how long did the french revolution last

[263][264] In his The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856), Tocqueville stressed the continuities between the reforms of the old regime and the revolutionary period, and argued that the revolution occurred because the middle classes and peasantry were becoming freer and more prosperous under the old regime and therefore more conscious of the remaining aristocratic privileges and feudal impositions. In 1793, as war broke out in Europe, the Democratic-Republican Party led by former American minister to France Thomas Jefferson favored revolutionary France and pointed to the 1778 treaty that was still in effect. Hostile to the federalist system, the right to autonomy and the right to independence for the peoples of the empire, the Jacobins conceived power only concentrated in Paris. Colonial landowners also gained control of the Colonial Committee of the Assembly from where they exerted a powerful influence against abolition. The French Revolution, which lasted from 1787-1799, Turned France upside down. In reality, the meeting between Leopold and Frederick was primarily to discuss the Partitions of Poland; the Declaration was intended to satisfy Comte d'Artois and other French migrs but the threat rallied popular support behind the regime. [205] Olwen Hufton argues some wanted to protect the Church from heretical changes enforced by revolutionaries, viewing themselves as "defenders of faith". By 1785, the government was struggling to cover these payments; since defaulting on the debt would negatively impact much of French society, the only other option was to increase taxes. Other estimates of the death toll range from 170,000, In one exchange, a Hbertist named Vadier threatened to 'gut that fat, Je crains le despotisme de Paris, et je ne veux pas que ceux qui y disposent de l'opinion des hommes qu'ils garent dominent la convention nationale et la France entire. So, how many revolutions have the French had? She focused on other aspects of the government, but was a feminist by virtue of the fact that she was a woman working to influence the world. Activists included Girondists like Olympe de Gouges, author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, and Charlotte Corday, the killer of Marat. It was not until February 1794 that they passed a decree to put an end to it. When the Gallic War ended (between 58 BCE and 51 BCE), territories located south of the Rhine became Roman provinces. [159] However, the expiration of the 12-month term for the 1792 recruits forced the French to relinquish their conquests. Prior to 1789, there have been a small number of heavily censored newspapers that needed a royal licence to operate, but the Estates-General created an enormous demand for news, and over 130 newspapers appeared by the end of the year. [176] Black armies drove the Spanish out of Saint-Domingue in 1795, and the last of the British withdrew in 1798. Despite limited support from sections of the military, it was easily crushed, with Babeuf and other leaders executed. Scholars such as Michel-Rolph Traillot and Anthony Hurley have emphasised the cultural traditions of colonial slaves, arguing that the Haitian revolution was not a derivative of the French revolution.[279]. From the French Revolution to a Stable Democracy He was executed on 28 July with 19 colleagues, including Saint-Just and Georges Couthon, followed by 83 members of the Commune. [189], Cockades were widely worn by revolutionaries beginning in 1789. Led by Bertrand Barre, Pierre Joseph Cambon and Lazare Carnot, as before this central faction acted as a swing vote. This meant that although wages increased by 22% between 1770 and 1790, food prices rose by 65%,[7] which many blamed on government failure to prevent profiteering. The third stream is those liberal writers, such as Germaine de Stal and Guizot, who accepted the necessity of reforms establishing a constitution and the rights of man, but rejected state interference with private property and individual rights even if supported by a democratic majority. [154] They remain little addressed by most historians. Cobban argued that the revolution was primarily a political conflict. With the revolution, the king had ceased to be the "sovereign" of the empire. The French Revolution was a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. As was customary, each Estate assembled in separate rooms, whose furnishings and opening ceremonies deliberately emphasised the superiority of the First and Second Estates. Most importantly, Britain preferred peace, and as Emperor Leopold II stated after the Declaration of Pillnitz, "without England, there is no case". [118] Many Jacobins ridiculed the festival of the Cult of the Supreme Being on 8 June, a lavish and expensive ceremony led by Robespierre, who was also accused of circulating claims he was a second Messiah. Growing disorder meant many professional officers either left or became migrs, further destabilising the institution. From its early stages, the Revolution therefore displayed signs of its radical nature; what remained unclear was the constitutional mechanism for turning intentions into practical applications. [259] Under President John Adams, a Federalist, an undeclared naval war took place with France from 1798 until 1799, often called the "Quasi War". As the royalists and their British and Spanish supporters were also offering freedom for slaves willing to fight for their cause, the