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What event took place in Paris on the morning of 14 July 1789?
The storming of the Bastille
Why was the Bastille hated by the people?
French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates, with only members of the ______ paying taxes.
third estate
Peasants and artisans comprised the majority of the population in French society.
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What does the red Phrygian cap symbolize?
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What was the main purpose of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen?
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The Constitution of 1791 gave voting rights to all citizens, regardless of age or gender.
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The _____ abolished the feudal system of obligations and taxes in France.
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What did the eighteenth century witness the emergence of, who earned their wealth through an expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods such as woollen and silk textiles?
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Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes on 5th May 1789.
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The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the whole French ____________.
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What event occurred on 14th July involving an agitated crowd?
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What is the meaning of the painting of the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen by reading only the symbols?
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Which groups of French society would have benefitted from the Constitution of 1791? Which groups would have reasons to be dissatisfied?
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Imagine the impact of the events in France on neighbouring countries such as Prussia, Austria-Hungary, or Spain. How might different groups in these countries have reacted to the news from France?
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What is meant by the Reign of Terror?
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What was the loaf made of that all citizens were required to eat to promote equality?
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What titles replaced Monsieur and Madame for all French men and women during the revolution?
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Who made a speech at the Convention on 7 February 1794, advocating for terror as a means to curb the enemies of Liberty?
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Who was one of the politically active women in revolutionary France who wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen in 1791?
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The fall of the Jacobin government led to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as a military dictator.
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What were the natural rights highlighted in the political associations discussed?
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Where did the source of all sovereignty reside according to the document?
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What did the law aim to be according to the document?
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All citizens, male and female, have equal entitlement to honors and public employment according to their abilities.
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What politician sought to justify the closure of women's clubs based on domestic duties and breastfeeding?
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What was one of the most revolutionary social reforms of the Jacobin regime?
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What was the term used for the indigenous people of Africa south of the Sahara?
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Match the following reforms with their descriptions:
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What important law came into effect after the storming of the Bastille in the summer of 1789?
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Who crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804?
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Study Notes
The French Revolution
- The French Revolution began on July 14, 1789, when a mob of 7,000 people stormed the Bastille, a symbol of the despotic power of the king, in search of arms and ammunition.
- The event marked the beginning of a chain of events that ultimately led to the execution of King Louis XVI of France.
French Society During the Late Eighteenth Century
- In 1774, Louis XVI ascended to the throne of France, inheriting an empty treasury and a massive debt from years of war.
- The French society was divided into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the third estate, which included everyone else.
- The third estate, including peasants, artisans, and merchants, paid taxes, while the first two estates enjoyed certain privileges by birth, including exemption from paying taxes.
- The nobles further enjoyed feudal privileges, including feudal dues, which they extracted from the peasants.
- The Church extracted tithes from the peasants, and the state collected direct and indirect taxes from the third estate.
The Struggle to Survive
- The population of France rose from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789, leading to a rapid increase in demand for foodgrains.
- Production could not keep pace with demand, leading to a rise in the price of bread, which was the staple diet of the majority.
- Wages did not keep pace with the rise in prices, leading to a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
- A subsistence crisis occurred frequently in France during the Old Regime, where the basic means of livelihood were endangered.
A Growing Middle Class Envisages an End to Privileges
- The eighteenth century saw the emergence of a middle class, including merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, and administrative officials.
- This group earned their wealth through expanding overseas trade and from the manufacture of goods.
- They believed that no group in society should be privileged by birth, and that a person's social position must depend on his merit.
- Philosophers such as John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Montesquieu proposed ideas of a society based on freedom, equal laws, and opportunities for all.
The Outbreak of the Revolution
- Louis XVI had to increase taxes to meet the expenses of the state, but he needed the approval of the Estates General to do so.
- The Estates General was a political body to which the three estates sent their representatives.
- However, the third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members, while peasants, artisans, and women were denied entry to the assembly.### The Estates General and the National Assembly
• In 1789, the representatives of the third estate demanded that voting be conducted by the assembly as a whole, where each member would have one vote, inspired by democratic principles put forward by philosophers like Rousseau in his book The Social Contract. • The king rejected this proposal, leading to the representatives of the third estate walking out of the assembly in protest. • They assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles, declaring themselves a National Assembly and swearing not to disperse until they had drafted a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch.
The Tennis Court Oath
• The National Assembly was led by Mirabeau and Abbé Sieyès, who were convinced of the need to do away with a society of feudal privilege. • Mirabeau brought out a journal and delivered powerful speeches to the crowds assembled at Versailles.
