Political and Economic Causes

  • Before separating the details into their headings, it is important to know the definitions and how to distinguish between the two categories.  
  • Read the definitions below and refer to our class discussion and notes. 

Charting the Revolution

Estates General 

Crisis Stage: Events of 1789 


Video Sections We Watched: 

  • 20:00-39:40 (stop when the Guillotine is shown)
  • 39:40-55:11 (stop when it is announced that the King will stand trial)    

Politics 

Radical Leaders

Jean-Paul Marat
  • He sat and voted with the "Mountain," the left-wing Jacobin faction.
  • In his opinion the moderate Revolution of 1789, although it had ended royal despotism, had left a new aristocracy of the rich in control, with the grievances of the poor still unsatisfied.
  • Believed executions and a temporary dictatorship could save the Revolution and bring about a regime of social justice.
  • Known for being a French journalist who published his views and for being elected to serve at the Convention. 
  • Popular among the lower classes in Paris and the provinces, but he was the object of particular fear and hatred to those who supported the moderate revolution that had produced the limited monarchy.
  • Murdered by Charlotte Corday (see report below) 
Jacques Danton
  • He was a pragmatist who believed that the Revolution could only succeed if it limited its program to the possible, which meant upholding the rights of property, ending the war as quickly as possible by negotiation, and restoring order through a strong central government.
  • He was called the "orator of the streets" and spoke out against the distinction between active and passive citizens and thus became one of the first to espouse the modern conception of the legal equality of all citizens.  He was named Minister of Justice. 
  • Played a primary role in the conspiracy that led to the overthrow of the monarchy. He had become convinced that as long as the monarchy continued to exist the Revolution would be endangered.
  • Stated that to protect the Revolution it was necessary for France to secure its natural boundaries, although this might mean a perpetuation of the war.
  • He was elected to the newly established Committee of Public Safety and to the Revolutionary Tribunal; he was thus enabled to act as an emergency dictator.
  • Robespierre moved against Danton, who had called for an end to the Terror. Danton and his followers were arrested and tried for antirevolutionary activity. On April 5, 1794, Danton went to the guillotine, which he had vowed to either pull down or die beneath.
Maximilien Robespierre
  • He believed the only way to for the Revolution to succeed was to rid all those who opposed it—the motto would become, “Let terror be the order of the day!”
  • Inspired by the ideals of Rousseau.  Saw equality as everyone dying equally (see handout from Enlightenment for more on his philosophy) 
  • Responsible for creating the Law of Suspects.  
  • After he tried to accuse other members of the National Convention of being traitors he was taken to jail. Realizing he had reached the end, he tried to kill himself that night, the plan failed and he was taken to the guillotine with bloody rags wrapped around his face.

Handout for Notes: 
radical_leaders_.pdf
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Reactions to radicalism... 
"Death Every Afternoon"  -Tumbrels, carrying “traitors” of the French Revolution, would go up and down the streets everyday. These traitors could be anyone including, men, women, and children. Their “crimes” ranged from crying over a relative killed by the guillotine, someone chopping down a tree that was “planted in honor of the revolution”, anyone who discussed their dislike of the revolution, or anyone who would use the wrong terminology—using “monsieur” or “madame” instead of citizen and citizeness. All these acts could be punishable by death under the Law of Suspects—more than 40,000 citizens would be murdered. 

(adapted from Core Knowledge National Conference, Is Freedom Really Free?)   

The Jacobins, Committee of Public Safety, & Revolutionary Wars  

When the French citizens decide to take action against its monarch in 1789, many people in Europe and America supported their efforts and were very excited. Then, the foreign supporters changed their minds. They could not believe the chaos and the heartlessness of the revolutionaries; they decided to wage war against France. What the foreigners did not know was that things were about to get even uglier.

The Jacobins were members of the Bourgeois and were very much in favor of violence. They were the ones who insisted on killing the king and queen and waging war on Austria. However, there were people (especially in the countryside) who did not agree with the tactics of the Jacobins—and made sure they knew it. Unfortunately, the Jacobins were able to take control of the government causing the country to spiral totally out of control. The foreign wars were taking their toll on France, civil war was breaking out in many places and people who did not support the Jacobins were allowing foreign troops to stay in their homes, food was becoming scarce and prices were still rising, and everybody was suspicious about each other—something had to be done. So a committee was created—The Committee of Public Safety—and a man, a very violent man was put in charge. 

(adapted from Core Knowledge National Conference, Is Freedom Really Free?)   

Executions 

The End of King Louis XVI: 
The Fate of the Queen:

The queen faced the same fate as her husband—she was put on trial, found guilty, and sentenced to death by the guillotine. On October 16, 1793 Marie Antoinette was taken to the guillotine. She no longer looked like the beautiful queen that everyone knew, instead she looked like a tired old women, dressed in a simple white dress and black stockings. She too faced her execution with her head held high. The story goes that as she was walking up the steps to the guillotine, she stepped on the foot of the man that was going to be putting her to death; these were her final words, “I beg your pardon, I did not do it on purpose.” Then the blade fell, and Marie Antoinette’s existence faded away. 

(adapted from Core Knowledge National Conference, Is Freedom Really Free?) 

The Final Stages 

  • Do you think the citizens of France lost sight of their purpose—to gain more freedom? Who do you think lost the most? Why? 
  • What was considered characteristic behaviour and actions during the Reign of Terror? 
  • How did the Reign of Terror come to an end? 
  • Outline and describe the shifts in leadership and power throughout the Revolution. 
  • How did the slogan “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” sum up the goals of the Revolution?  How successful was the Revolution?
  • Was the Revolution really revolutionary?