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Social Revolucons POLI 333B. Issues in Comparave Poli4cs: Social Revolu4ons Agus=n Goenaga Department of Poli4cal Science University of Bri4sh Columbia Summer 2013 SESSION 5. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (2) Map of the Lecture 1. 1791-1794: The Radicalizaon of the Revolu4on and the Jacobin Republic 2. 1794: Thermidorean Reac4on 3. 1795-1799: The Directory 4. 1799-1804: The Consulate Break 5. 1793-1801: The French Revolu4onary Wars 6. Historiography of the French Revolu4on 7. Recap …in last week’s episode: • A poli4cal revolu4on, led by the bourgeoisie and disaffected aristocrats, is pushed further by poor urban-dwellers (sans-culoces) and by the peasantry (The Great Fear). • The Cons4tu4on of 1789-91 is moderate, defends a cons4tu4onal monarchy, abolishes privileges, nobility, feudalism, corporaons, and raonalizes taxaon and bureaucracy. • The Civil Cons4tu4on of the Clergy (1790) generates tensions. • Intrigues by Louis XVI with émigrés and European monarchs intensify demands for Republicanism. • War with Austria and with other European powers. • King is captured and dethroned. Naonal Conven4on becomes the new execu4ve power. IV. 1791-1794: The Radicalizaon of the Revolu4on and the First French Republic (1792-1794) The Poli4cal Clubs: Jacobins, Cordeliers • The schisms within the Jacobin Club: Feuillants, Girondins, Montagnards The Naonal Conven4on: • Trial and Execu4on of Louis XVI • War efforts: mass conscrip4on and a war economy • The republican cons4tu4on of 1793: popular, radical, with a an important emphasis on no4ons of fraternity and providing for the lower classes Counterrevolu4on: The Vendée revolt (1793) Religion, poli4cs, and the peasantry against the regime: • Catholicism • Royalist and counterrevolu4onary • Forced Conscripon (levée en masse) • Beneficiaries of the expropriaon of ecclesias4cal land (bourgeoisie) The sans-culoces: social ques4on, direct democracy, and representaon Paris Commune (1792-1794): Military muscle of the Conven4on Price controls De-Chris4anizaon of France Ac4ons against counterrevolu4onary forces Marat: L’ami du peuple Hébert: Le Père Duchesne Commiee of Public Safety and The Terror: The Reign of Terror (summer 1793- summer 1794) Governing bodies: • Commicee of Public Safety • Economics: Law of General • Commicee of General Security Maximum (September 29, 1793) • Paris Commune • Religion: Violence and terror: – De-Chris4anizaon • Law of Suspects (September 17, – The Cult of the Supreme Being 1793) • Ac4ons against counterrevolu4onary efforts in the Provinces • Guillone • ~250,000 people killed 1794: Thermidorean Reac4on • Danton (Girondins) & Robespierre (Jacobins) • 9 Thermidor (July 27, 1794) • Execu4on of Robespierre (100 Robespierrists killed; 70 members of the Paris Commune) • White Terror (Muscadins in Paris and other groups against Jacobin supporters, atheists and revolu4onaries all over France) 1795-1799: The Directory • Cons4tu4on of 1795: A return to the principles of of 1791, but now under a republic. • Parliamentary government based on property qualificaons • Bi-cameralism: The Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients • Repeal of “radical” provisions concerning popular par4cipaon and social welfare (Law of the General Maximum and aboli4on of assignats->inflaon) • Freedom of worship • Military victories abroad but incapable to solve economic crisis; some defeats in 1798-99 • Some aempts of rebellion: Babeuf and the Conspiracy of the Equals (1796), as well as royalist uprisings 1799-1804: The Consulate • Bonaparte’s Coup of 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799) • Lack of popular mobilizaon • Ins4tu4onal experimentaon • Limits to popular suffrage • Concordat of 1801 • Peace of Amiens (1802) • Naonal Referendum (1802): Napoleon becomes first consul • 1804 Senate passes a bill creang the French Empire and making Napoleon’s posi4on hereditary 1793-1801: The French Revolu4onary Wars War of the First Coali4on (1792-1797) – April 20, 1792: War on Austria – August 1792: Bale of Valmy-Stop the Allies’ offensive – 1793: Execu4on of Louis XVI; War on Britain, Holland and Spain – 1793: Vendée counterrevolu4onary revolt – 1793: Mass conscrip4on => Series of victories in Belgium – 1795: Control over Holland, Prussia and Spain sign peace with France. War con4nues against Britain and Austria. Emigré landing in Quiberon. – 1796: Bales in Northern Italy (Napoleon) – 1797: Invasion of Austria & Peace of Campo Formio War of the Second Coali4on (1798-1802) • Hos4li4es with Britain but stand-off • 1798: Bonaparte sends force to Egypt to serve as a springboard to aack Bri4sh India. – Nelson destroys French Fleet in Egypt in August 1798 – Acacks from Ocoman Empire – Napoleon returns to France in October 1798 – 1801: Turkish & Bri4sh forces expel the French from the region • New coali4on in Europe: Britain, Russia, Austria, Turkey, Portugal • Treaty of Lunéville with Austria (1801) and Peace of Amiens with Britain (1802) Historiography of the Revolu4on • Jacobin-Marxist approach (Mathiez, Lefebvre, Soboul) • Tocquevillians (Furet, Rosanvallon) • Revisionism (Cobban, Furet, Ozouf, Doyle) • Post-revisionism (Hunt) Recap: The French Revolu4on • Structural Factors • Actors and their interests / Mo4vaons • Outcomes .
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