Turmoil in France
• While the National Assembly was busy drafting a constitution, the rest of France seethed with turmoil due to a severe winter, bad harvest, and rising bread prices. • Bakers exploited the situation, leading to angry crowds storming into shops and the king ordering troops to move into Paris. • On 14 July, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
The Great Fear
• Rumors spread from village to village that lords of the manor had hired bands of brigands to destroy ripe crops. • Caught in a frenzy of fear, peasants in several districts seized hoes and pitchforks and attacked chateaux, looting hoarded grain and burning documents containing records of manorial dues. • Nobles fled from their homes, many migrating to neighboring countries.
The National Assembly's Reforms
• On the night of 4 August 1789, the Assembly passed a decree abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes. • Members of the clergy were forced to give up their privileges, and tithes were abolished, with lands owned by the Church confiscated. • The government acquired assets worth at least 2 billion livres.
France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy
• The National Assembly completed the draft of the constitution in 1791, which aimed to limit the powers of the monarch. • The constitution separated powers into different institutions – the legislature, executive, and judiciary. • The National Assembly was indirectly elected, with citizens voting for a group of electors, who in turn chose the Assembly. • Only men above 25 years of age who paid taxes equal to at least 3 days of a laborer's wage were considered active citizens with the right to vote.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
• The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, which established rights such as the right to life, freedom of speech, freedom of opinion, equality before law, and security. • These rights were considered 'natural and inalienable' and belonged to each human being by birth, and could not be taken away. • The state was responsible for protecting each citizen's natural rights.
The Constitution of 1791
• The Constitution vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly. • The Constitution began with a Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. • The Constitution separated powers into different institutions – the legislature, executive, and judiciary.
The Aftermath of the French Revolution
• The situation in France continued to be tense, with Louis XVI signing the Constitution but secretly negotiating with the King of Prussia. • Rulers of neighboring countries were worried by the developments in France and made plans to send troops to put down the events. • The National Assembly voted in April 1792 to declare war against Prussia and Austria. • The revolutionary wars brought losses and economic difficulties to the people. • Women were left to cope with the tasks of earning a living and looking after their families while the men were away fighting at the front. • Large sections of the population were convinced that the revolution had to be carried further, as the Constitution of 1791 gave political rights only to the richer sections of society.### The French Revolution and Political Clubs
- Political clubs became an important rallying point for people to discuss government policies and plan their own forms of action.
- The Jacobin club was the most successful, named after the former convent of St Jacob in Paris.
- Members of the Jacobin club belonged mainly to the less prosperous sections of society, including small shopkeepers, artisans, servants, and daily-wage workers.
- Their leader was Maximilian Robespierre.
The Sans-Culottes
- A large group among the Jacobins decided to wear long striped trousers similar to those worn by dock workers to set themselves apart from the fashionable sections of society.
- They came to be known as the sans-culottes, meaning "those without knee breeches".
- Sans-culottes men wore the red cap that symbolized liberty.
Women's Participation in the Revolution
- Women too formed their own clubs and newspapers to discuss and voice their interests.
- About sixty women's clubs came up in different French cities, with the Society of Revolutionary and Republican Women being the most famous.
- One of their main demands was that women enjoy the same political rights as men.
- Women demanded the right to vote, to be elected to the Assembly, and to hold political office.
The Reign of Terror
- The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror.
- Robespierre followed a policy of severe control and punishment, arresting and executing those who opposed him.
- The guillotine was used to execute those found guilty.
- Robespierre's government issued laws placing a maximum ceiling on wages and prices, and rationed meat and bread.
The Fall of the Jacobin Government and the Rise of Napoleon
- Robespierre's relentless pursuit of his policies led to his own downfall, and he was eventually convicted and executed.
- The fall of the Jacobin government allowed the wealthier middle classes to seize power, introducing a new constitution that denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society.
- The Directory, an executive made up of five members, was established, but political instability paved the way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Women's Struggle for Equality
- The revolutionary government introduced laws that improved the lives of women, including making schooling compulsory for girls and allowing women to train for jobs.
- However, women's struggle for equal political rights continued, with the fight for the vote being carried out through an international suffrage movement.
- It was finally in 1946 that women in France won the right to vote.
- Olympe de Gouges, a prominent revolutionary woman, wrote a Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen, demanding equal rights for women.
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Description
This quiz covers the events of July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, including the gathering of citizens and the formation of a people's militia.
