
    • workers must bargain as individuals, therefore associations and strikes were banned
    • individuals were free to cultivate land as they saw fit
    • metric system unified weights and measures
  • Religious Alignment
    • religious freedom to Jews and Protestants
    • nationalized the church- Civil Constitution of the Clergy
    • abolished monasteries as useless relics of the past
    • church property backed new money - assignats. The nation issued paper notes that were backed by church land. All of this eliminated the need for new borrowing. Purchasers gained a vested interest in the revolution, after 1792 became the new official currency though mass printings led to inflation and new turmoil.
    • sold church properties at auction, Though peasants do manage to buy some of the former church lands, the property was often sold at auctions which favored the wealthy - not the peasants who needed land.
    • remaining church property was nationalized which made the state responsible for upkeep of the church
    • reduced the number of bishops from 130 to 83 and reshaped diocese to conform to the new departments
    • bishops and parish priests to be elected, were to be paid according to uniform salary scale

 

The Counter-Revolution

It began as early as the day after the fall of the Bastille. Many aristocrats (first the king's family and friends) began leaving the country in disgust (The Aristocrats that leave become known as "emigres"). During the next 3 years, thousands joined, including 213 of the royal officers corps. Many went to Austria and Germany and began forming an army. Publicly, the king supported the revolution, but privately he resented it. In June 1791, he and his family dressed in peasants clothes and fled to Montmédy on the Belgian border hoping to raise an army in order to gain support from Marie Antoinette's brother, the Austrian Emperor Leopold. Instead, the royal family was recognized and captured at Varennes. Moderates hoped this would end any of Louis' opposition as the assembly needed his help to make the constitutional monarchy work. Radicals had a different view, many such as Marat, began speaking even more vigorously about the treachery of the king. Marat attacked the assembly for not acting vigorously enough, while the assembly, determined to maintain the status quo, reaffirmed the king's position as well as upheld the notion that the king was kidnapped.

 

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