commissioners outbid them by abolishing slavery in the north in August, and throughout the colony in October. [261], Dupuy identifies three main strands in nineteenth century historiography of the revolution. [93], In the September Massacres, between 1,100 and 1,600 prisoners held in Parisian jails were summarily executed, the vast majority of whom were common criminals. [37], Even these limited reforms went too far for Marie Antoinette and Louis' younger brother the Comte d'Artois; on their advice, Louis dismissed Necker again as chief minister on 11 July. On 17th, the Law of Suspects ordered the arrest of suspected "enemies of freedom", initiating what became known as the "Terror". [188], Its operation became a popular entertainment that attracted great crowds of spectators. [163], Despite these concerns, the Directory never developed a realistic peace programme, fearing the destabilising effects of peace and the consequent demobilisation of hundreds of thousands of young men. On 25 September 1792, Lasource, of Brissot's party, told the convention: "I fear the despotism of Paris, and I do not want those who dispose there of the opinion of the men they mislead to dominate the national convention and the whole France. [125] Despite his links to Augustin Robespierre, military success in Italy meant Napoleon Bonaparte escaped censure. "Interpreting the French Revolution,", Censer, Jack R. "Amalgamating the Social in the French Revolution. [29], To assist delegates, each region completed a list of grievances, known as Cahiers de dolances. [23], The Estates-General was divided into three parts: the First for members of the clergy; Second for the nobility; and Third for the "commons". ", Desan, Suzanne. The song was written and composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Arme du Rhin". [110], At Cholet on 17 October, the Republican army won a decisive victory over the Vende rebels, and the survivors escaped into Brittany. [197] On 20 May 1793 women were in the forefront of a crowd demanding "bread and the Constitution of 1793"; when they went unnoticed, they began "sacking shops, seizing grain and kidnapping officials."[198]. The Spanish supported insurgent slaves, led by Jean-Franois Papillon and Georges Biassou, in the north of Saint-Domingue. [35] After an extended stalemate, on 10 June the Third Estate proceeded to verify its own deputies, a process completed on 17 June; two days later, they were joined by over 100 members of the First Estate, and declared themselves the National Assembly. Timeline of the French Revolution - Wikipedia On 22 July, former Finance Minister Joseph Foullon and his son were lynched by a Parisian mob, and neither Bailly nor Lafayette could prevent it. [177], In republican controlled areas from 1793-99, freed slaves were required to work on their former plantations or for their former masters if they were in domestic service. They were followed by 15,000 members of the National Guard under Lafayette, who tried to dissuade them, but took command when it became clear they would desert if he did not grant their request. [142] The elections of May 1797 resulted in significant gains for the right, with Royalists Jean-Charles Pichegru elected President of the Council of 500, and Barthlemy appointed a Director. Many feared their own survival depended on Robespierre's removal; during a meeting on 29 June, three members of the Committee of Public Safety called him a dictator in his face. [212][2] The revolution represented the most significant challenge to political absolutism up to that point in history and spread democratic ideals throughout Europe and ultimately the world. After defeating a second Austrian army at Jemappes on 6 November, they occupied the Netherlands, areas of the Rhineland, Nice and Savoy. A chronology of key events in modern French history: 1789 - French Revolution ends rule of monarchy going back to 9th Century; followed by establishment of the First Republic. Emboldened by this success, in February 1793 France declared war on the Dutch Republic, Spain and Britain, beginning the War of the First Coalition. [139], Removal of price controls and a collapse in the value of the assignat led to inflation and soaring food prices. French Revolution - Wikipedia Traditional views of the French Revolution often attribute the financial crisis to the costs of the 17781783 Anglo-French War, but modern economic studies show this is only a partial explanation. [121] The Law of 22 Prairial was repealed, any surviving Girondists reinstated as deputies, and the Jacobin Club was closed and banned. However, no new explanatory model has gained widespread support. According to archival records, from September 1793 to July 1794 some 16,600 people were executed on charges of counter-revolutionary activity; another 40,000 may have been summarily executed or died awaiting trial. [255], Coverage of the Revolution in the then Province of Quebec took place against the background of an ongoing campaign for constitutional reform by Loyalist emigrants from the United States. To understand how French came to be, we have to go back two millennia to the age of the Roman Empire. [216], Within France itself, the revolution permanently crippled the power of the aristocracy and drained the wealth of the Church, although the two institutions survived despite the damage they sustained. Relaxation of price controls and rampant inflation caused increasing unrest among the sans-culottes, but the improved military situation reduced fears the Republic was in danger. French interference with localism and traditions was deeply resented in Switzerland, although some reforms took hold and survived in the later period of restoration.