Transcript WELCOME TO AOS2!!!!!

WELCOME TO AOS2
Creating a New Society
French Revolution 5 August 1789 to Year 111 (1795) (Declaration of the Rights of Man and
Citizen to the dissolution of the Convention Year 111)
So what will we consider?
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A new political order and a new society was not created easily. Revolutions took many years to achieve
their initial promise of social and political change. Endangered and radicalised by political dissent, civil
war, economic breakdown and wars of foreign intervention, resistance to revolution assumed different
forms impeding the transformation which the revolutionaries had envisioned. In times of crisis,
revolutionary governments often became more authoritarian, instituting more severe policies of social
control.
Historians debate the success of the revolutionary ideas, leaders, groups and governments in achieving
their ideals by evaluating the nature of the new society as the revolution consolidated. Questions are
raised, such as: Has a completely new order been established with a significantly changed ruling group
and ideology, with new methods of governing and new social institutions? Have the subjects of the new
state acquired greater freedom and an improved standard of living? Has the revolution been successful in
establishing a different set of values that fulfilled the ideals of the revolutionaries?
So what should we know?
Outcome 2
 On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the challenges facing the emerging new order, and the
way in which attempts were made to create a new society, and evaluate the nature of the society created by the revolution.
Key knowledge
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the contribution of individuals and groups to the creation of the new society; for example, in France, Danton, Marat and
Robespierre.
the cause of difficulties or crises faced by the revolutionary groups or governments as a new state was consolidated; for
example, the revolutionary war in France.
the response of the key revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties to the difficulties that they encountered as
the new state was consolidated; for example, Jacobin Terror in France.
the compromise of revolutionary ideals; for example, the radicalisation of policies; for example, during the authoritarian rule
of the Committee of Public Safety in France.
the changes and continuities that the revolution brought about in the structure of government, the organisation of society,
and its values, and the distribution of wealth and conditions of everyday life.
The French Republican Calender or French Revolutionary
Calender
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Started from 22 September 1792.
Note that the Republican calendar was not, in fact, introduced until 24 November 1793.
It was abolished on 31 December 1805 by the new Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, but was used again during the Paris Commune in 1871.
How the republican calendar worked
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Each year, there were twelve months of 30 days.
A month was divided into three décades of ten days, with the décade’s last day being a rest day. It was a criminal offence to close a shop on what before had been a Sunday. That there
were only three rest days a month, instead of four, was unpopular amongst the population.
The months were called:
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Vendémiaire- (22 Sep ~ 21 Oct) wine-harvesting
Brumiare- (22 Oct ~ 20 Nov) foggy
Frimiare- (21 Nov ~ 20 Dec) frosty
Nivôse- (21 Dec ~ 19 Jan) snowy
Pluviôse- (20 Jan ~ 18 Feb) rainy
Ventose- (19 Feb ~ 20 Mar) windy
Germinal- (21 Mar ~ 19 Apr) plant germination
Floréal- (20 Apr ~ 19 May) flowering
Prairial- (20 May ~ 18 Jun) meadows
Messidor- (19 Jun ~ 18 Jul) harvesting
Thermidor- (19 Jul ~ 17 Aug) heat
Fructidor- (18 Aug ~ 16 Sep) fruit harvesting
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Declaration of Rights of Man &
Citizen (26 August, 1789)
Its various articles constitute the main themes of Enlightenment political thinking, and
it espoused ideals of equality before the law, due process, natural rights, freedom of
religion, free speech, and the separation of powers
 At the time it was printed in 1000s of leaflets and distributed around France to provide
propaganda for the Revolution.
 Still forms the prologue of French Constitution
March to Versailles (October 5-6, 1789)
 March
by the "Poor Women of Paris" to insist that the King
and Government move to Paris, which they did.
 From now on the government functioned under threat of mob
violence.
Changes to the Church (late 1789-1790)
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The Church (late 1789-1790)
This period brought massive a shift in power from the Church to the state.
On 2 December 1789- The Assembly addressed the financial crisis by having the nation take
over the property of the Church
In order to rapidly monetize this enormous amount of property, the government introduced
a new paper currency, assignats.
Legislation enacted in 1790 abolished;
 the Church's authority to levy a tax on crops
 cancelled special privileges for the clergy,
 confiscated Church property.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed on 12 July 1790, turned the remaining clergy
into employees of the State and required that they take an oath of loyalty to the
constitution.
