French Revolution Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts French Revolution (1789‑1799) – A decade of political, social, and economic upheaval that ended the Ancien Régime and created a republic, then the Consulate under Napoleon. Estates‑General → National Assembly – The 1789 meeting of the three estates (Clergy, Nobility, Third Estate) turned into a revolutionary body when the Third Estate claimed representation for the nation. Popular Sovereignty – Power derives from the people, not divine right; embodied in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789). Active vs. Passive Citizens – “Active” males (≥25 y, paying taxes equal to three days’ labour) could vote; others retained only civil rights. Reign of Terror (1793‑1794) – Period when the Committee of Public Safety used the Revolutionary Tribunal and the Law of Suspects to eliminate perceived enemies (≈16 000 executions). Directory & Consulate – The five‑man Directory (1795‑1799) struggled with corruption and war; Napoleon’s coup of 18 Brumaire (9 Nov 1799) replaced it with the Consulate (first Consul = Napoleon). Assignats – Paper currency backed by confiscated Church lands; massive issuance caused hyper‑inflation (peaked 3 500 % in 1794). Key Symbols – Tricolour cockade, Phrygian liberty cap, guillotine (Terror), “Tricoteuses” (spectator knitters). --- 📌 Must Remember 14 July 1789 – Storming of the Bastille (start of revolutionary violence). 26 Aug 1789 – Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen adopted. 20 June 1791 – Flight to Varennes; king’s capture erodes monarchic legitimacy. 22 Sept 1792 – Proclamation of the First French Republic. 21 Jan 1793 – Execution of Louis XVI. 10 Oct 1793 – Law of Suspects authorizes arrests of “enemies of liberty”. 27 July 1794 – Fall of Robespierre (Thermidor); end of the Terror. 9 Nov 1799 – Coup of 18 Brumaire → Consulate. Assignats → backed by nationalised Church lands; hyper‑inflation forced withdrawal in 1796. Revolutionary Wars – Began 20 Apr 1792; Valmy (20 Sept 1792) first major French victory. --- 🔄 Key Processes Summoning the Estates‑General → National Assembly King calls Estates‑General (May 1789). Step 1: Estates meet separately → voting by estate. Step 2: Third Estate demands “vote by head”. Step 3: Declares itself National Assembly (17 June). Step 4: Takes the Tennis Court Oath (20 June) – vows not to disband until constitution drafted. Abolition of Feudal Privileges (August Decrees, 1789) National Assembly votes → feudal dues, tithes, and provincial privileges eliminated → legal equality and freedom of worship. Radicalisation to the Terror April 1793: Committee of Public Safety created. Sept 1793: Law of Suspects → arrests. June 1794: Law of 22 Prairial removes right of defense → executions rise. Coup of 18 Brumaire (1799) Step 1: Sieyès and Talleyrand secure Senate support. Step 2: Napoleon brings troops to the Council of Five Hundred. Step 3: Directors dissolve; Consulate formed with three Consuls. --- 🔍 Key Comparisons Monarchy vs. Republic – Monarchy (1789‑1792): king retains suspensive veto; Republic (post‑22 Sept 1792): sovereign power resides in elected Convention. Jacobins vs. Girondins – Jacobins: radical, urban, advocate centralised terror; Girondins: moderate, provincial, favor war to unite nation. Assignats vs. Franc germinal – Assignats: paper backed by seized Church lands, hyper‑inflationary; Franc germinal (1803): gold‑based, stable currency introduced after the Revolution. Active vs. Passive Citizens – Active: taxed men >25 y, voting rights; Passive: majority of population, limited to civil rights only. --- ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “The Revolution ended in 1799.” – Politically it did, but the social and legal legacy (e.g., secularism, legal equality) persisted. “All women gained voting rights.” – Women were excluded from political suffrage; clubs were outlawed after Oct 1793. “The guillotine was invented for humane execution.” – True, but it became the emblem of state terror, not simply a humane tool. “All French colonies abolished slavery in 1794.” – Yes, but the decree was later reversed by Napoleon in 1802. --- 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Fire‑starter → Spark → Blaze” – Economic crisis (fire‑starter) → Estates‑General (spark) → National Assembly & Terror (blaze). “Voting by estate = weighted dice; voting by head = fair dice.” – Understand why the Third Estate pushed for “head” voting: it equalised representation. “Currency = blood; assignats = too many transfusions → shock.” – Visualise hyper‑inflation as the body (economy) bleeding out due to excess assignats. --- 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases Religion: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) created a Constitutional Church – not a full secular state, but a state‑controlled church. Slavery: Abolition (1794) was suspended by Napoleon (1802) – the Revolution’s anti‑slavery stance was not permanent. Universal Male Suffrage: Adopted in June 1793 (Montagnard constitution) but suspended during the Terror and not fully stable until later regimes. --- 📍 When to Use Which Identify the period → Use date ranges: 1789‑1792 → Constitutional Monarchy (focus on reforms, active/passive citizenship). 1792‑1794 → Republic & Terror (focus on Committee of Public Safety, Laws of Suspects). 1795‑1799 → Directory (bicameral legislature, political instability). 1799 onward → Consulate (Napoleon’s rise, end of revolutionary institutions). Analyzing a law or decree: If it concerns property / church → refer to August Decrees & assignats. If it limits political participation → look at Le Chapelier Law, active/passive citizen definitions. Assessing military success: → Use battles (Valmy, Jemappes) and levée en masse data. --- 👀 Patterns to Recognize “Royalist backlash → popular uprising → radical legislation.” Example: Flight to Varennes → suspension of monarchy → Terror. “Economic distress → price controls → inflation → black market.” Repeated throughout 1790‑1796. “Parlement resistance → summons of Estates‑General → shift to popular sovereignty.” “War declaration → external threat → internal radicalisation.” Seen in 1792 war with Austria/Prussia leading to the Terror. --- 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “The guillotine was introduced in 1795.” – It was used earlier; the symbolic association grew during the Terror (1793‑1794). Distractor: “All French colonies abolished slavery in 1804.” – The correct year is 1794; Napoleon reinstated it in 1802. Distractor: “The Directory was a five‑member executive from 1793‑1795.” – It began only after the Thermidorian Reaction, i.e., 1795. Distractor: “Women gained full citizenship in 1791.” – Women remained politically disenfranchised; clubs were banned in 1793. Distractor: “The National Guard was formed by Robespierre.” – It was created under Lafayette in 1789. ---