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French Revolution: the story on HearLore | HearLore
French Revolution
Louis XVI was the first French monarch in three centuries to be executed by his own people, a fate that began not with a grand conspiracy but with a simple inability to say no to reform. The man who inherited a throne in 1774 was a figure of profound indecision, paralyzed by the weight of tradition and the sheer scale of the financial crisis that had consumed half of the state's revenue by 1788. While the population had swelled from 21 to 28 million, the benefits of prosperity were restricted to the rentier and mercantile classes, leaving the living standards of wage laborers and peasant farmers to fall. This economic recession, combined with catastrophic harvests in 1787 and 1788, created a tinderbox of high unemployment and soaring food prices that the existing regime proved utterly unable to manage. The king's willingness to consider reforms was constantly undermined by his fear of open conflict with the nobility and the regional Parlements, which held the power to block any new tax laws. When the finance minister Calonne proposed a universal land tax in 1786, the nobility rejected it, and when his successor Brienne tried to force the issue, the Parlements declared that only an Estates-General could approve such measures. This impasse led to the calling of the Estates-General of 1789, the first meeting since 1614, setting in motion a chain of events that would strip the monarchy of its divine right and eventually its head.
The Tennis Court And The Bastille
On the 17th of June 1789, the Third Estate unilaterally declared itself the National Assembly of France, a bold move that transformed a gathering of tax collectors and lawyers into the sovereign body of the nation. The representatives of the Third Estate, who made up less than 5% of the population, had been outvoted by the clergy and nobility in the traditional voting structure, but they refused to disperse when their meeting hall was locked by the king. Instead, they moved to an indoor tennis court and took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing not to disperse until a constitution had been agreed upon. This act of defiance was followed by the Storming of the Bastille on the 14th of July, an event that has become the iconic symbol of the Revolution. The fortress held only seven prisoners, including four forgers and a lunatic, yet its fall was a potent symbol of the end of royal tyranny. The governor, Bernard-René de Launay, surrendered after hours of fighting that cost the lives of 83 attackers, only to be killed and have his head paraded on a pike around the city. The destruction of the Bastille was followed by the Great Fear, a wave of rural panic and agrarian insurrection that led to the abolition of feudalism through the August Decrees. These decrees cancelled over 25% of French farmland's feudal dues and church tithes, effectively dismantling the economic foundation of the old regime in less than four months.
Common questions
When was Louis XVI executed during the French Revolution?
Louis XVI was executed on the 21st of January 1793. This event transformed the constitutional crisis into a radical republic and marked the moment the French Revolution became irreversible.
What happened on the 14th of July 1789 in France?
The Storming of the Bastille occurred on the 14th of July 1789. The fortress held only seven prisoners yet its fall became the iconic symbol of the end of royal tyranny and the start of the Revolution.
Who led the Reign of Terror in the French Revolution?
Maximilien Robespierre led the Montagnards during the Reign of Terror which lasted from September 1793 to July 1794. He ordered the execution of Danton on the 5th of April 1794 and was himself executed on the 28th of July 1794.
When did the French Revolution officially end?
The French Revolution ended on the 9th of November 1799 with the coup of 18 Brumaire. This event marked the beginning of the Consulate with Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul.
What caused the economic crisis in France before 1789?
The economic crisis was caused by a financial situation that consumed half of the state's revenue by 1788 combined with catastrophic harvests in 1787 and 1788. This created high unemployment and soaring food prices while the population swelled from 21 to 28 million.
How many people were executed during the Reign of Terror?
Around 16,600 people were executed on charges of counter-revolutionary activity during the Reign of Terror. Another 40,000 may have been summarily executed or died awaiting trial.
The royal family's attempted escape on the night of the 20th of June 1791 marked the beginning of the end for the constitutional monarchy and shattered the public's trust in Louis XVI. Disguised and traveling in a carriage, the king and his family were recognized as they passed through Varennes, where they were arrested and forcibly returned to Paris under the watchful eyes of a hostile populace. The flight to Varennes had a profound impact on public opinion, as it became clear that Louis had been seeking refuge in Austria, a move that the Assembly interpreted as treason. The king was forced to swear allegiance to the constitution, but the damage was done; he was now regarded with acute suspicion and viewed as a traitor to the nation. The aftermath of the flight saw the massacre at the Champ de Mars on the 17th of July, where the National Guard fired into a crowd of protesters, killing between 13 and 50 people. This event destroyed the reputation of Lafayette and led to the closure of radical clubs and newspapers, while their leaders went into exile or hiding. The Declaration of Pillnitz, issued by Emperor Leopold II and King Frederick William II of Prussia on the 27th of August, further destabilized the situation by hinting at an invasion of France on behalf of the king, rallying popular support behind the regime but also setting the stage for the war that would follow.