[248][249]. In return, the state assumed responsibilities such as paying the clergy and caring for the poor, the sick and the orphaned. At one end of the political spectrum, reactionaries like Cazals and Maury denounced the Revolution in all its forms, with extremists like Maximilien Robespierre at the other. The state sold the lands but typically local authorities did not replace the funding and so most of the nation's charitable and school systems were massively disrupted[210], Between 1790 and 1796, industrial and agricultural output dropped, foreign trade plunged, and prices soared, forcing the government to finance expenditure by issuing ever increasing quantities assignats. Other units loyal to the Convention stormed the building that evening and detained Robespierre, who severely injured himself attempting suicide. Although only 20% were committed Royalists, many centrists supported the restoration of the exiled Louis XVIII of France in the belief this would end the War of the First Coalition with Britain and Austria. These policies were promoted by the atheist Hbert and opposed by the deist Robespierre, who denounced the campaign and replaced the Cult of Reason with the Cult of the Supreme Being. [104], Key areas of focus for the new government included creating a new state ideology, economic regulation and winning the war. The Kingdom of France was an empire, and the existence of this empire was never questioned by the revolutionaries, who even maintained slavery for a long time. However, it was clear power had shifted from his court; he was welcomed as 'Louis XVI, father of the French and king of a free people. Like the clergy, this was not a uniform body, and was divided into the noblesse d'pe, or traditional aristocracy, and the noblesse de robe. On this basis, a new committee convened to finalise its terms; the most controversial element was the distinction between 'active citizens' who held political rights, defined as French males over the age of 25, who paid direct taxes equal to three days' labour, and 'passive citizens', who were restricted to 'civil rights'. [90] Louis and his family took refuge with the Assembly and shortly after 11:00 am, the deputies present voted to 'temporarily relieve the king', effectively suspending the monarchy. Her political focus was not specifically on women or their liberation. The first concerned migrs; between October and November, the Assembly approved measures confiscating their property and threatening them with the death penalty. Uprisings followed in Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulon, Marseilles and Caen. In a speech made to the convention on 26 July, he claimed certain members were conspiring against the Republic, an almost certain death sentence if confirmed. [211], The French Revolution had a major impact on western history, by ending feudalism in France and creating a path for advances in individual freedoms throughout Europe. With the press reliant on reprinting articles from British newspapers, local opinion followed them in being generally positive on the aims and objectives of the revolutionaries. The second stream is those writers who celebrated the democratic republican values of the revolution. [63], The August decrees abolished tithes, and on 2 November the Assembly confiscated all church property, the value of which was used to back a new paper currency known as assignats. [166][167], People of colour also faced social and legal discrimination in mainland France and its colonies, including a bar on their access to professions such as law, medicine and pharmacy. The new "sovereign" was now the "people." [83], Although a minority, the Brissotins control of key committees allowed them to focus on two issues, both intended to portray Louis as hostile to the Revolution by provoking him into using his veto. These victories led to the collapse of the anti-French coalition; Prussia made peace in April 1795, followed soon after by Spain, leaving Britain and Austria as the only major powers still in the war. The Haitian Revolution has often been described as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. Next morning, some of the protestors broke into the Royal apartments, searching for Marie Antoinette, who escaped. [46], With the suspension of the 13 regional parlements in November, the key institutional pillars of the old regime had all been abolished in less than four months. After the Convention passed the law in September 1793, the Revolutionary Republican Women demanded vigorous enforcement, but were countered by market women, former servants, and religious women who adamantly opposed price controls (which would drive them out of business) and resented attacks on the aristocracy and on religion. While certainly true, many provincial areas experienced conflict over the source of legitimate authority, where officers of the Ancien Rgime had been swept away, but new structures were not yet in place. [218], The central elements of 1789 were the slogan "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" and "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen", which Lefebvre called, "the incarnation of the Revolution as a whole."