Remember the bourgeoisie were significant in directing the revolution, making up the membership of the National Assembly, the Legislative Assembly & the Convention & the peasants influenced events through their violence e.g. the Great Fear led to the August Decrees which destroyed feudalism in 1789.

The Terror gradually moved beyond the Sans Culottes' control as the Committee of Public Safety became more ruthless, seeking more centralised government.

Enthusiastic supporters of the Terror found themselves The power of the crowds & the Sans its next victims, e.g. the popular leader, Danton. Culottes was centred on Paris though there were some in the provinces, The revolutionary armies & the popular societies in the sections were disbanded. Why did the influence of the Sans particularly in the revolutionary armies. The law of Maximum was extended to control wages as well as food, despite continuing food shortages. Culottes' wane after 1794? The crowds & Sans Culottes were influential through The crowds & the Sans Culottes their use of Parisian journees to effect change e.g. The Thermidorian Reaction that toppled Robespierre broke their power. were one of a number of through the October Days 1795 saw the arrests of & disarmament of Sans Culottes, the closure of the Jacobin Club & the Paris Commune. influences that shaped the revolution. The Sans Culottes were dominant in the National Guard, the Parisian sections & the revolutionary commune set up in 1792.

Some historians think the Terror was the work of a bloodthirsty mob of frustrated men who enjoyed their taste of power and revelled in an orgy of violence Paris was only 12 miles from Versailles so news of Other historians think the Terror was the work of sincere revolutionaries There are 2 opposing views amongst historians the latest political developments always reached trying to clear France of privilege, corruption & the enemies of revolution. Paris long before they reached the provinces. The Terror began when the Sans Culottes were at the height of their influence. Historians have disagreed over their numbers but recent research suggests News spread fast in Paris. They were plenty of journalists & they made up no more than 10% of the adult males of Paris (c. 2,000 • 3,000) but capable of mobilising armed crowds of tens of thousands at times of crisis. pamphleteers in Paris who were eager to spread gossip & literacy rates were high. Even those who couldn't read could Many historians believe the role of the Sans Culottes was strengthened as a result of their role in get their 'news' from radical orators who thrived in the city. the overthrow & execution of the king (1792•3) & the removal of the Girondins (June 1793). Other historians think Robespierre and the Jacobins just used the Sans Culottes for their own ends • e.g. Attempts to control supplies of food to Paris removing the Girondins. were unpopular. 10 ft barriers were built around Paris in 1785 to collect entry taxes on Nightly meetings were held in church halls Paris was particularly vulnerable to variations in food supplies. goods entering the city (octrois). This was & other suitable venues. What role did the Sans Culottes play in the Terror? Why was Paris so important in the revolution? Parisians depended on regular supplies of bread at affordable supposed to stop tax avoidance but was just prices • any threat to this could rapidly cause riots & disorder really unpopular. The law of the General Maximum which fixed amongst the crowded streets. basic commodity prices was introduced after a They did force some change though. customs posts were largely destroyed on 14th July 1789! journee on 4•5 Sept. 1793 to the Convention. They had become an organised body by 1793. What did the Sans Culottes do during the Terror? The same revolutionary journee forced the Approx. 600,000 citizens (x6 the size of Convention to create revolutionary armies to force Conditions in Paris favoured the its nearest rival) lived in close proximity. grain requisitioning in the provinces & defeat emergence of a vocal & active group of 'counter revolution' citizens. The wealthy had largely moved out of the centre of the city leaving it to be populated by poorer people. They set up their own watch committees to spy on suspected traitors. The Sans Culottes dominated the Paris Sections. How was the course of the revolution Largely concerning food prices but there shaped by the Riots were quite common in 18th were some political riots e.g. in 1787 when people of Paris from century Paris though order was usually the Paris Parlement held out against Louis. Historians disagree over how far they became 1789 to 1795? quickly restored. more organised after 14 July 1789 but they all agree that they were responsible for keeping the revolution going. If the bourgeoisie had had their Following the catastrophic 1788 harvest way the revolution would have ended by 1791! prices stood at their highest for 20 years!

Working men were invited here to listen to More migrants than usual arrived to find work, putting popular leaders such as Danton & Marat The home of the Sans Culottes was to be more pressure on food supplies. debate the proceedings of the Assembly. found in the Cordeliers District in Paris (where the club was founded in 1791). Parisians looked for someone to blame as hunger led to violence. Several newspapers were published in the district. Bakers, farmers, corn dealers & granaries were attacked Parisian rioting changed in spring 1789 when political stagnation coincided with economic distress. Those collating material for cahiers for the Originally set up by the bourgeoisie they The Sans Culottes had 2 power bases. Estates•General encouraged complaints to be made. soon became infected by radical fervour. The Paris Commune & National Guard The attack on the wallpaper manufacturer, Reveillon, came They provided the Sans Culottes with were formed in Paris in 1789. following rumours of a 'plot' to subdue the people with wage cuts. powerful central organisations. Disaffected crowds began to meet in the Palais Royal's How & why did the Paris crowd gardens to hear the latest news from radical speakers there. They permanently anticipated betrayal & treachery. become involved in the outbreak of revolution in 1789? The October Days 'march of the women' of 1789 In spite of his faults, Parisians had blind faith in forced the king to confirm the August Decrees & Necker's abilities to put the economy right. His the Declaration of the Rights of Man (albeit with The storming of the Bastille was caused dismissal was seen as deliberate provocation. 20,000 National Guard in support!). The Sans Culottes took on the role of How did they affect the development of by Necker's dismissal on 11th July, the defenders of the revolution. stationing of troops in the centre of Paris The stationing of troops only heightened tensions & The first cries for a republic came from the crowd at the Champs the French Revolution 1789 • 1793? to maintain order & radical speakers. caused fear that the people of Paris would be crushed. de Mars following the king's flight to Varennes in 1791 Pamphleteers, journalists & orators (at the Palais Royal) The Sans Culottes were responsible for the 2 journees to the encouraged the Sans Culottes to take action. Tuileries of 1792 which sealed the king's fate following the threat of war & rumours of royal double•dealings. The Bastille lay at the centre of a working class district.

By 1792 the term was synonymous with The crowd were largely skilled artisans (e.g. cobblers / being a radical, patriotic republican. The Sans•Culottes played a strong role in locksmiths / shopkeepers) • half were newly arrived from the the storming of the Bastille. provinces but all lived close to the Bastille. Passive Citizens applied more & more pressure on the Assembly & then the Convention. They were absorbed into the National Guard & The rioters were supported by soldiers • it was then the assemblies of some of the Paris sections. not just carried out by the Sans•Culottes! The Sans Culottes were not all inspired by revolutionary enthusiasm • hunger The Sans Culottes gained in confidence & power. was frequently a factor in Sans Culottes activities • the march of the fish women of Paris in the October Days coincided with further bread price rises.

They were not always influencial though • they were amongst the crowd The storming of the Bastille created a myth that the people that the National Guard fired on at the Champs de Mars in 1791! of Paris forced a revolution in the name of liberty.

The revolution was already underway with the deadlock over voting in the Estates•General. The creation of the National Assembly was already in progress.

How important were the Their action on 14th July came at a time of political turmoil. They took on people of Paris in 1789? the demands of the politicians of the newly formed National Assembly. The storming of the Bastille showed the weakness of authority & the power of mob violence. It led to the recall of Necker / the king's acceptance of constitutional change & to the destruction of feudalism & the ancien regime within a month!

To what extent was the course of the revolution shaped by the people of Paris from 1789 to 1795..mmap • 5/5/2008 •