In honor of Bastille Day, here is what went on in 18th century France!
Prior
to the storming of the Bastille, there was a growing discontent within
the people of France towards their government. French society was broken
into 3 estates. The 1st Estate was comprised of the clergy. The 2nd was
made up of the nobility. Both of these estates did not pay taxes which
angered the 3rd Estate, everyone who was neither clergy nor nobility. It
was divided into two parts: the bourgeoisie and the peasantry. The
bourgeoisie was the wealthy business owners. They had been heavily
influenced by Enlightenment thought, especially personal freedoms. The
3rd Estate contributed to over 97% of France's population but had no say
in government. The powers of government lay solely in the king.
However, the monarchy was close to bankruptcy due to lavish spending on
parties. While the king was spending away the treasury, the peasants
were starving due to multiple failed harvests.
Louis XVI's
financial ministers noticed the discontent with the tax system, so they
proposed to change it, including abolishing the tax exemptions on the
first two estates. These changes were so radical at the time that the
king was forced to call the Estates-General, a meeting of the three
estates by elected officials that functioned similar to a Congress or
Parliament, in 1789. This was the first time the Estates-General had
been called in 170 years. However, the voting system of the
Estates-General caused an uproar from the 3rd Estate. Each estate
received 1 vote, so a total of 3 votes were counted with each measure,
and the 1st and 2nd Estates would always vote together, meaning 3rd
Estate-proposed reforms would never pass.
Therefore, the 3rd Estate
proposed to have the voting system become proportional to the population
of the estate, similar to the House of Representatives in America. So, a
"compromise" was announced: The number of representatives in the 3rd
would be doubled... but the voting system would remain the same. Sacre
Bleu! Then, the 3rd Estate's representatives huddled in a tennis court
at Versailles and proclaimed the National Assembly. They then swore that
they would not adjourn until they wrote a constitution for France.
Soon, many clergy and nobility joined them. Louis did not break up the
National Assembly but gathered troops around Versailles and Paris.
Assembling
the troops caused fear and panic among the Parisians. So on July 14,
1789, they stormed the Bastille, an old prison which they believed
housed arms and political prisoners. The storming of the Bastille is
considered the beginning of the French Revolution.
Meanwhile, the
National Assembly caused a racket. They abolished feudalism which lead
to paranoia in the countryside. Until now, the revolution was contained
to Paris, but now peasants began attacking the nobles and ransacking
manors. In addition, the National Assembly adopted the Declaration of
the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Back in Paris, women grew
hungry. Bread was expensive! Bread was the main component of diet of the
French and they just couldn't afford it anymore! So, they marched on
Versailles. The women lead a march and brought the king back to Paris to
live in the Tuileries Palace. However, Louis became afraid and bored in
the Tuileries, so he tried to flee France. He almost made it. But,
almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, not fleeing for your
life. Louis was stopped in Varennes and brought back to Paris.
In
1791, the constitution was completed. The National Assembly became the
Legislative Assembly and established a constitutional monarchy. But,
many radicals were elected to the new Legislative Assembly and were
weary of retaining a monarch who tried to flee. Like minded radicals
called the sans-culottes in Paris then stormed the Tuileries Palace and
arrested Louis XVI. Other European nations were appalled by the
"barbarism" occurring in France. Austria and Prussia threatened to
invade France and break up the revolution if the king was harmed. The
Legislative Assembly didn't listen and killed the king. The new French
army succeeded in holding off the Austrian and Prussian forces.
By
now, Maximilien Robespierre led the French government. He sought to
establish a revolutionary calendar and create national holidays to the
gods of reason. This was (no pun intended) revolutionary in such a
strong Catholic nation). In addition, he established the Committee of
Public Safety which sought to persecute people who might oppose the
revolution. Over 16,000 people were executed as a result of the
Committee of Public Safety. Soon thereafter, other revolutionary leaders
were murdered including Georges Danton who was Robespierre's
right-hand-man and Jean Paul Marat who wrote the propaganda for the
regime.
In 1794, Robespierre himself was arrested and executed
which began the Thermidorian Reaction, ending the revolution. The
Directory was established, but lasted only a few years. Napoleon
Bonaparte gained control of France, but that is a story for another day.
As for today, Happy Bastille Day!
