Discuss the circumstances which led to the outbreak of the french revo;lution
Answers
Outbreak of Revolution
Estates General :-
- Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estate General to increase taxes on 5th May, 1789
- In the meeting, the First & Second Estate were represented by 300 delegates each while the Third Estate was represented by 600 delegates.
- Members of Third Estate demanded that each delegate have one vote instead of the traditional system of each Estate having one vote.
- The King refused this proposal which led to the third Estate walking out in protest.
- They met in an indoor tennis court in the Palace of Versailles on 20th June, and declared themselves a National Assembly.
- They swore to draft a constitution of France that would limit the powers of the monarch. This was called the Tennis Court Oath.
- The National Assembly consisted mostly of the middle class and they wanted to do away with feudal privileges and entitlements.
Outbreak of Revolution :-
- The agitation amongst the people was increasing. A bad harvest had led to a food crisis and the price of bread kept rising.
- The King started moving troops into Paris. This angered the people and they stormed the Bastille prison.
- The peasants of the nation were caught in a frenzy. All over France, chateaux (manors of the feudal lords) were ransacked and destroyed. Hoarded grain was looted and debt documents destroyed.
-The nobles fled from their homes into neighbouring towns or countries.
National Assembly :-
- Distress in France caused Louis XVI to formally recognise the National Assembly.
On 4th August, 1989, the feudal system along with taxes and obligations to the First & Second Estates were abolished.
Constitutional monarchy in France was established.
The National assembly was vested with the powers to make laws.
However, the National Assembly was indirectly elected and remained in the hands of the richer sections of the Third Estate. The poorer sections of society were designated passive citizens and did not have voting rights to the National Assembly.
- The Constitution of 1971 began with the Declaration of Right of Man and Citizen which will be discussed in the chapter on Ideas of Revolution.