The Guillotine And The Republic
The execution of Louis XVI on the 21st of January 1793 was the moment the French Revolution became irreversible, transforming a constitutional crisis into a radical republic. The trial of Citoyen Louis Capet, as the king was now known, was a political spectacle that saw 361 deputies vote in favor of his death and 288 against, with another 72 voting to execute him subject to delaying conditions. The sentence was carried out on the Place de la Révolution, now the Place de la Concorde, and the monarchy was replaced by the French First Republic. The execution was followed by the September Massacres, where between 1,100 and 1,600 prisoners held in Parisian jails were summarily executed, a response to the capture of Longwy and Verdun by Prussia. The war against the First Coalition, which included Britain, the Dutch Republic, Spain, and Portugal, led to a series of military defeats that threatened the survival of the Republic. The crisis led to the creation of the Committee of Public Safety on the 6th of April 1793, an executive committee accountable to the Convention, which would soon become the instrument of the Reign of Terror. The Girondins, who had hoped war would unite the people, found themselves the target of popular anger and were eventually purged from power, leaving the Montagnards, led by Robespierre, to take control of the government.
The Terror And The Thermidor
The Reign of Terror, which lasted from September 1793 to July 1794, was a period of extreme violence where around 16,600 people were executed on charges of counter-revolutionary activity, and another 40,000 may have been summarily executed or died awaiting trial. The Law of Suspects on the 17th of September approved the arrest of suspected enemies of freedom, and the Law of 22 Prairial on the 10th of June denied the accused the right to defend themselves. At the height of the Terror, not even its supporters were immune from suspicion, leading to divisions within the Montagnard faction between radical Hébertists and moderates led by Danton. Robespierre, who saw their dispute as destabilizing the regime, ordered the arrest and execution of Danton on the 5th of April 1794, an act that arguably did more damage to his own position than any other. The Law of 22 Prairial was repealed, and the Jacobin Club was closed and banned after Robespierre's own execution on the 28th of July 1794, which marked the end of the Reign of Terror. The Thermidorian Reaction that followed was a period of revenge killings directed against alleged Jacobins, Republican officials, and Protestants, and the bloodshed did not end with the death of Robespierre. The Committee of Public Safety was replaced in November 1795 by the Directory, a five-man executive body that was characterized by chronic violence, ambivalent forms of justice, and repeated recourse to heavy-handed repression.
Napoleon And The End Of The Revolution
The coup of 18 Brumaire on the 9th of November 1799 marked the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Consulate, with Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul. The Directory, which had been in power since 1795, was characterized by chronic violence, ambivalent forms of justice, and repeated recourse to heavy-handed repression, and its instability ended with the coup. The elections of May 1797 resulted in significant gains for the right, with Royalists Jean-Charles Pichegru elected president of the Council of 500, and Barthélemy appointed a director. Republicans attempted a pre-emptive coup on the 4th of September, using troops from Napoleon's Army of Italy under Pierre Augereau to arrest Barthélemy, Pichegru, and Carnot. The elections were annulled, 63 leading Royalists were deported to French Guiana, and laws were passed against émigrés, Royalists, and ultra-Jacobins. The removal of his conservative opponents opened the way for direct conflict between Barras and those on the left, and the 1798 elections resulted in a resurgence in Jacobin strength. Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in July 1798 confirmed European fears of French expansionism, and the War of the Second Coalition began in November 1798. Without a majority in the legislature, the directors relied on the army to enforce decrees and extract revenue from conquered territories, and generals like Napoleon and Barthélemy Catherine Joubert became central to the political process. The architect of the Directory's end was Sieyès, who when asked what he had done during the Terror allegedly answered I survived, and his first action was to remove Barras, with the help of allies including Talleyrand and Napoleon's brother Lucien.