Revolution Brings Reform and Terror The Assembly Reforms
Revolution Brings Reform and Terror
The Assembly Reforms France • Nobles began to declare their love of liberty in order to save themselves from the angry mobs – This ends the Old Regime
– The National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man in August of 1789 – The document contained principles found in the Declaration of Independence – “men are born and remain free and equal in rights”
– The slogan of the revolution became “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” – These rights did not apply to women
• A State-Controlled Church – The National Assembly then turned its attention to reforming the Catholic Church – The church was stripped of its land the priests were made elected positions
– The purpose was to sell the lands and pay off the debt – However, the French Peasants were devout Catholics who were upset by the reforms and began to oppose further reforms
• Louis and his family began to fear for their lives and tried to leave France in June 1791 – They were caught trying to cross the border
Divisions Develop • For 2 years the National Assembly argued over the new constitution – Eventually, a constitutional monarchy was created and a new legislative body was formed called the Legislative Assembly • The new government was not able to solve the food and money shortages
• The body soon split into three groups – Radicals sat on the left of the hall and wanted to end the monarchy – Moderates sat in the middle and want some changes – Conservatives sat on the right and wanted limited monarchy but few other changes
• Other groups in society also developed – Emigres were nobles who had fled France and wanted to restore the Old Regime – Sans-culottes were the workers who insisted on greater changes
• Summarize the events of the French Revolution you have studied up to this point.
War and Execution • Other European nations feared the Revolution would spread to their lands – Austria and Prussia wanted Louis restored to the throne – The Legislative Assembly responded to these requests by declaring war
• The war began badly for France – The Prussians were closing in on Paris – In August 1792, 20, 000 people invaded the king’s palace and took the royal family prisoners
– When the troops in Paris were sent to reinforce the army, rumors began to spread that the king’s supporters would try to revolt – The citizens responded by breaking into the prisons and murdering the supports of the king in during the September Massacres
• After pressure from the streets, the constitution was set aside and a new assembly called the National Convention was elected – The king was deposed and all male citizens were given the right to vote
• The radical political agenda was pushed by the Jacobins – Jean-Paul Marat was a prominent leader who wrote the L’Ami du Peuple. – Georges Danton was a lawyer who was devoted to the poor in Paris
• The Jacobin led National Convention declared Louis to be a normal citizen and he and his family were sentenced to death – They were executed by guillotine
• After the British and Spanish joined against the French, the war efforts began to suffer – The National Convention ordered the draft of citizens to strengthen the army
The Terror Grips France • The Revolution soon faced enemies from within – Peasants, clergy, and rival leaders became the concern • Maximilien Robespierre gained power within the revolution
– The Jacobins sought to eliminate all aspects of old France • The calendar was changed to eliminate Sundays and churches were closed – He soon became the leader of the Committee of Public Safety and acted as a dictator
• Robespierre’s rule became known as the Reign of Terror – He felt if the people lived in fear they would be true to the Revolution
– Common citizens were killed for trivial reasons and Georges Denton was killed for not being radical enough – As many as 40, 000 people were executed during the reign, most of which were members of the Third Estate
End of the Terror • Robespierre was soon found to be too radical and was himself put to death • The moderates in the National convention soon drafted a new plan for the government – The third government in 6 years
• Two legislative houses were made and the five man Directory was placed in charge of the country • These men soon found a general to lead the troops – Napoleon Bonaparte
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