[219]. [178], Newspapers and pamphlets played a central role in stimulating and defining the Revolution. [97], On 17 January 1793, the Assembly condemned Louis to death for "conspiracy against public liberty and general safety", by 361 to 288; another 72 members voted to execute him subject to a variety of delaying conditions. Over 72,00 slaves were still in revolt, mostly in the north. They also insisted on enforcing the rule that only those who owned land could sit as deputies for the Second Estate, and thus excluded the immensely popular Comte de Mirabeau. [129], However, the Republic still faced a crisis at home. Blue and red are the traditional colours of Paris, and they are used on the city's coat of arms. [44], In response, the Assembly published the August Decrees which abolished feudalism and other privileges held by the nobility, notably exemption from tax. Led by de Brienne, a former archbishop of Toulouse,[a] the council also refused to approve new taxes, arguing this could only be done by the Estates. [145], It has been suggested the Directory did not collapse for economic or military reasons, but because by 1799, many 'preferred the uncertainties of authoritarian rule to the continuing ambiguities of parliamentary politics'. [67] This stiffened popular resistance against state interference, especially in traditionally Catholic areas such as Normandy, Brittany and the Vende, where only a few priests took the oath and the civilian population turned against the revolution. Long story short: For much of the. [207], The Revolution abolished many economic constraints imposed by the Ancien Rgime, including church tithes and feudal dues although tenants often paid higher rents and taxes. Many people came day after day and vied for the best locations from which to observe the proceedings; knitting women (tricoteuses) formed a cadre of hardcore regulars, inciting the crowd. Belgium now had a government bureaucracy selected by merit. This was less obvious in Paris, since the formation of the National Guard made it the best policed city in Europe, but growing disorder in the provinces inevitably affected members of the Assembly. In 1789, faced with a grave financial crisis, the king summoned a meeting of the Estates General at the palace. [258] The influx of religious migrants also reinvigorated the local Catholic Church, with exiled priests establishing a number of parishes throughout the Canadas.[258]. [86], Accompanying this was a campaign for war against Austria and Prussia, also led by Brissot, whose aims have been interpreted as a mixture of cynical calculation and revolutionary idealism. The assemblies refused to implement the decree and fighting broke out between the coloured population of Saint-Domingue and white colonists, each side recruiting slaves to their forces. When and How the French Revolution Ended - ThoughtCo [213] Its impact on French nationalism was profound, while also stimulating nationalist movements throughout Europe. On arrival in September, the commissioners announced that slavery would remain in force. [208] All church lands were nationalised, along with those owned by Royalist exiles, which were used to back paper currency known as assignats, and the feudal guild system eliminated. Belgian men were drafted into the French wars and heavily taxed. Other nobles just made do as best they could, working educated jobs. Despite a series of military victories, many won by Napoleon Bonaparte, political divisions and economic stagnation resulted in the Directory being replaced by the Consulate in November 1799. Resistance was strong in every sector, as Belgian nationalism emerged to oppose French rule. After Brissot's fall, the new constitution of June 1793 included a new Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, but excluded the colonies from its provisions. and that there were heirs to the throne. Timeline of the Rulers of France From 840 Until 2017 - ThoughtCo The British take Charleston, S.C., capture a large patriot army, and deal the rebels one of their worst defeats of the war. Led by Lafayette, the National Guard was ordered to "preserve public order" and responded to a barrage of stones by firing into the crowd, killing between 13 and 50 people. [28], The Second Estate elected 291 deputies, representing about 400,000 men and women, who owned about 25% of the land and collected seigneurial dues and rents from their tenants. In economics, therefore, the nobility declined while middle-class Belgian entrepreneurs flourished because of their inclusion in a large market, paving the way for Belgium's leadership role after 1815 in the Industrial Revolution on the Continent. [267][268] Georges Lefebvre elaborated a Marxist socio-economic analysis of the revolution with detailed studies of peasants, the rural panic of 1789, and the behaviour of revolutionary crowds. "[186] Invented by a physician during the Revolution as a quicker, more efficient and more distinctive form of execution, the guillotine became a part of popular culture and historic memory. The army recruited former slaves and eventually numbered 11,000, capturing Guadeloupe and other smaller islands. In her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen she insisted that women deserved rights, especially in areas concerning them directly, such as divorce and recognition of illegitimate children. This came to a head in late September, when the Flanders Regiment arrived in Versailles to reinforce the Royal bodyguard, and were welcomed with a formal banquet as was common practice. French