Flight to Varennes (June 20, 1791)
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mid 1791 the National Constituent Assembly had begun drawing
up a constitution.
 This was a politically moderate document that attempted to establish
a Constitutional Monarchy.
 King Louis XVI, finding himself with less political power tried to
flee France.
 He was stopped at Varennes and brought back on June 24 a virtual
prisoner.
Declaration of Pillnitz (August 27, 1791)
 Statement
issued by the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II (Marie Antoinette’s brother) and Frederick William II
of Prussia.
 Called European powers to intervene if Louis XVI of France was
threatened.
 The declaration stated that Austria would go to war if and only
if all the other major European powers would also go to war
with France.
Constitution of 1791 (September 3, 1791)
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The first constitution of France
The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen became it preamble
It created a French constitutional monarchy
There was much controversy over the level of power granted to the king.
After long negotiations, the constitution was reluctantly accepted by King Louis XVI in
September 1791.
Unicameralism (the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber) was
adopted as per the proposal of Sieyès, in order to disable the possibilities of the nobility's
overpowering in the assembly.
Gilbert's idea of the king's veto also passed.
Sovereignty, though, was clearly defined as belonging to the people.
Legislative Assembly (October, 1791)
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Legislative Assembly took over government on October 1
1791.
 With the King unwilling to cooperate, it proved ineffective, and
party conflict dominated its proceedings.
 This eventually led to a radicalization of the Revolution.
French Revolutionary Wars begin (April 1792)
 Following
the Declaration of Pillnitz, the Girondins pushed the
Legislative Assembly to declare war against the Austrians.
 The French armies were soon retreating, which caused
radicalization at Home.
Storming of the Tuileries (10 August, 1792)
 Insurgents assailed
the Tuileries.
 The King and queen ended up prisoners and the Legislative
Assembly suspended the monarchy.
France declared a Republic (September, 1792)
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In August and September, 1792, there were mass riots in Paris (as a result
of failures in the war), and the Legislative Assembly was forced to call for
new elections to a National Convention
 The newly formed National Convention first met September 21 1792 and
declared France a Republic as its first act.
 This date was later retroactively adopted as the beginning of Year One of
the French Republican Calendar.
Execution of Louis XVI (January 1793)
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Radicals in the National Convention discovered letters to Austria in which Louis XVI
had supported France's enemies.
The King was tried for treason.
The vote to condemn was: 28 were absent, 321 voted for other penalties, 13 for death
with a respite, 361 for immediate execution.
The majority to execute was thus one vote. No one thought Louis was innocent.
The Committee of Public Safety (1793-94)
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In May/June 1793,there was a new insurrection, and the radicals known as
"the Mountain" seized control in the Convention.
 They appointed a "Committee of Public Safety" in June 1793, a body that
was to rule France for the next year.
 Under the leadership of Maximilian Robespierre, the Committee of Public
Safety functioned as a ruthless but effective government.
 Its policy of "terror" was designed to suppress opposition to the
Revolution.
The Terror (July 1793-1794)
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After the murder of a prominent radical Marat, killed by Charlotte Corday
on July 13 1793, the height of the Terror lasted from Fall 1793 to July 1794.
 First Marie-Antoinette and the Royal Family and aristocrats were executed.
 In 1794 the Terror moved to the provinces and included peasants and sanscullottes.
 Finally by Spring 1794 even republicans like Danton faced the Guillotine.
Thermidorian Reaction (July 27, 1794)
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Reign of Terror was genuinely terrifying, and even radical
politicians feared for their own heads when Robespierre made a
threatening speech on July 26th, 1794.
 Before he could act, he himself was arrested and condemned to the
Guillotine by the Convention on 9th of Thermidor.
 Since the end of Robespierre's power came in the new month of
Thermidor, the name of that month was attached to the entire
moderate rejection of the terror.
Constitution of Year III (1795)
 In
the wake of the Terror,
 the Convention approved the new "Constitution of the Year III"
on 22 August 1795. A French plebiscite (referendum) ratified the
document, with about 1,057,000 votes for the constitution and
49,000 against.
 The results of the voting were announced on 23 September 1795,
and the new constitution took effect on 27 September 1795.