The Monarchist stage It covers from the outbreak of the revolution (June 1789) to September 21, 1792, the date on which the monarchy was abolished.
The Estates General (1789)
The acute economic crisis that France was going through, as well as the sound advice of Minister Necker, once again in government, convinced Louis XVI (a timid sovereign, of medium intelligence and very addicted to absolutism) of the need to convene the Estates General This great assembly (a kind of parliament) was made up of representatives from all the provinces of France. The Estates General, which had not met since 1617, were only convened in situations of extreme emergency, of true crisis for the French State. Great changes in the administration of the State were expected from said assembly, all of them favorable to the people.
In the elections held, 1,200 deputies belonging to the three social classes were elected, distributed as follows; 300 for the Clergy, 300 for the Nobility and 600 for the Plain State .
Outbreak of the revolution: On the memorable May 5, 1789, at the royal site of Versailles (Paris), the Estates General held their inaugural session, under the presidency of Louis XVI, amid great enthusiasm, emotion, and expectation. But, after a few minutes, a deep concern took over the session room, because, in his opening speech, the sovereign did not mention the long-awaited and long-awaited reforms by the people. On the contrary, he affirmed that he was willing to defend the fullness of his absolute authority, and that, likewise, the primary mission of the assembly should be devoted to the study and solution of the acute financial problems that affected the Nation. . Said statement, as expected, produced great disappointment, bewilderment and anger among the representatives of the people.
The voting problem: The conflict then appeared threatening, since the "Third Estate" immediately manifested itself in opposition to the nobility and the clergy on how to decide the issues to be raised in the chamber. These last two wanted to stick to the old custom of deliberating and voting by orders (classes) in such a way that out of three votes (one for each order) two were recorded for themselves. On the other hand, the people (Estado Llano), as they formed the majority, held the vote per head or individual, without distinction of orders or states.
With them, they would manage to become the most powerful force in the Estates General.
The king, who presided over the Estates General, did not approve this last proposal, for which the people (representing 95 percent of the nation) were offended, and revolutionary constituted the National Assembly (June 17, 1789), without counting on the clergy and with the nobility, although many of the latter joined the Third Estate. This attitude constituted the outbreak of the Revolution.
National Assembly (1789)
After the session of the States General, caused great discomfort to the Third Estate which invited other orders (Clergy and Nobility) to meet in a single Assembly, which meant accepting the solution of the vote by head. The nobles openly rejected the request; the clergy did not accept it, but they did not reject it outright either.
After five weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, the Third Estate sent an invitation to the other two orders, indicating that if they did not resolve to meet together within a short time, they would begin without counting on the clergy and the nobility. Many representatives of the Clergy, especially the lower clergy, joined the Third Estate, and on June 17, 1789 they formed the National Assembly, claiming that they alone represented 96% of the nation . They then proclaimed illegal and null all contributions that had not been expressly consented to by the nation, provisionally authorizing the collection of existing taxes and placing state creditors under the guarantee of the French nation. This was the first revolutionary act.
As the king ordered the closure in which the deputies of the national assembly were in session, the representatives then occupied a large hall of the Palace of Versailles (a place where the nobles used to play Basque ball). There, under the presidency of Bailly, the historic ball game session was held. (June 20, 1789), where they swore not to separate until they had given a constitution to France.
Seeing the king failed in his attempt, he went in person to the so-called National Assembly , to which he declared that his acts were null, and that the three orders should meet separately. The Assembly did not abide by his indication, and Count Mirabeau, deputy of the Third Estate, is said to have stated:«He is here by the will of the people and we will only get out by force of bayonets «.
The Constituent Assembly (1789-1791)
Given the course of events, the king had to give in and thus recognized the transformation that had taken place, since he himself invited the Clergy and the Nobility to join the Plain State forming a single Assembly, called Constituent Assembly , whose mission was to draft the new Constitution. The king had lost his authority and the absolute monarchy was coming to an end.
The storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)
Knowing the people that the King was preparing a coup d'état, and that, likewise, he had forced Necker's minister to resign, because he opposed such an ill-advised purpose, they mobilized immediately. Then, on July 14, 1789, he attacked the Bastille, a fortress that served as a state prison , also considered as the symbol of monarchical despotism. After four hours of combat, the popular mass, encouraged by Camilo Demoulines, managed to subdue the garrison and then occupy said fortress, which was totally destroyed the following year. July 14 was consecrated, thus, as the National Anniversary of France, that is, as the Day of its Liberation.
The King, who did not know how to maintain order, once again showed weakness of character and even approved the acts of the revolutionaries, as he confirmed the appointment of the revolutionary Baylli as mayor of Paris and that of Lafayette, a young general who was a hero of independence. American and member of the assembly, as head of the National Guard (popular army at the service of the revolution). This militia adopted as its emblem a tricolor flag made up of red and blue (colors of Paris) and white (color of the monarchy). When Lafayette offered this emblem to the sovereign, he did so with the following words:"Take, sir, this rosette that will soon go around the world."
