4 Flashcards
(32 cards)
Calonne and the Assembly of Notables
In 1787, another controller general Calonne decided the only solution is to woo and win over the nobility. So he announced the Assembly of Notables, and tried to bring the nobles in, and try to convince them to agree about more taxes.
· But surprisingly, instead of easily seducing by the assembly, the nobles demand a share of real power. They want the old system before absolutism back, which the monarch won’t allow.
· So he got fired.
Brienne and the Parlement of Paris
Brienne decided to force the changes to happen: do it or suffer the consequence.
· He decreed new taxations. But the Parlement refused to register the decreed, which they got punishment exile. Even that didn’t change the nobles’ mind.
The aristocrat and parlement’s strategy to win people over
During this time (1787-88), in Paris and in countryside harvest was in crisis. There was bad crop failure happened. 50% of people were unemployed, so wide spread of hunger.
This is what people look for a cause that will really shake off the monarch, especially the nobles and the parlement who were on exile. They are the one who is leading the call of change.
So the nobility and parlement picked up the demand of the return of the old system that based on power sharing, which does not exist since 1614.
The state general was a lot like the parlement, they share power with the king. In challenging the monarchy, the parlement justified their actions and got support from the people, by appealing to new ideas, not the old idea, but the idea of enlightenment.
They wrap themselves in the moralizing ideology of the environment, especially the ideas that idealized the ordinary person.
Ideas in 1780s and 1770s from Rousseau, etc. about the goodness of nature and the ordinary people. Ex: in paintings from name [20], Rousseau’s idea of the natural will, his writing of natives and Hindi…all these was to idealized moral goodness of ordinary people.
And all of that led the new way of thinking of the ordinary people, who once regarded as dumb, ignorant, and cruel, now as base and representative of morality and therefore the right foundation of the nation.
This idea was not democratic at this point, so not people should rule themselves, but rather, the aristocrat tried to say that people is the basis of foundation of a nation, and they represent the people.
So their strategy is wrapping themselves in the moral authority of people, at the same time still claiming for political power for themselves.
This was their argument for gaining back their power that they had not held for 200 years. They wanted to restore an ancient institution.
The problem of the parlement and the aristocrat’s strategy of gaining power; what happen when people figure it out
The problem of this strategy is that ancient institution was totally incompatible and inconsistent with this new idea of the moral people.
When the parlement calling the re-establishment of the estate general, they are calling for the return the old institution that based on social hierarchy, which is unfit of the modern idea that view everyone is naturally and fundamentally the same.
But the estate general was organized on the assumption that people are not the same.
This is the foundational issue of the nobles’ contradict strategy.
So once this become obvious, the aristocracy and the parlement become the enemy of the people. They no longer represent people for their own interest.
All of the problems Roussau talked about, such as deception, distrusted, selfish etc. become true. In fact, over the next few years, the word “aristocrat” within the population was used as a swear word, which become a bad reference.
How the three estates work initially, what is Louis attitude and what did he do
3 Estates: clergy, nobility, everyone else: for each of those groups, people vote for representative and they will meet. There were three vote and each estate got one vote not by number but by order. That means 98% of the population essentially got one vote, so the third estate were always out voted by the nobility, which basically occupied the other two estates.
June 1789: Tennis Court Oath
As the conflict of monarchy and parlement intensify, Louis 16 finally decided to give in.
In July 1788, Louis monarch confer the confrontation for the holding of the stage general. Representatives were then elected to the stage general, and were supposed to meet together in May 1789. But when the time arrived deputies of the third estate were lock up building. Then they convened召集 by themselves at the near by tennis court, and they swore a note there: they will not join the other estates until every individual, not the estate, had vote. They want full political right and power.
The third estate wanted the number of members of the estate double from 300 to 600 (the other two estates had 600 in total). They want voting by head not order. So that means the third estate will dominate the voting, and the other two estates will vote with them.
This change meant a total revision of the original system and the establishment of the new legislative body. The third estate’s general call a new legislative body: the national assembly.
Why the National Assembly can be accepted initially
National Assembly
While this happen, bread and grain rift broke out throughout France. There was discontent that exploded at the same time as things like the tennis court events going on.
