The French Revolution: From Crisis to National Assembly
The French Revolution
Origins of the Revolution
- The Estates System and Economic Issues
France faced a severe economic crisis in the late eighteenth century, significantly impacting its real estate. Economic and social reforms, inspired by Enlightenment ideals, began to emerge. Some of these reforms targeted the estates system by proposing taxes on the privileged classes. However, these classes refused to accept the tax reforms and other economic changes.
France's intervention in the American War of Independence worsened the crisis. The only viable solution was to increase revenue by compelling the privileged to contribute financially. A Notable Assembly rejected the principle of tax equality. The minister resigned and was replaced by another who reached the same conclusion. In 1788, this led to the removal of the current minister and the appointment of the banker Necker as the new minister of finance.
The French Revolution Begins
- Formation of the National Assembly
On May 5, 1789, the States General convened in Versailles, presided over by the king. A dispute arose over the voting structure: the privileged classes (nobility and clergy) each had two votes, while the common people had only one. This disagreement marked the outbreak of the revolution. The common people demanded voting by head, not by estate, and sought to double the number of representatives for the Third Estate. The king agreed to double the deputies of the Third Estate but not to change the voting system.
From Institutional Revolt to Popular Uprising
The institutional revolt commenced on June 10 when members of the Third Estate requested the nobility and clergy to deliberate jointly rather than separately. They believed they would receive support from noble and ecclesiastical reformers, but their request was refused. In response, the Third Estate proclaimed itself the National Assembly, asserting its sole authority for political decision-making. This was a revolutionary act, leading the king to close the session room.
On June 20, the National Assembly met in the royal tennis court (the Hall of the Ball Game), where they swore not to disband until a constitution had been established for France. Strong apprehension arose among the revolutionaries due to the concentration of troops at Versailles and the dismissal of the reformist minister Necker. This led to the great urban revolution on June 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille in Paris, a prison for political dissidents. The crowd marched to the Bastille to free prisoners, but the commander of the fortress ordered his soldiers to open fire. Ultimately, the defenders surrendered.
The king was forced to recognize the National Assembly and accept the decisions of the Constituent Assembly.