Agitation throughout France
The taking of the Bastille was an event that shook all of France and that also had a great impact on Europe.
The turmoil and rebellion then began to spread throughout the nation. There was no police or law to impose order and respect, since the country was traversed by gangs dedicated to looting, theft and crime.
A wave of persecution was unleashed against officers, civil servants and judges, many were hanged and beheaded , which forced the inhabitants to organize themselves by forming national guards to defend themselves. On the other hand, the peasants refused to pay tribute to the lords, whose castles were also looted and burned. “So it was that they attacked the residences of the nobles, they had the books in which their tributes were recorded as well as the archives handed over, and they set them on fire ”. A general panic spread, which was called “The great fear ”. Someone had to put an end to this serious situation that France was going through.
Historic session of August 4, 1789
The Constituent Assembly with the desire to put an end to the ever-increasing wave of discontent, agitation and disorder that was convulsing all of France, and knowing also that the origin of all this lay precisely in the survival of feudal rights and privileges like inequalities and injustices, he resolved, once and for all, to radically suppress them:The Old Regime thus came to an end .
Indeed, in the memorable session of August 4, 1789, in the midst of an enthusiasm that overflowed to madness, and between tears, hugs and applause, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges was decreed. , of tithes and tributes to the lords, while also sanctioning the establishment of free justice, the admission of all Frenchmen to all jobs, etc., etc., "Two members of the nobility, the Count of Noailles and the Duke of Aiguillon gave the sign of the sacrifices. Gentlemen, deputy bishops of the cities, follow one another on the platform and declare that they renounce all their privileges. In a few hours the old regime was destroyed.
The collapse of feudalism marked the end of the old regime, for them on August 4, 1789, has been consecrated as one of the most beautiful and memorable dates of the French Revolution.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
It is the exposition of principles of universal scope that was approved by the assembly, on August 26, 1789, in the midst of the jubilation of all the deputies present. It consists of 177 articles, which precisely summarize the freedoms and rights of men of all times, whatever their creed, race and country, as well as those of the citizen in particular. Said Declaration sanctioned.
- That all men are free and have equal rights.
- That the natural and imprescriptible rights are:the right to life, liberty, property and security, as well as resistance to oppression.
- That governments have been created to defend those rights.
- That sovereignty resides in the nation
- That no one can be arrested or punished except by mandate of the law.
- That citizens have the right to verify for themselves or through their representatives the correct use of their fiscal money.
- That freedom consists in doing everything that does not harm another.
October Days
As the king did not promulgate the resolutions approved in the memorable session of August 4 (Declaration of Rights), and, on the other hand, hunger and misery threatened the population of Paris, due to the shortage of food and bread , general discontent arose, preferably among the female element, that is, mainly among housewives. Then thousands of women armed with pikes, spears and sickles, and followed by a compact crowd of men and children, marched on Versailles (October 5 and 6, 1789), where they attacked the palace. Forced by the mutineers, Louis XVI agreed to move to Paris, where he settled in the Tuileries Palace , under the surveillance of the people.
The Festival of the Federation
On July 14, 1790, and on the occasion of the first anniversary of the taking of the Bastille, a large concentration of armed delegations was held in Paris, which came to the capital as representatives of the popular militias from all the provinces of the kingdom. This act, at the same time that it invigorated the patriotic feelings, ratified, once again, the adherence of all the peoples to the new regime, to the Revolutionary government.
A huge crowd, more than 14,000 delegates, gathered on the field of mars in a party that lasted a week (Feast of the federation, that is, of the nation). Before her King Louis XVI and the Assembly as well as General Lafayette swore fidelity to the constitution and to the Homeland .
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The main religious reforms sanctioned by the constitution of 1791 were the following:
• The nationalization of church property.
• Suppression of convents and regular clergy
• The reduction in the number of bishops:from 134 to 83 (one for each department)
• The provision that, henceforth, bishops and parish priests should be elected by the citizen vote, in public elections and without the intervention of the Pope; it was established; likewise, a salary for the ecclesiastics.
As the holy father rejected and condemned these reforms, the rupture between the church and the revolution took place. So, the State forced the clergy to swear allegiance to the new constitution, but a minority, the so-called sworn or constitutional, did so; instead the rest of the ecclesiastics refused them. Thus, the clergy of France remained divided.
The Flight of the King
Louis XVI, who had practically lost authority in the course of events, tried to flee abroad with his entire family, but he was discovered and arrested in Varennes, being taken back to Paris and locked up in the Tuileries. Shortly after he was confined in the Temple prison.