Now Louis 16 became fearful about the third estate represents the people’s discontent. So he ordered the first and second to surrender to the third estate, which is the national assembly. The aristocracy seems to agree with the new system, which is about share power between monarchy and national assembly.
This is a key moment that many think it is when France might basically had become like Britain system. If the monarchy at peace with this change, it might gradually change to a representative system.
But this was not what Louis 16 intended, he surrendered first to take time to bring troops to overthrow the national assembly, which cause the continuous unrest that grow and spread in the city.
People became suspicious of the king that he is planning to overthrow the national assembly.
July 14: 1789 Fall of the Bastille
All of these agitation let across on July 14th, to attack the Bastille—the old royal prison, which was not much used at the time. It was still a symbol of monarchical authority power, so this is where the monarch exercises it authority.
This crowd that attacked the Bastille broke it bit by bit.
The attack of the Bastille combined with rifety shocked and scared everyone in the national assembly. So every aristocrat was forced to joins in the national assembly.
Aug. 4-11: repudiation of aristocratic privileges. What does it signify
The result was in the national assembly, beginning on the night of August 4th and lasted until Aug. 11th, in the national assembly, aristocrat was stand up and repudiate 拒绝；否定；批判；与…断绝关系 their privileges, special rights, and wishes of the old reign.
They were scared and worried so they gave away these ancient privileges, hoping they pacified the people.
This development in August, the surrender of aristocrats made the old reign came to an end, when nobles won’t be the nobles in the old way anymore.
III Legislative Assembly, 1791
1791, a new constitution was drawn and it officially made France into constitutional monarchy.
So now the authority shared between the king and the new parliament that now called the legislative assembly. (change from the national assembly)
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (church)
It took the enlightenment principal of natural rights and equality for all people as the basis of the new social and political order.
They think equal right is natural right, which refer to the natural goodness of human beings.
The new France state confiscated all church property, that the church was always regarded traditionalism and privilege, and now the state confiscated all properties and force the French clergy to submit a new state control church.
So these were some development happened between 1790-91, which were relatively stable.
June 1791: Louis XVI’s flight to Varennes
By 1792, Louis 16 had been forced to accept the constitution of 1791, but he never like that.
Throughout this time, he plotted to escape from Paris and organized his army to overthrow the legislative assembly.
In June 1791, Louis left Paris, but then he got caught Varennes.
This remind people that Louis is faking his attitude. So now no one trust Louis anymore, although he is still in charge
April 1792: Austria and Prussia declare war on France (reason, result, effect)
Austria and Prussia declared war on France. These were monarchy that support the French monarchy.
They push the urge to this by the immigrate of aristocrats who had left France. These people tried to let other monarch from different countries to attack France and restore the monarchy.
So April 1792, war declared.
Some people think war is not bad because it will bring people together. So soldiers march to fight, but failed.
Louis took this defeat as a chance to fire administrators.
Radical political clubs suspect that Louis is about to betray France.
These angry crowds from these political clubs join the royal palace in
August 16, 1792: Louis XVI overthrown; republic declared
So in August 1792, people attacked the palace and imprison the king.
On August 16, 1792, the legislative assembly deposed the king and established a new governing body called the national convention.
So now the old constitutional monarchy is out, and Louis and his family is in prison.
National Convention, 1792-1795 性质 accomplishment, situation, two groups (explain
The national convention selected for the first time by universal manhood suffrage选举权；投票.
The realization of democracy idea of the moral authority of the people up to now.
The national convention established France for the first time as a republic: a country that govern not by monarchy but by people.
But because France was still at war, so the national convention was not implemented yet.
There were two dominate groups in the national assembly: Girondins and Jacobins
The Jacobins had special connections to the crowds in Paris and other cities. There were 2000 Jacobin political clubs in France, which is where the Jacobins really had the strength to demonstrate and organize.
Initially the Girondins dominated the national convention and they had some success. They reorganize a new revolutionary army that not only push out invaders but also invaded some places.
Girondins and the execution of Louis XVI in Dec. 1792
In the late 1792, letters about Louis 16 wanted to overthrown the national convention. So national convention led by the Girondins decided to execute him and his family, and some aristocrats.
In December 1792, Louis 16 and Maria Marie Antoinette were guillotined. 断头台
PPT pic: : she no longer look like a grace woman; she’s chewing at her lips. This put the idea of the grace aristocrat appearance idea. End of government of noble.
