The French Revolution and its Effect

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.

Off With His Head! The Revolution turns Radical

Before you start, watch this Khan Academy video summary of the Radical phase of the French Revolution. Please note the video is 23 minutes long, but you can return to it if you are unable to watch it in one sitting. When you are finished, review the abbreviated notes below.

In September 1791, under house arrest at the Tuileries Palace, Louis is left with no other choice but to accept the final version of the constitution. Maximilian Robespierre, a lawyer and member of the Jacobin Mountain party who eventually becomes the head of France leading the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror, remarks the revolution is over.

In October 1791, the National Assembly is dissolved, as none of its members are eligible for Legislative Assembly. In a, perhaps, shortsighted move, the legislators in the National Assembly had agreed no one in their group would take part in the new government - leaving it up to the people to truly create a new government. However, with the new elections came a large group without experience and largely divided by political factions. Out of the new representatives, many distrusted Louis, and overall, the group was inclined to proceed less cautiously than the National Assembly.

The new political spectrum:

Political Spectrum map

April 1792 - France declared war on Austria. Prussia joined with Austria and France was near defeat until an argument between Austria and Prussia over Poland kept France from falling.

August 3, 1792 - the Duke of Brunswick issued the Brunswick Manifesto which stated if harm comes to the royal family, the Austrians would level Paris.

Rather than retreat from conflict, on August 10, 1792, a crowd attacked the Tuileries in search of the king. Louis fled to the Legislative Assembly, which suspended him, imprisoned him, and called for a new constitution. New elections, with universal male suffrage, were called for.

A second revolution began. The September Massacres resulted in over 1000 deaths. A new revolutionary calendar was created and Year 1 began.

In January of 1793, Louis was sentenced to death.

Who are the sans culottes? Laborers were the ones who had driven the revolution, in particular, the sans culottes. Their interest was always economic and by 1793, inflation, unemployment, and food shortages were rampant. By the spring of 1793, many became interested in politics. As sans culottes become more politically active, the Mountain joined with them and helped orchestrate an uprising - which resulted in 31 Girondists being arrested for treason - allowing power to be passed to the Mountain.

Members of the Mountain, including Robespierre, form the Committee of Public Safety, which the convention gave dictatorial power to in order to deal with the national emergency. Activities in Paris triggered revolts in other cities as peasants revolted and the Republican Army was driven back. (At the beginning of the war over half the officer's corps had emigrated, as a result, troops were poorly trained and lacked discipline.)

By 1794, the Committee of Public Safety accomplished the following:

Planned Economy
- Maximum allowable prices for key products. The state was too weak to enforce all price regulations but did fix the price of bread.
- Rationing was introduced. The "bread of equality" - a bread made of a mixture of all available flours.
- White bread and pastries were outlawed as luxuries.
Total war
- Nationalized small workshops.
- Requisitioned raw materials.
Reign of Terror
- Special courts which ignored normal legal procedures and judged severely.
- 40,000 executed or died in prison.
- 300,000 more suspects in prison and came close to death.

By August 1793, changes had come to the army as well.

All unmarried men were subject to the draft.
800,000 soldiers on duty.
French army outnumbered opponents 4 to 1.

The success of the army led the Committee of Public Safety to relax standards and in March 1794, they began to focus on Robespierre's opponents. Two weeks later, Danton, a former collaborator, is executed. As a result, several, fearing they would be next, join forces to bring down Robespierre. On the 9th of Thermidor (July 27, 1794), he is denounced and put on trial where he is not allowed to speak. The next day he is brought before the guillotine and executed, followed by his closest supporters.

Robespierre and the Temple of Reason

Before Robespierre was condemned and executed, he led France through a series of vast changes. View the PowerPoint below to learn more about the political situation that allowed Robespierre to come to power as well as the actions of the Committee of Public Safety.

What was different? The new constitution, written in 1795, established a bicameral legislature,

Thermidorian Reaction

With the death of Robespierre, the middle class reasserted itself. The National Convention retook control - abolishing price controls and restricting political organizations in which the sans culottes had found strength. Under the guidance of a new constitution, the nation was officially ruled by a panel of 5 men known collectively as the Directory. Wealthy bankers and the nouveaux riches (the "new rich") celebrate with self indulgence, in many ways replacing the old aristocracy with a new, non-titled one. The working poor attempt to revolt, but are quickly put down and given no concessions. The urban poor won't see political strength again until 1830. Many of the villages simply want peace.

Timeline of Events

Try your hand at ordering the events from the Moderate to Radical Phase. Remember the AP Exam will not ask you for specific dates, but they will require that you know chronology.

Test your ordering skills in the activity below. Please note the first stages of the revolution are also included here as a review.

How did you do? Need help? Click here to download a timeline from Sue Pojer's HistoryTeacher.net.

Effects of the French Revolution

The uprising of the citizens of France was both inspired by and inspired other revolutions. The relationship between the French and Colonial American governments led to the support of the American Revolution by France. With America’s victory over Great Britain, one of the strongest countries in the world at the time, French citizens were given an example of how a revolution based on enlightenment ideals could be successful and ultimately, benefit the population. Ironically, the success of the French Revolution inspired one of its own colonies, Haiti, to travel down the same path.

Portrait of Toussaint L'ouverture Haiti, a colony located in the Caribbean and known as Saint-Dominique, was a French sugar-producing colony that was very profitable for the French economy. The back-breaking work in the fields was done by slaves brought to the colony during the period of Triangular Trade. However, there was a class of people who were freed slaves and mulattos called affranchis who sought more equality among the Europeans. These people owned land and had money but were still treated as inferiors and they wanted to end the racism they faced. Some of the wealthier affranchis were granted citizenship but those rights were ignored by the Europeans. A slave revolt followed and slaves were granted freedom in 1794 by France.

In the 1790s, a former slave and military leader by the name of Toussaint L’Ouverture had risen to power and proclaimed himself as the governor-general for life. Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) wanted to maintain control over Saint-Dominique due to the large amount of money it brought in. He also wanted to reinstate slavery. He sent troops in who fought against L’Ouverture. They fought and eventually agreed to an armistice, which the French broke. They captured L’Ouverture and took him back to France where he died.

Some of L’Ouvture’s followers continued to fight against France and eventually, in 1804, Haiti declared independence from France.

Question Mark Icon

In your notes, respond to the following.

Evaluate the Revolution. For each of the following, list what you consider the 3 most important for each. Be sure to include a quick reason as to why you would place them on your list:
- - - - Causes of the French Revolution
        
        Events of the French Revolution
        
        Consequences of the French Revolution.

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