Understanding the French Revolution: A Concise Analysis
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The French Revolution of 1789
C 1789: A Revolution Breaks Out
The Estates-General met in Versailles in May 1789. The meeting was chaired by the king and made up of representatives of the nobility, clergy, and the Third Estate. However, the Third Estate representatives decided to leave the meeting when the privileged classes refused to allow them greater representation and insisted on one vote per estate rather than one per representative. They met in a pavilion in Versailles (Jeu de Paume) and proclaimed themselves the National Assembly, reflecting the will of the majority of French people. They pledged to draft a constitution.
The people of Paris supported the Assembly's proposals, and on July 14, they stormed the Bastille. The revolution spread to the countryside, where nobles' homes were burnt (the Great Fear). Louis XVI was frightened by the situation and, in the autumn of 1789, accepted the National Assembly, which made France a constitutional monarchy and ended the Ancien Régime.
Phases of the Revolution
The revolution was a long and complex process that surpassed its initial objectives. The king and the privileged (nobility and clergy) refused to accept the changes proposed by the National Assembly, and the working classes had to fight for greater social equality. As a result, the revolution went through different phases:
- The Constitutional Monarchy (1789-1792): This was driven by the moderate bourgeoisie, who aspired to abolish the Ancien Régime, elect a parliament by selective suffrage, and establish a constitution based on moderate liberalism.
- The Social Republic (1792-1794): The radical bourgeoisie, encouraged by the working classes, proclaimed the Republic and began a transformation into a democratic and equal society with universal male suffrage and social laws.
- The Conservative Republic (1794-1799): Despite the radicalisation of the French Revolution, the moderate bourgeoisie took power and implemented a new moderate liberalism.