David, Drawing of Marie Antoinette on way to guillotine, 1792
she no longer look like a grace woman; she’s chewing at her lips. This put the idea of the grace aristocrat appearance idea. End of government of noble.
spring 1793 civil war in the Vendee
along with the execution, the Girondins also put in a massive new conscription 征兵 program throughout France,
It sets up for the rebellions in the western part of France, where the most conservative part of the country.
These supporters of the king rise up, which means in spring 1793 France is in both international war with Austria and Prussia, as well as civil war.
How does Jacobin take over power and what situation they face, how do they response
the Jacobins now enflame popular sentiments, and they mobilized their political clubs.
Their people occupy the national convention drive out the Girondins
Jacobin’s leader Maximilien Robespierre assume power in 1793.
In the summer of 1793, the French army suffered crucial defeats in external wars, while western France is still in revolt.
The city itself became more and more restless, and the food was less and less.
Response to that, the Jacobins established a new emergency public body, that take over the day-to-day operation and army:
- Committee of Public Safety (12 members; run by Robespierre)
- Committee of Public Safety Danton
It mobilizes the resources of the nations, imposes strict economic controls, executes possible enemies on the street, which becomes the terror.
They aimed to attack the aristocrats, but in fact mostly ordinary people were killed.
Ex: in a month and a half in 1793, 14000 people were guillotined. The end of 1794, 35000 people were killed, and the majority was in the rebellious west. So the guillotined terror was to scare the rebel, which works, the rebel eased.
Later, the external wars stopped too.
-the Terror, execution of Danton
Danton wants to end the terror because everything was at peace, but he was executed and the terror continued.
Financial problem and nobility & monarchy’s conflict before the Ftrench Revolution
French monarch wanted to change the tax system, but the nobility and the peasantry resisted.
The nobles used law courts, which is parlement, to block legislation by refusing to register, to stop any changes on taxes.
To support this action, the parlement in Paris, manage to arise the people: announce and publish about what they were doing. They arose people to against any idea of modernizing the economy, especially increasing the tax load.
The emergence of public opinion among population in the late 18th century, make the dispute between the noble and the monarch possible. They fight against each other. The noble wins by claiming to oppose what they addressed as the tyrant of the monarchy, which is trying to force these changes.
After 1776, the economic crisis became worse.
1770s defeat of England make things worse, because even though France won, it suffered in debt. Every minister of finance brought ideas to solve with this crisis, but all they did was only to backfire the crisis, to make things worse.
The first general of finance decide to be honest, so he published booklets of the state that the state needed revenue. But to everyone, esp the enemy of monarch, the nobles, that only show the weakness of the monarchy, how badly run the monarchy is. So they insist their position and use this chance to ask for more power.
Robespierre’s ideas, terror reason, why cultural revolution
Robespierre wanted to change the culture and character of the French nation.
He was a poor lawyer before the French Revolution, then he got wealthy after FR.
He was a follower of Rousseau, particularly he was a civic republican. He was a believer of civic republican and he was called the title “incorruptible”. Even he ran the terror, throughout this period he never tried to profit from it. So he was as morally righteous as he claimed to be.
He wanted to remake France according to the values of republican virtue, by the way of terror.
He will kill who is incapable of virtue, and use a program of popular cultural mobilization, so those who could be virtuous he will win over.
So in this sense he was building the republican rubric, which could be called a cultural revolution: he started to change fundamentally the culture and therefore the morality of the French people.
This Cultural Revolution meant to deliberately rejecting key elements of the aristocratic culture.
end of aristocratic refinement
Appearance and dress now became simpler: men stopped to wear stockings and started to wear trousers.
Robespierre forced everyone else to dress simpler, but he still maintained the aristocrat style.
PPT: his pic
festivals of the republic
Following Rousseau’s idea of replacing the theatre to festivals, Jacobin organize open-air festivals throughout France.
These festivals were to celebrate revolutionary events.
Such as they will have a festival for a boy who sacrifice himself in a war.
Above all, these festivals were celebrating the unify of the people, which is the nation.
All of these festivals happened just as Rousseau has suggested: they happened outdoors, and they indicate the light and freedom of the revolution.
They will begin with the open space,
