Reforms Of The National Assembly 1789-1791

Question 1

What were the aims of local government reform?

Answer 1

• decentralise power
• create a coherent structure to replace chaos of ancien regime
• introduce democracy into France

Question 2

What were the main changes made to the local government?

Answer 2

France divided into 83 departments
Paris divided into 48 sections
New citizenship voting system was set up to determine voting rights

Question 3

How many people were passive citizens and what characterised them?

Answer 3

2.7 million people who enjoyed the new rights given to them by the assembly but did not have the correct tax status to be able to vote.

Question 4

What were the three tiers of the active citizen?

Answer 4

1) Men who paid 3 days labour in local taxes- could choose electors
2) Men who paid 10 days labour in taxes- could elect members to National Assembly and stand in local deapartments
3) Men who paid 54 days of labour tax- could stand to be deputies of National Assembly.

Question 5

What did the voter reform mean?

Answer 5

Those people who were the riches in society had the greatest vote and democracy privilege.

Question 6

What were the main responsibilities of the local government?

Answer 6

Assess and collect taxes
Maintain law and order
Carry out pubic works
Control the power of the national guard.

Question 7

When were parts of the legal system abolished?

Answer 7

16 August 1790

Question 8

What features of the legal system were abolished?

Answer 8

• Different types of legal system in the north and south of the country
• Different types of law court for the 3 estates
• Lettres de catchet

Question 9

What were the key new features of the legal system?

Answer 9

Uniform system that fit into the administrative divisions of France
Justice of the Peace would deal with civil issues
Court of Appeal set up- elected judges with accountable powers
Penal code made more humane- torture abolished
Guillotine introduced as method of execution

Question 10

What type of economic management did the assembly believe in?

Answer 10

Laissez faire economic approach

Question 11

When was free trade in grain introduced and price controls removed?

Answer 11

August 1789

Question 12

What did the sans-culottes want the government to do?

Answer 12

Interfere with the economy to control the prices and prevent starvation.

Question 13

How were employer- worker relations changed?

Answer 13

In 1791 guilds were abolished and all trade unions and collective bargaining was made illegal.

Labour market liberalised.

Question 14

How many people in France need assistance from the state to help their poverty?

Answer 14

2 million- 8%

Question 15

What did the assembly want a Church free from?

Answer 15

Abuses such as plurality
Free from foreign control of the Pope
Linked to a new system of local government
Linked more closely with the revolutionary ideals

Question 16

Was the assembly anti-Catholic?

Answer 16

No, they were only concerned with reform to the structural and administrative duties of the Church rather than spiritual and religious dealings. They had no intention to change the spiritual doctrine of the Church.
It was not until 1793/94 that de christianisation began within the Church.

Question 17

When was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy approved?

Answer 17

12 July 1790

Question 18

What did the CCC do?

Answer 18

Reformed the Catholic Church- bringing the Church into line with the administrative framework of the new local government.

• each department would have a single dioceses
• reduced the number of bishoprics from 135 to 83
• all clerical post except for parish priest and bishops were abolished
• no bishop could be away from there post for more than 15 days

Question 19

What did the clergy want the assembly to allow them to do?

Answer 19

Debate the issue in a national synod

Question 20

What did the clergy wait to here before signing the CCC and the Oath of Loyalty

Answer 20

The approval of the Pope

Question 21

What was the Oath of Loyalty?

Answer 21

On the 27 November 1790 the clergy was tired of waiting for the verdict of the Clergy and so forced the clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the Pope.

Question 22

What did the Pope do?

Answer 22

Condemned the principles of the CCC following failed negotiations in the Avignon

Question 23

What happened the Catholic Church following the CCC and the Oath of Loyalty?

Answer 23

Split in the Church between the constitutionalist and the refratcionary non nursing Church- two separate Church’s were in operation.

Question 24

How many priests took the oath?

Answer 24

55%

Question 25

How many bishops took the oath?

Answer 25

7 bishops

Question 26

What was the result of the split in the Church?

Answer 26

The counter- revolution gained large levels of support.
In strongly Catholic rural areas in the south the peasants believed that this was the assembly tying to take their God away.
They felt betrayed by there religion.

Question 27

What did the assembly do to try and pacify the split?

Answer 27

A new legislative assembly- September 1791- passed laws to deport refractionary and counter revolution priest in May of 1792.

Question 28

What was the main aim of the constituent assembly?

Answer 28

Draw up a constitution to replace absolute monarchy with a constitutional one.

Question 29

When was the constitution approved?

Answer 29

14 September 1791

Question 30

What were the key points of the 14 September 1791 Constituion?

Answer 30

• one elected assembly
• king would have a suspensive veto for 4 years
• king could appoint ministers and military commanders
• monarchy would remain hereditary but institution would be subordinate to the law.

Question 31

What were the main features of the National Assembly reform from 1789 to 1791?

Answer 31

More efficient government
Better tax systems
Break down the traditional institutions of the Ancien regime
Introduce democracy