why was the king forced to recognise the national assembly next and accept the new constitution
Answers
June 20, 1789 National Assembly members take Tennis Court Oath, pledging to create new constitutionJuly 14 Mob of Parisian citizens storms Bastille prison and confiscates weaponsJuly 20 Rural violence of Great Fear breaks out; peasants lash out at feudal landlords for several weeksAugust 4 August Decrees release peasants and farmers from feudal contractsAugust 26 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen issuedOctober 5 Parisian women march to Versailles in response to food crisisFebruary 1790 Government confiscates church propertyJuly 12 Civil Constitution of the Clergy issuedKey PeopleLouis XVI- French king; was forced to accept August Decrees and Declaration ofthe Rights of Man and of the Citizen when angry mob of women stormed Versailles in 1789Jacques Necker- Director general of finance sacked by Louis XVI in 1789; public outrage prompted his reinstatementMarquis de Lafayette- Nobleman who sided with National Assembly and createdFrench National GuardThe Tennis Court OathThree days after splitting from theEstates-General, the delegates from the Third Estate (now theNational Assembly)found themselves locked out of the usual meeting hall and convened on a nearby tennis court instead. There, all but one of the members took theTennis Court Oath, which stated simply that the group would remain indissoluble until it had succeededin creating a new national constitution.Upon hearing of the National Assembly’s formation, KingLouis XVIheld a general gathering in which the government attempted to intimidate the Third Estate into submission. The assembly, however, had grown too strong, and the king was forced to recognize the group. Parisians had received word of the upheaval, and revolutionary energy coursed through the city. Inspired by the National Assembly, commoners rioted in protest of rising prices. Fearing violence, the king had troops surround his palace atVersailles.The BastilleBlaming him for the failure of the Estates-General, Louis XVI once again dismissed Director General of FinanceJacques Necker. Necker was a very popular figure, and when word of the dismissal reached the public, hostilities spiked yet again. In light of the rising tension, a scramble for arms broke out, and on July 13, 1789, revolutionaries raided the Paris town hall in pursuit of arms. There they found few weapons but plenty of gunpowder. The next day, upon realizing that it contained alarge armory, citizens on the side of the National Assembly stormed theBastille, amedieval fortress and prison in Paris.Although the weapons were useful, the storming of the Bastille was more symbolic than it was necessary for the revolutionary cause. The revolutionaries faced little immediate threat and had suchintimidating numbers that they were capable of nonviolent coercion. By storming one of Paris’s most notorious state prisons and hoarding weapons, however, the revolutionaries gained a symbolic victory over the Old Regime and conveyed the message that they were not to be trifled with.Lafayette and the National GuardAs the assembly secured control over the capital, it seemed as if peace might still prevail: the previous governmental councilwas exiled, and Necker was reinstated. Assembly members assumed top government positions in Paris, and even the king himself traveled to Paris in revolutionary garb to voice his support. Tobolster the defense of the assembly, theMarquis de Lafayette, a noble, assembleda collection of citizens into theFrench National Guard. Although some blood had already been shed, the Revolution seemed to be subsiding and safely in the hands of the people.The Great FearFor all the developments that were taking place in Paris, the majority of the conflictserupted in the struggling countryside. Peasants and farmers alike, who had been suffering under high prices and unfair feudal contracts, began to wreak havoc in rural France. After hearing word of the Third Estate’s mistreatment by the Estates-General, and feeding off of the infectious revolutionary spirit that permeated France, the peasants amplifiedtheir attacks in the countryside over the span of a few weeks, sparking a hysteria dubbed theGreat Fear. Starting around July 20, 1789, and continuing through the first days of August, the Great Fear spreadthrough sporadic pockets of the French countryside. Peasants attacked country manors and estates, in some cases burning them down in an attempt to escape their feudal obligations.
Causes of the French Revolution:
Social Inequality: French society in the eighteenth century was divided into three estates namely The Clergy, The nobility and third estates. First two estates, that is, the clergy and the nobility enjoyed certain privileges by birth. They were exempt from paying taxes. The Third estate comprises of businessmen, merchants, Peasants and artisans, labours had to pay taxes to the state.
Political Causes: Long years of war had drained the financial resources of France. France had a debt of more than 2 billion livres. To meet its regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities, the state was forced to increase taxes which angered the people.
Economic Problems: The population of France also increased from 23 million in 1715 to 28 million in 1789. Food grains were now in great demand. The price of bread shot up. Wages did not keep pace with rising prices. This led to subsistence crisis.
Strong Middle Class: A new middle class emerged educated and wealthy during the eighteenth century. They believed that no group in society should be given privileges by birth. Ideas of equality and freedom were put forward by philosophers. The ideas of these philosophers were discussed intensively in salons and coffee houses and spread among people.
Immediate Causes: On 5 may, 1789, Louis XVI called together an assembly of Estates General to pass proposals for new taxes. Third estates protested against this proposal but as each estate have one vote, the king rejected this appeal. They walked out of the assembly.
The Outbreak of the French Revolution
Louis XVI called an assembly of the Estates General to pass his proposals to increase taxes on 5th May 1789. The first and second estates sent 300 representatives each, who were seated in rows facing each other on two sides, while the 600 members of the third estate had to stand at the back. The third estate was represented by its more prosperous and educated members only while peasants, artisans and women were denied entry to the assembly. Voting in the Estates General in the past had been conducted according to the principle that each estate had one vote and same practice to be continued this time. But members of the third estate demanded individual voting right, where each member would have one vote.
After rejection of this proposal by the king, members of the third estate walked out of the assembly in protest. On 20th June, the representatives of the third estate assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles where they declared themselves a National Assembly and vowed to draft a constitution for France that would limit the powers of the monarch. The third estate was led by Mirabeau, a noble and Abbé Sieyès, a priest. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of France was in trouble. Severe winter destroyed the food crops which resulted in increase in the prices. The bakers also hoarded supplies of breads for making greater profit. After spending hours in long queues at the bakery, crowds of angry women stormed into the shops. At the same time, the king ordered troops to move into Paris. On 14 July, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille.
In the countryside rumours spread from village to village that the lords of the manor were on their way to destroy the ripe crops through their hired gangs. Due to fear, peasants in several districts attacked the castle of nobles, looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues. Large numbers of noble fled from their homes and many migrated to neighbouring countries. Louis XVI finally recognised the National Assembly and accepted the constitution. On 4th August, 1789, France passed the law for abolishing the feudal system of obligations and taxes. The member of clergy were also forced to give up their privileges. Tithes were abolished and lands owned by the Church were confiscated.