French Revolution of 1789

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!