Legislative Assembly Approve Laws/Declarations of War Must Pay Considerable Taxes to Hold Office
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Nat’l Assembly’s early reforms center on the Church (in accordance with Enlightenment philosophy) › Take over Church lands › Church officials & priests now elected & paid as state officials › WHY??? --- proceeds from sale of Church lands help pay off France’s debts This offends many peasants (ie, devout Catholics) 1789 – 1791 › Many nobles feel unsafe & free France › Louis panders his fate as monarch as National Assembly passes reforms…. begins to fear for his life June 1791 – Louis & family try to escape to Austrian Netherlands › They are caught and returned to France National Assembly does it…. after 2 years! Limited Constitutional Monarchy: › King can’t proclaim laws or block laws of Assembly New Constitution establishes a new government › Known as the Legislative Assembly Approve laws/declarations of war must pay considerable taxes to hold office. Must be male tax payer to vote. Problems persist: food, debt, etc. Old problems still exist: food shortages & gov’t debt Legislative Assembly can’t agree how to fix › Radicals (oppose monarchy & want sweeping changes in gov’t) sit on LEFT › Moderates (want limited changes) sit in MIDDLE › Conservatives (uphold limited monarchy & want few gov’t changes) sit on RIGHT Emigres (nobles who fled France) plot to undo the Revolution & restore Old Regime Some Parisian workers & shopkeepers push for GREATER changes. They are called Sans-Culottes – “Without knee britches” due to their wearing of trousers Monarchs & nobles across Europe fear the revolutionary ideas might spread to their countries Austria & Prussia urge France to restore Louis to power So the Legislative Assembly ………. [April 1792] Legislative Assembly declares war against Prussia and Austria › Initiates the French Revolutionary Wars French Revolutionary Wars: series of wars, from 1792-1802. The war begins badly for France --- Prussia advances on Paris The Brunswick Manifesto (July 1792) issued by the commander of the Allied Army (Austrian and Prussian) › Threatens citizens of Paris if French royal family harmed › Enraged Parisians invade Tuileries – massacre guards & imprison Louis, Marie & children France wins stunning victory vs. Prussia & Austria at Battle of Valmy RUMORS spread – supporters of king plan to free him & seize control of Paris And so ………. September Massacres September 1792 - angry mobs attacked prisons Waves of violence in Paris Half the prison population of Paris executed › Traitors: Many of those executed were considered traitors to the revolution. Violence targeted Catholic Church Jacobin Club (Jacobins) › The largest and most powerful political club of the French Revolution › Were the majority in the Legislative Assembly › Initially moderate…eventually increasingly radical Wanted far-reaching changes in France › Jean-Paul Marat (in his newspaper editorials) called for the death of all supporters of the king Girondists- a political faction within the Leg. Assembly. › Not an organized political party. › Advocate a continental war with enemies in Europe › Jean-Paul Marat – Journalist known for his support of the new government and targeted the "enemies of the revolution”. Called for the death of all supporters of the king. His assassination by Charlotte Corday led to the Reign of Terror › Georges Danton -He was a moderating influence on the Jacobins & known for his deotion to the plight of Paris’ poor. Eventually executed. Radicals pressure the Leg. Assembly to set aside the Constitution of 1791 Leg. Assembly declares Louis XVI deposed & now nothing more than a common citizen Then Leg. Assembly set up an emergency gov’t › The National Convention draws up a new constitution. The Constitution › Abolished the monarchy › Declared France a Republic › All adult male citizens had right to vote/hold office › Women excluded despite role they had played The National Convention held executive power The Girondins wanted to keep the king as a hostage Radical Jacobins want Louis to be executed The charge? ……… National Convention tried Louis XVI for Treason On what grounds do they make this accusation? Louis was corresponding with his brother- in-law the Emperor of Austria. Seen as treason › France was at war with Austria. King tried for treason Louis XVI found GULITY Louis XVI was beheaded by guillotine before a crowd of more than 100,000 on January 21, 1793 Marie Antoinette later tried & also executed in October (1793) Jacobins now control in France VIDEO: Execution of Louis XVI (early 1793) Austria & Prussia joined by Great Britain, Holland, Spain & Sardinia France suffers a string of defeats Jacobins order a levee en masse (mass conscription) - raised an enormous citizen army of more than 800,000 men by 1794 The fight against Europe was in question Passion on the side of Revolutionaries › Fought to preserve the revolution Foreign armies weren’t France’s only enemy Jacobins felt they were 1,000s within France too! › Peasants horrified by king’s execution › Priests who wouldn’t accept gov’t control › Rival leaders who were stirring up trouble in the provinces Maximilien Robespierre › Set out to build a “republic of virtue” by eliminating all traces of France’s past Changed calendar 12 mos. of 30 days & renamed all months NO SUNDAYS – religion was old-fashioned & dangerous Closed all churches (July 1793) M. Robespierre becomes leader of the COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY (which had been established by the Nat. Convention) He builds it into a de facto government Governs France with Dictatorial powers Reign of Terror –Sept. 1793 – July 1794 › Chief task was to protect Revolution from its enemies › Period of violence › Four years after the start of the Revolution. WHO? › Opponents of the Jacobins (ex: Girondins) & anyone who challenged his leadership (ex: insurrectionists, Catholic priests, rioters) WHAT? › “Enemies of the revolution” were tried in the morning …. and executed by guillotine (ie, the “National Razor”) in the afternoon A tumbrel (cart) often transported the victims to their execution In 1789 Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin lobbied the National Assembly for equality in a most unlikely area: capital punishment. He argued that it was unfair for common criminals in France to be executed by tortuous methods such as hanging, burning at the stake and breaking on the wheel while aristocratic felons had the privilege of quick decapitations, particularly if they tipped their executioners to ensure swift sword chops. In 1791 the National Assembly made decapitation the only legal form of capital punishment. But they knew that beheading by axe was an “inexact science” Dr. Antoine Louis designed the prototype, which was originally nicknamed the “Louison” or “Louisette.” It was later named after Dr. Guillotin in “honor” of his lobbying for a humane way to perform executions. WATCH: YouTube Guillotine clip Approx. 40,000 People executed › 85% from poor or working class Even Leaders › Robespierre & Danton executed when public opinion turns against them People tired of skyrocketing prices for bread, salt & other necessities 1795: Moderates in the Nat’l Convention form a THIRD gov’t since 1789 Power in the hands of the Middle Class › Called for a 2 house Legislature & an Executive body of 5 men called The Directory › Some of these 5 were corrupt … despite this France began a period of order A new general was found to lead France’s armies ……… VIDEO: song - "The French Revolution" .