Promulgation of the Constitution of 1791
For more than two years, the assembly worked hard on the elaboration of the first French constitution, which was approved in 1791. With a moderate tendency, the supporters of the English constitutional monarchy exerted a decisive influence on its drafting, as advocated by Montesquieu (existence of three powers).
The constitution of 1791, which the king swore to comply with so he regained his freedom and power, was preceded by the declaration of the rights of man and citizen , and it was precisely the one that laid the foundations for the new political regime (Democracy) soon to prevail in France, since it rested on the fundamental principle that sovereignty resided in the nation; but that this, could delegate its authority in the person of the King or in the Legislative Assembly. Likewise, the government should consist of the following powers:
Executive Power
Exercised by a monarch, delegate of the people and without absolute powers, entitled:King of the French, by the grace of God and the will of the nation . He was however inviolable and irresponsible, and was also advised by a body of ministers. The laws had to be sanctioned by him, having the right of suspensive veto, that is, he could, for four years, reject his sanction. After that period, if the law was voted on again, the royal sanction was no longer necessary .
Legislative Power
It was made up of a single chamber:the Legislative Assembly of 745 deputies, in charge of voting laws, declaring war and signing peace, as well as approving taxes.
Judiciary
Formed by judges, that is, by magistrates equally elected by popular vote.
Administratively, France was divided into 83 departments and 44,000 local governments or communes (municipalities).
The Legislative Assembly (1791- 1792)
After the work of the constituent assembly, a new one was elected, the legislative assembly, in charge of passing laws in accordance with the constitution of 1791.
The legislative assembly lasted only one year, because, accentuated the hostility against the king, it culminated in the abolition of the constitutional monarchy, thus giving way to the Republic.
Emergence of Political Parties
As the constituent, before ceasing its functions, had agreed that none of its deputies could be part of the Legislative, the representatives of this new Assembly were, therefore, almost all new men, lacking experience in managing the public coa, little versed in politics. They were grouped forming the following clubs or political parties:
The one of the Fuldenses or Constitutionalists
Of monarchical tendency, they were men of the right and showing themselves, due to them, in favor of the strict application of the Constitution, as well as respect for the authority of the king "Whatever happened".
The Girondins
They came from the Gironde department (capital Bordeaux) and were moderate republicans, since they understood that the revolution should be carried out by legal means, respecting individual freedoms and rights; However, they showed manifest hostility and animosity towards Louis XVI, but, nevertheless, during the process that followed, they maintained that the sovereign should be condemned by only prior verification of his guilt. The greatest exponents of the Girondins were Vergeniaud, a notable orator; Brissot and Maria Roland, a woman of great talent.
The one of the Jacobins and Highlanders
Although they were republicans and democrats like the Girondins, they believed, however, that in order to achieve the triumph of the revolution they should use any means, that is, proceed without scruples, without respect for legal measures. They were, therefore, radical republicans, with violent resolutions.
Declaration of War on Austria and Prussia
The most important act of the Legislative Assembly was the declaration of war on Austria (centre of the foreign conspiracy against the revolution), voted by the assembly on April 20, 1792, under pressure from the Girondins.
The first military actions favored the Austrian and Prussian armies, since the latter managed to seize the fortress of Verdun, a powerful bastion that defended the capital. It was then that they declared the "Homeland in danger" and, likewise, the revolutionary army managed to invigorate itself with the incorporation of new volunteer corps. Months later, on September 20, 1792, the patriotic hosts under the command of General Doumoriez and to the beat of the Marseillaise, defeated the Prussians in Valmy. In November of the same year, they were again successful at the Battle of Jemmapes.
Assault on the Tuileries and Fall of the Monarchy
The knowledge by the people and the political parties that the King was secretly conspiring against revolutionary France, and, likewise, the constant initial failures of the patriots in the fight against the Austrian armies, greatly exasperated the Jacobins, who blamed all this to Louis XVI. The hostility and animosity towards the sovereign was also accentuated by the fact that he refused to sanction the decree of expulsion of the refractory priests, as well as to ratify the declaration of war against Austria and, finally, by having decreed the resignation of the Girondin ministry. Then, the people of Paris wanted to express their frank discontent, their repudiation and anger through a display of popular force "pto intimidate the king" , the Jacobins organized a great popular demonstration on June 20, 1792 (day of June 20). Two strong columns, each numbering several thousand people, men armed with pikes and covered in Phrygian caps (red felt hats with tricolor cockades), women in festive attire, and children carrying bouquets of flowers, presented themselves in the hall. of sessions of the Assembly. After having handed in a petition, the demonstrators forced the gates of the Tuileries, entered the king's rooms and paraded before him, demanding the sanction and the call of the patriotic ministers:Sir, said to the king the butcher Legendre, one of the chiefs:you are perfidious, you have always deceived us and you still deceive us; but be careful, because the measure is full .