Revolution of 1848 - Wikipedia Primogeniture was ended both for nobles and peasants, thereby weakening the family patriarch, and led to a fall in the born rate since all children had a share in the family property. However, the monarchy did not last long, rendering this a difficult endpoint for the revolution, as others followed soon. Wikisource has original works on the topic: Significant civil and political events by year, Constitutional monarchy (July 1789 September 1792), Political crisis and fall of the Girondins. [16] Following partial default in 1770, within five years the budget had been balanced thanks to reforms instituted by Turgot, the Controller-General of Finances. Despite their propaganda for freedom, revolutionaries never recognized this right, or even the right to autonomy. With the breakup of large estates controlled by the Church and the nobility and worked by hired hands, rural France became more a land of small independent farms. The Reign of Terror - French Revolution [136] Although these criticisms were certainly valid, it also faced internal unrest, a stagnating economy and an expensive war, while hampered by the impracticality of the constitution. [14] As a result, the court became the target of popular anger, particularly Queen Marie-Antoinette, who was viewed as a spendthrift Austrian spy, and blamed for the dismissal of 'progressive' ministers like Jacques Necker. [258] Most emigres settled in Montreal or Quebec City, although French nobleman Joseph-Genevive de Puisaye and a small group of Royalists settled lands north of York, modern day Toronto. The French Revolution (French: Rvolution franaise [evlysj fsz]) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. [251][252], The Kingdom of Denmark adopted liberalising reforms in line with those of the French Revolution, with no direct contact. [108], Fixed prices, death for 'hoarders' or 'profiteers', and confiscation of grain stocks by groups of armed workers meant that by early September, Paris was suffering acute food shortages. [94] A response to the capture of Longwy and Verdun by Prussia, the perpetrators were largely National Guard members and fdrs on their way to the front. The remaining 600 Conventionnels kept their seats, a move intended to ensure stability. The latter derived rank from judicial or administrative posts and tended to be hard-working professionals, who dominated the regional parlements and were often intensely socially conservative. [131] They were quickly dispersed and the main impact was another round of arrests, while Jacobin prisoners in Lyon were summarily executed. Upon coming to the throne in 1774, Louis XVI inherited a kingdom beset with serious problems. On 10 September, the majority led by Sieys and Talleyrand rejected this in favour of a single assembly, while Louis retained only a "suspensive veto"; this meant he could delay the implementation of a law, but not block it. [122], There are various interpretations of the Terror and the violence with which it was conducted; Marxist historian Albert Soboul saw it as essential to defend the Revolution from external and internal threats. Although the situation remained tense, order was eventually restored, and the Royal family and Assembly left for Paris, escorted by the National Guard. He was married to Marie Antoinette and was executed. "The World Revolution of the West: 17631801,", McPhee, Peter. [100], The crisis led to the creation on 6 April 1793 of the Committee of Public Safety, an executive committee accountable to the convention. The French Revolution | History Cooperative [56] Jean-Jacques Rousseau, considered a philosophical founder of the revolution,[57][58][59][60] wrote it was "manifestly contrary to the law of nature that a handful of people should gorge themselves with superfluities while the hungry multitude goes in want of necessities. The typical businessman owned a small store, mill or shop, with family help and a few paid employees; large-scale industry was less common than in other industrialising nations. "[150], Tocqueville emphasized, in L'Ancien Rgime et la Rvolution, the "immense central power" [151] created by the revolutionaries, and which Mirabeau had early rejoiced. Martinique remained under British occupation, while colonial landowners in Runion and the les Mascareignes repulsed the republicans. [156] France declared war on Austria in April 1792 and issued the first conscription orders, with recruits serving for twelve months. [161], By February 1795, France had annexed the Austrian Netherlands, established their frontier on the left bank of the Rhine and replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic, a satellite state. Repetition had staled even this most grisly of entertainments, and audiences grew bored. By 1799, much of its property and institutions had been confiscated and its senior leaders dead or in exile. [84] The second was non-juring priests, whose opposition to the Civil Constitution led to a state of near civil war in southern France, which Bernave tried to defuse by relaxing the more punitive provisions. French Revolution, also called Revolution of 1789, revolutionary movement that shook France between 1787 and 1799 and reached its first climax there in 1789hence the conventional term "Revolution of 1789," denoting the end of the ancien rgime in France and serving also to distinguish that event from the later French revolutions of 1830 and 1848.

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